Even without the downturn in the economy, resulting in empty Strip hotel rooms during what is normally our peak season, and the high gas prices keeping California and Arizona tourists away, opening a restaurant geared to locals is a challenge.
All this means that William Hong, who runs the front of the house at American Grill, and Carlos Perez, his talented chef, have a steeper path to climb. The restaurant is in the space formerly home to the casual French restaurant Bonjour Bistro, in the shadow of the Las Vegas Athletic Club on South Eastern Avenue.
The venue has a giant parking lot that’s nearly always crowded. If the boys can cajole a few calorie-burners from the gym to chow down at their new place, they should get over their opening jitters fast. But for now, the restaurant is rarely more than half-full—a pity.
Concepts are simple here, both in the design and on the plate. Chef Perez comes to the restaurant from Spago Las Vegas, among other places in his resume. He’s Guatemalan, as is his brother, Eduardo (who is executive chef at Wolfgang Puck’s Lupo), but his dishes are basically all-American, with occasional touches of California and Asian fusion.
American Grill’s dining room is breezy and minimalist, fairly unembellished, as if it had been opened on a shoestring budget. There are large, blond, wooden captain’s chairs and tables clad in white cloths, even at lunch. Mirrored walls and red banquettes that run the length of the dining room are a holdover from the previous French owner. Acoustics are calming, so if you enjoy conversation while you dine, it’s possible to have one here.
The top section of the menu, both at lunch and dinner, is called Soups, Small Bites and Salads, and it’s a strong suit. Classic chicken soup with carrots, celery, onion and cilantro looks and tastes as if a Jewish grandmother had made it, with big shreds of meat rising to the surface in a rich broth—that is, until you taste its Latin-influenced hit of cilantro.
And sesame chili glazed chicken wings are fabulous, hands down the best dish I tasted at the restaurant. The wings have been lightly fried, and the glaze is delicious; you get a little side dish of it, which, believe me, you’ll want. Sprinkled on top are black and white sesame seeds, which feel like a bonus.
There are occasional, though slight, missteps. The well-conceived and nicely portioned dish fritto misto, in this case pan-fried calamari and rock shrimp, comes with two sauces, basil aioli and a classic marinara. The only problem is, the seafood could be crisper. The frying temperature, I’m guessing, could have been slightly hotter.
Interesting salads are found in this section as well. Chinese chicken salad isn’t a sweet version, but rather is dressed up with candied cashews and honey mustard vinaigrette. A fresh iceberg lettuce salad has a steakhouse feel, topped with feta cheese, bacon, peanuts and roasted peppers. And organic spinach salad uses an eccentric mix of crumbled cheese and fresh raspberries, offset by an orange-flavored dressing.
At lunch, grilled panini sandwiches are a big part of the proceedings. Corned beef with Swiss and sauerkraut is available with or without Thousand Island dressing, which would turn it into a Reuben. The chef’s turn on the French dip adds white cheddar. Me, I’ll go to bat for the chicken club on grilled sourdough, a sumptuous turn tricked up with jalapenos, avocado, bacon and a fried egg.
Naturally there are burgers—good, thick, juicy ones served with fries that do come from the fryer properly crisp. Cowboy burger, my recommendation, comes with thick slices of bacon, onion rings and a tangy house-made barbecue sauce. A tenderloin steak burger has a higher price tag, truffled shiitake mushrooms and a red wine sauce. There is even a crab burger topped with Provolone cheese.
Main courses are mostly the same during lunch and dinner. Roast chicken and sautéed vegetables are served on top of an oddball carrot sauce, an orange puddle that takes a nice, crisp, skinned bird and makes it soggy. Personally, I don’t get it. It’s probably better to go for the pork tenderloin with roasted potato, cabbage, goat cheese and wine sauce, or even pasta, such as penne with a nice Bolognese and ricotta cheese. The chef, I think, likes the idea of putting sauce on his main courses. Hey fella, how about one without it?
Desserts are simple here, and vary slightly from day to day. One day there was a fudgy wedge of flourless chocolate cake with shavings of white chocolate. I like my cakes made with flour, but at today’s flour prices, I understand the omission.
If you must have flour, though, there is homemade carrot cake. There is also the option to have a slice of cheesecake purchased from the Cheesecake Factory. Even independents such as this restaurant, it would seem, have to depend on the chains a little bit.
American Grill
9055 S. Eastern Ave. 458-4745. Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, until 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Suggested dishes: classic chicken soup, $5; sesame chili glazed chicken wings, $8; cowboy burger, $10; penne pasta Bolognese, $15.
Photograph by Beverly Poppe