Justin Kingsley Hall rules and so does Atomic Liquors. So when the local chef took over the helm at the Kitchen at Atomic, it seemed inevitable that I’d love the new menu. Nearly as unsurprising: The Kitchen’s recently unveiled brunch immediately vaulted to the upper echelon of Las Vegas midday offerings. It’s that good.
Hall riffs on classic dishes, imparting his own tweaks to turn simple into stellar. The Vegas staple shrimp cocktail ($20) has been elevated by his house-made roasted pepper cocktail sauce, comprising gochujang, sambal, Old Bay, black vinegar and more. His Higuera St. breakfast burrito ($15) might be the Valley’s best, stuffing a healthy-sized tortilla with griddled tri-tip native to his California Central Coast upbringing, crushed and fried confited potatoes and a savory American cheese sauce. And his silky, garlicky Bob’s Red Mill grits ($5) are worth the visit on their own.
You must also order the beefy monkey bread ($8), which delivers the holy trinity of salty, sweet and savory. Puff pastry dough is dipped in rendered beef fat, caramelized with a cinnamon/sugar blend, intertwined with paper-thin shaved bresaola and finished with local honey.
The only drawback of the Kitchen at Atomic’s brunch? Due to liquor license constraints, children can’t partake of the greatness. More for us, right?
