Taste

A first taste of the Oyster Bar at Santa Fe Station

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The pan roast has reached local icon status, a true must-eat. Now there’s another place to get it.

So the story goes like this: the operator of the sushi restaurant inside the Santa Fe Station’s casino is leaving work one day when he decides to drop a few bucks into a slot machine. He wins a million dollars. He retires, immediately, and shutters his sushi restaurant. Amazing, right?

It’s a great story, but more importantly, it’s a win-win, because Station Casinos decided to replace the sushi spot with another installation of its Oyster Bar concept, a deliciously legendary eatery originated at Palace Station. There, you almost always have to wait in line for a seat at the bar, and it’s worth it to enjoy fresh oysters, clam chowder, gumbo and the truly indulgent seafood pan roasts.

At Santa Fe, way out in northwest Las Vegas, the line is not that long—yet—but the food is similarly stunning. Oysters on the half shell ($11.99 half dozen, $19.99 dozen) are still a stellar starter, but this location also offers New Zealand mussels ($9.99-$16.99). You can also get those mussels steamed with garlic herb broth, lemon and white wine ($16.99).

The Oyster Bar at Santa Fe Station has this luscious lobster roll on the menu.

The pan roast, a creamy tomato stew finished with brandy, is the same recipe from Palace Station, available with shrimp ($18.99), crab ($20.99), lobster ($24.99), all three ($22.99) or the “kitchen sink” that adds chicken and Andouille sausage to the mix ($21.99). Spicy, creamy, rich and hearty, this dish has reached local icon status, a true must-eat. Now there’s another place to get it.

But there’s a lot more to try at the new oyster bar, including a lovely European seabass-based take on fish and chips ($19.99), melt-in-your-mouth fish with a crisp, savory crust served with vinegar-flavored fries, lemon-dill tartar sauce and Creole remoulade. The New England lobster roll ($19.99) offers a mountain of refreshing, herbaceous lobster salad piled into a toasty, buttery loaf, and as if you weren’t going to be full from these plates, a side of macaroni and cheese spiked with more sweet, tender lobster ($14.99) is definitely tempting. Legit New Orleans-style cocktails (like the fruity hurricane, $9) and desserts (real king cake flown in daily from Haydel’s Bakery, $6) round out the experience. Go check it out before that line gets longer.

The Oyster Bar Santa Fe Station, 702-658-4900. Sunday-Thursday, 5-9 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 5-10 p.m.

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Brock Radke

Brock Radke is an award-winning writer and columnist who currently occupies the role of managing editor at Las Vegas Weekly ...

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