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From the Esther’s Kitchen Culinary Universe Comes a New Space, a French Bistro, and Something Very Fancy

2024-03-06T12:18:05-08:00

The new Esther’s Kitchen. | Janna Karel

Like hermit crabs queueing to move into new shells, Esther’s Kitchen and three successive restaurants are readying to open

In just a couple of days, James Trees, chef and owner of Esther’s Kitchen, is going to set into motion a veritable culinary chain reaction on Main Street. Esther’s Kitchen, which has outgrown its cramped four walls in the Arts District, is moving just down the street into a new venue with nearly three times the space. The original Esther’s Kitchen will become a French restaurant, one which Trees hopes will rival that of Joël Robuchon or Restaurant Guy Savoy.

Down the street, he’s also taking over what had been a tie-dye store to open a second — less fancy — French restaurant. And, behind that, a cocktail bar. The plan has arguably been in the works, at least in Trees’s mind — for years. It starts taking shape on Friday, March 8.

When Esther’s Kitchen opened in 2018, the downtown neighborhood of the Arts District had few restaurant options, most notably Casa Don Juan with its melted cheese-laden Mexican food and the Makers & Finders coffee and empanada cafe. In the years since opening, Esther’s Kitchen has outgrown its cramped quarters on Casino Center Boulevard, which only seats 68 people, tightly. The kitchen has no room to put even a cappuccino machine for morning brunch. And Trees’s office, hardly long enough to fit a full-size desk, often shares space with luggage that customers bring in with them, en route to hotels or the airport.

Sam Abrams

The original Esther’s Kitchen.

The new Esther’s Kitchen takes over what had been the Retro Vegas vintage store. It’s a 5,000-square-foot building with a 1,000-square-foot loft, to which Trees added nearly 4,500 square feet of brand new kitchen space. The centerpiece is an $85,000 bread oven. Taking a note from Wolfgang Puck’s 1228 Main across the street, Trees is centralizing his bread-making — baking sourdough loves for Esther’s, focaccia for his Al Solito Posto restaurant, and burger buns for his Ada’s Food + Wine restaurant, all in one kitchen. The other new feature to the kitchen is an open-fire grill.

Sean Jorgensen

Spaghetti from Esther’s Kitchen.

Trees’s vision is simple. He wants the new Esther’s Kitchen to keep doing what it had been doing — but with a little more breathing room. More room for tables that aren’t squeezed in next to each other. More room at a bar so diners don’t feel pressure to give up their seat to the small crowd waiting just behind them. And more room in the kitchen for his staff. “Right now, if we do the same amount of business as we’re doing right now, we’re still profitable,” says Trees. “So there’s no real onus to push the door super hard.”

Janna Karel

Esther’s Kitchen is still finishing construction.

On Friday, the staff from Esther’s Kitchen will walk around the corner from the old spot on South Casino Center Boulevard to their new digs at 1131 South Main Street, carrying with them the restaurant’s tables and chairs. The same furniture and dishware will go into a spacious dining room coated in cool tones of deep blue, light green, and wood — all catching the light of the table-height windows that run along the building’s perimeter.

A bar with counter-height seating lives on the right side of the 187-seat restaurant. The restaurant’s center has a small kitchen with a pizza oven decorated with tiles from the first iteration of Esther’s. Behind it is a window that peers into the main kitchen, so customers can watch as pasta is made or as branzino grills above an open fire. To the left is a private dining area with a moveable glass partition. And directly above the private room is the loft. When it opens later this year, the loft will function as a vibey retro-styled lounge where bartenders will mix small-batch cocktails. The restaurant even has a small closet for storing the inevitable suitcase. Trees says the entire build-out cost about $7 million.

Janna Karel

Esther’s Kitchen, one week before opening.

Trees is bringing in executive chef Sean O’Hara, a veteran of kitchens at Jean-Georges and the French Laundry, to oversee the new Esther’s. The move frees Trees up to open his two French restaurants later this year, as early as this fall.

When Bar Bohème opens, Trees says that every day at 4 p.m., staff clad in black vests and white shirts will carry baguettes from the oven at Esther’s Kitchen down Main Street to 1401 South Main Street. “If you go to Paris, and you’re walking around in the morning, the smell of baguette is in the air,” says Trees. “It makes it special. We want to bring some of that to Main Street.” Behind Bar Bohème, Trees will open a small cocktail bar, La Petite Bohème. The set-up will be similar to that of the Atomic Liquors bar next to the Kitchen at Atomic.

The former Esther’s Kitchen is transforming into a 35-seat French tasting-menu restaurant. (“It’s super fine dining high-end gastronomy, what my background is,” says Trees.) The restaurant will undergo a renovation before re-emerging as a French restaurant, getting a redesign throughout.

Esther’s Kitchen

Chef and owner James Trees.

Esther’s Kitchen

Executive Chef Sean O’Hara.

Finally, Trees plans to start hosting farmers markets in an outdoor event space next the Esther’s Kitchen, which would be an exciting addition to a neighborhood that currently has no grocery store. He foresees attracting farmers to provide produce, bread from Esther’s and from Puck’s 1228 Main across the street, and maybe even a butcher, eventually.

It all culminates in a big swing for a neighborhood that is still developing an identity — at least from a food and beverage perspective. Even early adopters to the neighborhood, like Velveteen Rabbit and ReBar, have only been open since 2012 and 2016, respectively. The neighborhood is now home to enough breweries to earn the nickname “Brewery Row” from the city, and the new Colorado Building will debut a handful of new bars and restaurants this year.

“If we start bringing in chains or doing copycat things, or doing things that could exist anywhere else, it’ll take away from the specialness of Main Street, from the specialness of the Arts District,” says Trees. “Every time we add something, it’s got to add to what makes the Arts District special.”

16 Delectable Doughnut Shops in Las Vegas

2024-03-05T16:13:02-08:00

Blooming Buns Bakehouse | Blooming Buns Bakehouse/Facebook

Where to pick up a dozen doughnuts in Las Vegas

Cake or yeast? Cruller or bar? No matter what kind of doughnut you call your favorite, there’s a place in Las Vegas that serves them up. Old timers, vegan specialists, cream- or fruit-filled varieties, bear claws, and more make this list of some of the doughnut shops in Las Vegas. This is a handy guide to 16 of the most popular doughnut shops in Las Vegas.

See something missing? Drop it in the comments or hit up the tipline.

Two Barbecue Restaurants From ‘Top Chef’ Stars Are Expanding to Southwest Las Vegas

2024-03-04T16:40:42-08:00

Bruce Kalman of Soulbelly BBQ. | Louiie Victa/Eater Vegas

Soulbelly BBQ and BBQ Mexicana open this week in the southwest corner of the Las Vegas Valley

This week two Las Vegas barbecue restaurants with Top Chef alums are opening in southwest Las Vegas. Chef Bruce Kalman of Soulbelly BBQ in the Las Vegas Arts District is taking his smoked meats to the Sundry food hall inside Uncommons. And celebrity chef duo Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken are opening a new location for their quick-service BBQ Mexicana.

James Beard Award nominee Bruce Kalman opened Soulbelly downtown in 2021. An outdoor smokehouse sits on the patio between HUDL Brewing Co. and Nevada Brew Works, where Kalman smokes ribs, burnt ends, and a half-pound smoked brisket burger. The restaurant was supposed to open at the Uncommons, across from the Durango Casino, last year with the Sundry’s debut — but complications with the smoker delayed that opening. On Tuesday, March 5 it will start serving plates of Texas brisket, pulled pork, and hatch chili and cheddar hot links with baked beans, warm cornbread with honey butter, and banana pudding. Like other eateries in the Sundry (6840 Helen Toland Street), it can be ordered via a website by scanning a QR code.

Bruce Kalman/Facebook

Soulbelly BBQ.

Feniger and Milliken, who are also behind Border Grill at Mandalay Bay, opened a new location of BBQ Mexicana at 8480 West Sunset Road on Monday, March 4. It’s the fifth location for BBQ Mexicana, which has quick-service locations at Allegiant Stadium, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas Ballpark, and Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. While the new to-go restaurant will have a drive-thru, dishes like mesquite pulled pork, mesquite-smoked chicken, and slow-smoked brisket are still smoked for 14 hours at a time. BBQ Mexicana in the southwest will serve pulled pork tacos with cilantro coleslaw, smoked brisket tacos with crispy potatoes and habanero barbecue sauce, and sides like chipotle mac and cheese. The restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily with indoor seating for 40.

BBQ Mexicana

Smoked brisket burrito at BBQ Mexicana.

BBQ Mexicana

Brisket lover bowl at BBQ Mexicana.

BBQ Mexicana

Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken.

The Hottest New Restaurants in Las Vegas, March 2024

2024-03-04T09:12:27-08:00

Emmitt’s Vegas. | Emmitt’s Vegas.

Emmitt Smith finally opens his sprawling steakhouse, All’Antico Vinaio brings their sandwiches to Las Vegas, and Whataburger expands to Nevada

More often than not, tipsters, readers, friends, and family of Eater editors have one question: Where should I eat right now? Restaurant obsessives want to know what’s new, and what’s hot. And while the Eater 38 is a crucial resource covering old standbys and neighborhood essentials across the city, it is not a chronicle of the latest openings. The Eater Heatmap changes continually to always highlight where the food lovers are flocking to at the moment.

See something missing or want to add your favorite? Hit up the tipline.

Where to Eat During Ramadan After a Long Day of Fasting in Las Vegas

2024-02-29T13:40:20-08:00

Lazeez Indian Mediterranean Grill | Lazeez Indian Mediterranean Grill

Las Vegas halal restaurants and specials for iftar during the month of Ramadan

Ramadan, the Islamic month when Muslims abstain from food and drink from sunrise until sunset, begins the evening of Sunday, March 10. Many Muslims come together at the end of each day to break fast together, with an evening meal of iftar. For those looking to mark the occasion with a dinner out, or who prefer to not have to cook after a day of fasting, a number of Indian, Persian, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean restaurants in Las Vegas serve Halal food. Some even host special buffets during Ramadan.

Ramadan begins at sundown on Sunday, March 10 and ends at sundown on Tuesday, April 9 this year. Below are restaurants where Muslims in the Las Vegas Valley can enjoy a halal evening meal.

Check back as this guide is updated.

A $50 Million Steakhouse, Speakeasy, and Pastry Shop May Open in Vegas Next Year

2024-02-28T16:38:11-08:00

Las Vegas.

Plus, a tiki bar opens, doughnuts and fried chicken hit Red Rock Resort, and more intel

Plans for a new three-story building that could house a restaurant, cafe, wine cellar, speakeasy, and event space were approved last week, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The project, called Skyline, proposes a top-floor steakhouse in the new building, which would be located at the Grand Flamingo Centre near Flamingo Road and the 215 Beltway in southwest Las Vegas. Construction may start as early as this year, with an opening projected for late 2025 or early 2026. Building out the three-story Skyline project could cost upwards of $50 million.

It would be yet another boon for the southwest area of the Valley — which is getting a lot of action at the moment. The Durango Casino just opened in December, Uncommons is continuing to roll out new restaurants and businesses, and even the expansive Bend shopping area and Sunset and Durango Roads is working toward opening this year.

Speaking of Uncommons

The southwest mega project, the Uncommons, is continuing to roll out new businesses. This year, it has already opened the Wineaux wine bar and Italy’s All’Antico Vinaio. And now, the General Admission sports bar is open. And Todo Bien, a self-described tiki tequilareia, is now slinging tropical tequila drinks.

Todo Bien

Todo Bien.

The Italian Steakhouse at the Tuscany Gets a Makeover

The Italian steakhouse at Tuscany Suites & Casino has been renovated and rebranded as Bistecca. The updated menu now features prime-grade steak options, and new furniture and artwork. The restaurant is open Sunday through Thursday from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Reservations are recommended.

Federal Donuts & Chicken Opens in Las Vegas

The Philadelphia eatery, Federal Donuts & Chicken, will open a Las Vegas location on Tuesday, March 8. The new entrant into the food court at Red Rock Resort and Casino will serve treats like the strawberry-lavender hot-fresh and s’more fancy doughnuts and classic fried chicken sandwiches. It will be open Sunday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 12 a.m.

Federal Donuts & Chicken

Federal Donuts & Chicken.

Astronomy Aleworks Is Closing — And More Las Vegas Beer Scene Shake-Ups

2024-02-28T10:49:54-08:00

Astronomy Aleworks. | Astronomy Aleworks/Facebook

Two breweries are closing this year, and an old stand-by is under new ownership

On March 9, the Astronomy Aleworks brewery in Henderson will close its doors for the last time. It will be the third brewery to close in 2024 — though one is already working on reopening in a new location. The shake-ups are primarily affecting the Boooze District in Henderson and an area of downtown that is coming to be known as Brewery Row. In total, six breweries have opened, closed, or made big changes in the past month or two.

“We ran out of money,” Astronomy Aleworks founder and brewer Matt Brady tells Eater Vegas. “Our cost of goods has increased sharply since 2021. And our rent went up 60 percent this year.”

Brady opened the family-owned taproom in October 2017 in Hederson’s Booze District — a shopping center near Warm Springs and Gibson Roads that had been home to Las Vegas Distillery, Crafthaus Brewery, Vegas Valley Winery, Grape Expectations winemakers, Astronomy Aleworks, and Bad Beat Brewing.

Brady says a confluence of factors led to Astronomy making the final call to close. He cites a changing beer scene, in which he finds that customers are less interested in taprooms, preferring an experience and a place with food. (“We were trying to open a second location, a place with a kitchen,” he says.) And he says that breweries are not insulated from the same price increases that are affecting businesses across the food and beverage industries. Customers are less likely to want to pay $12 for pours they were buying for $7 or $8 a year before, Brady says. He has also seen consumer habits change in a post-COVID drinking scene — more of his customers want to buy canned beer than visit a taproom.

Cans, which had previously functioned for Astronomy as advertising to get people into the building, have thin margins. Where a keg poured at the bar can earn Brady double its cost, the canned four-pack might earn the taproom just 50 cents or a dollar in profit. The 60 percent rent increase was ultimately Astronomy’s final straw.

Astronomy Aleworks

Astronomy Aleworks.

Other brewery shake-ups have begun to impact the shape of Vegas’s local beer scene. Trustworthy Brewing Co. opened in the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Palazzo in 2019 as the only functioning brewery on the Strip. It closed its doors with little fanfare in early February. Beer Zombies, the decade-old Vegas brewery recently acquired the Tenaya Creek Brewery in central Las Vegas — a local’s bar that serves up award-winning beers and is known for its desert animals label art — for more than 20 years. It still operates under the name Tenaya Creek Brewery.

Louiie Victa

Trustworthy Brewing Co.

Bad Beat Brewing, which had been at 7380 Eastgate Road in Henderson’s Booze District since 2014, closed on February 18, with plans already underway to reopen at 142 South Main Street in the Las Vegas Arts District, where it may benefit from the higher volume of foot traffic. In recent years, the downtown area has earned the nickname Brewery Row for its growing slate of craft beer bars. Neon Desert Brewing, which closed its Arts District taproom in April of last year — took over Bad Beat’s former space on Thursday, February 22. Voodoo Brewing Co., based in Pennsylvania, opened a Las Vegas location in early January. It’s located in the Gateway District downtown, tucked behind Liquid Diet.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bad Beat Brewing (@badbeatbrewing)

Astronomy Aleworks is still tapping kegs, partnering with food trucks, and hosting trivia nights through March 9. Brady says he may throw a final goodbye party with the rest of the booze district sometime after. “It’s important to keep supporting the other breweries in town,” says Brady. “Going to taprooms is key. Rent prices are ridiculous. It’s not too late to support everyone else.”

James Beard Foundation Confirms What Vegas Already Knew — Peppermill Is a Certified Restaurant Classic

2024-02-28T08:49:50-08:00

Peppermill Restaurant and Fireside Lounge

The beloved 24-hour diner and lounge received an America’s Classics Award

With its neon, Tiffany lamps, and all-night hours for visitors to the Vegas Strip, the 52-year-old Peppermill Restaurant and Fireside Lounge is finally receiving its due as a certified national icon. On Wednesday, February 28, the James Beard Foundation revealed Peppermill as one of its 2024 America’s Classics Award-winners — an honor recognizing “locally owned restaurants that serve quality food, have timeless appeal, and reflect the character of their communities.”

Founded in 1972 by Nat Carasali and Bill Paganetti, the Peppermill remains a rare staple on a Strip where building tear-downs are more the rule than the exception. The restaurant is a slice-of-life spot for the casino crowds with a mixture of retro-dressed diner waitstaff and ball gown-clad cocktail servers moving about the room at all hours of the day. “We get people from other countries who come back again and again, every year or so. And we have locals, some who come in every day,” general manager Peggy Orth, who started out as a waitress at the restaurant when she was 17, told Eater last year. Orth’s son Nicholas is now executive chef. The Foundation notes in its release that Peppermill is such a fixture in the Vegas scene that it’s appeared in movies such as cult classic (and absolute mess) Show Girls and Casino.

Peppermill joins other Classics awardees including Burmese restaurant Mandalay in San Francisco, Vietnam Restaurant in Philly, Pheasant Restaurant and Lounge in South Dakota, Sylvia’s in New York, and Wade’s in South Carolina. The committee rotates regions each awards cycle to provide a better balance for America’s Classics and eligible restaurants are at least 10 years old.

Peppermill Restaurant and Fireside Lounge

America’s Classics winners will be recognized at the James Beard Awards Restaurant and Chef Awards gala on Monday, June 10 at the Lyric Opera House in Chicago alongside fellow honorees and nominees. Official James Beard Award nominees for chefs and restaurants will be announced on Tuesday, April 30. Currently, the list of Nevada semifinalists includes DJ Flores of Milpa, Brian Howard of Sparrow + Wolf, Steve Kestler of Aroma Latin American Cocina, Oscar Amador Edo of Anima by Edo, and Kimmie and Josh Mcintosh of Milkfish Bakeshop.

Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Awards.