Dining

Honey Salt’s creators take aim at tricky Tivoli Village with Made L.V.

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Village food: Smoked ham hock nachos is just one of the knockout options at Made L.V.
Photo: Mikayla Whitmore

Tivoli Village has not been a rousing restaurant success so far. Petra and Poppy Den both petered out, even with the latter backed by Top Chef alum Angelo Sosa, and neither Bottles & Burgers nor Hops & Harvest lasted in the primo spot near the center’s entrance. Newly opened Made L.V. hopes to buck that trend.

Made is the brainchild of chef Kim Canteenwalla and restaurateur Elizabeth Blau. Longtime participants in the Las Vegas culinary community, they opened their first neighborhood restaurant, Honey Salt, two years ago. And with their second venture, they’re taking a decidedly casual approach with a varied menu that’s arguably better than the award-winner down the street.

Made offers a trio of carb-loaded options to begin your meal. I suggest cheesy garlic toast ($4.75), rife with butter, garlic and cheese—the way garlic bread should be. But don’t fill up; other intriguing options await.

Made L.V.'s Double Stack Burger.

You could make a meal of just the “jars.” Smoked onion dip ($5.75) is more smoke than onion, while the pimento cheese ($5.75) might be the Valley’s best, whimsically served with house-made saltines and pretzel chips. And chopped chicken liver ($6.75) is reminiscent of a traditional New York deli’s. I’ll even give the kitchen a pass for including the black truffle cheese fondue ($7.25) in the jars section—despite it being served in a skillet!—because, well, it’s black truffle cheese fondue.

One of the best dishes I’ve had all year is Made’s Black Mission figs ($9.50). Roasted and fresh figs are perched atop goat cheese, mixed with pomegranate seeds, pistachios and a bit of arugula salad, with the result delivering a range of textures and flavors in each bite. I’m less starry-eyed over the butcher-style chicken wings ($9.50), which have a barely noticeable smokiness.

Beer-steamed clams with chicken chorizo at Made L.V.

Beer-steamed clams with chicken chorizo at Made L.V.

From the larger plates, the Canteen Banh Mi ($12) is a crisp, clean sandwich—country ham and house-made pâté beneath an ample layer of pickled daikon and herb salad. And you’ll want to make sure you save bread to sop up the rich broth from the beer-steamed clams ($19).

This restaurant’s narrow, winding layout remains somewhat unwieldy, but the remade space feels more comfortable, opened up and with ample outdoor seating. I desperately hope the project can exorcise Tivoli’s demons, because I’m gonna need a lot more of those figs.

Made L.V. Tivoli Village, 702-722-2000. Monday-Tuesday, 4-11 p.m.; Wednesday-Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.

Tags: Dining, Food
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