Beyond the Egg McMuffin

If it’s the most important meal of the day, why not have breakfast at one of these 10 great spots?

Max Jacobson

Amazingly, it is actually within the realm of possibility that Vegas is close to becoming, as Robin Leach grandly states, "the greatest dining city in the world." But, paradoxically, we are not yet a great breakfast town in the same league as a New York, San Francisco or even Hong Kong.


A great breakfast, in my world, means real maple syrup, farm-fresh eggs, coffee other than Starbucks, bagels such as H&H Bagels in New York, bakery products like you get at San Francisco's Tartine—and even great dim sum, sweet or savory Chinese pastries that are eaten obsessively with various types of premium teas.


Vegas doesn't really have a great commercial bread bakery like Berkeley's Acme, or LA-type chains such as Le Pain Quotidien, which doubles as a social club for bohemian industry wannabes in West Hollywood. Any casino worth its salt has a serviceable coffee shop, and some, such as Bellagio, even have attractive breakfast buffets, but since I detest eating that way, I have, with apologies, taken buffets out of the following equation.


Here are 10 places to get a decent breakfast in this town, and sorry, no keno or slots.



Original Pancake House


In spite of a retrograde policy that forbids bringing real maple syrup into these establishments, and the management's firm refusal to offer it on the menu, this national chain, founded in 1950s Oregon, still stakes its reputation on great pancakes, good coffee and a whole slew of other appealing choices.


The giant apple pancake, baked to a crunch with a sugary, sloppy, caramelized apple topping, is a revelation, and the 49'er flapjacks—gooey, crepe-like and totally delicious—is one more compelling option. Huge, fluffy omelets are oven-baked, and the Dutch Baby, really a scaled-down German pancake, is, too. It curls around the edges, near-perfect with its confectioner's sugar dusting and wedges of fresh lemon. The bacon is fabulous here, too, thick, meaty, smoky and probably not all that good for you.
8620 Cheyenne Ave., 396-8220; 4833 W. Charleston Blvd., 259-7755; and Inside Green Valley Ranch, 614-7200.



Fausto's


Breakfast is my favorite meal in Mexico, especially when I'm sitting on some beach, drinking cinnamon-laced hot chocolate while eating ripe papayas and platters of huevos rancheros—fried eggs with salsa on top of crisp corn tortillas.


Huevos rancheros are a thing of beauty at Fausto's: three eggs, great salsa and fresh tortillas, accompanied by the peerless house refried beans and a pile of Mexican rice. The condiment bar is stocked with pickled carrot, radish and onion, plus three or four salsas. I also fancy these breakfast burritos, torpedo-heavy and big enough for three. Try chorizo and eggs, stuffed with chunked potatoes and spicy sausage. It must weigh 2 pounds.


Stalwart Mexican-food lovers will also want to come for breakfast on weekends, when the chain serves authentic menudo, fiery tripe soup sworn to be a great hangover remedy.
2654 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway, 617-2246; 229 N. Stephanie St., 436-5059; and 595 College Dr., 568-1220.



Cathay House


Dim sum, literally "touch the heart," is the Cantonese way to eat breakfast. They also refer to it as yum cha, literally "drink tea," because eating these sweet, savory and salty pastries without tea amounts to sacrilege.


The only down side is that you will have to make it a late breakfast, as Cathay House is not open until 10:30 a.m. At that time, you can choose between dozens of delicacies from pastry carts that roll through the dining room, and several teas such as bo lei, a hearty red tea with a penetrating, medicinal finish.


Try lo mai gai, sticky-rice dumplings laced with chicken and Chinese sausage; ha gow, delicate shrimp dumplings; or see chap pai kwat, fatty pork ribs on the bone, marinated in salty black fermented soy beans. Bacon and eggs may never again seem interesting.
5300 Spring Mountain Road, 876-3838.



Ferrara


Ferrara is a fifth-generation Italian café straight from New York's Little Italy, and the best Vegas replica of a true espresso bar. The good coffee drinks are from Lavassa, and pastries, all made on premises by chef Patrick Glennon and his crew, are straight off the set of The Sopranos; among them svojadel, flaky buns stuffed with fresh ricotta; pignoli, pine nut-studded cookies; and biscotti, double-baked Italian cookie bars ideal for dipping.


For those who want something more substantial than pastry and coffee in the morning, Glennon is adroit with cooked breakfasts, as well. Rustic steel-cut oatmeal and pannettone French toast are both served with organic maple syrup, and green eggs and ham has pesto scrambled into the pan, delicious with ciabatta or slipper-shaped, Italian bread. Tables on the patio afford great people-watching.
Inside the Forum Shops at Caesars, 647-3604.



Jamms


This innovative breakfast and lunch joint, a simple but comfortable space in a supermarket mall, is run by the outgoing Ronnie Klein and her husband, Andy. Coffee is from a roasting company called Boyd's and is better than most. The yeasty, tangy house pancakes go adroitly with it, and the Kleins are, at my insistence, considering real maple syrup as an a la carte option. Be still my heart.


Order any egg entrée, such as Jamms Signature Omelet, a hearty affair stuffed with sliced steak, onions, mushrooms and cheese, and you get a pot of fresh, homemade bread, plus a trio of excellent jams. Joe's, a San Francisco omelet made with lots of ground beef, spinach, onions and cheese, is just fine, too. One more reason to dine here: the prices. Almost everything on the breakfast menu is under $7.
1029 S. Rainbow Road, 877-0749.



Bouchon


Whenever I have out of town guests, I inevitably take them to Bouchon for breakfast. As one of the most beautiful restaurant spaces in the city, thanks to a gaudy Belle Epoque ambience that includes an abundance of mahogany, imported tiles and beveled glass, this vast, colorful room never fails to elicit gasps. But the food, conceived by Thomas Keller and produced by Mark Hopper and an able team, is the bigger draw.


Croissants, sticky buns and brioche are made in the restaurant's state-of-the-art bakery, so you know they'll be fresh. Juices are fresh, too, served in demi-carafes or by the glass, not the bottled plonk that passes for fresh in lesser establishments.


Specialties include a custardy brioche French toast; yogurt parfait made with goat's milk yogurt swirled with cream and layered with seasonal fruit; and croque Madame, a grilled ham and cheese on brioche toast, crowned with sauce Mornay and a fried egg. It isn't often a problem to get a table here at breakfast, either. Bouchon isn't nearly as busy in the morning as it deserves to be, especially on weekdays.
Inside the Venetian, 414-6200.



Patisserie Jean Philippe


Jean Philippe Maury is the unquestioned star of the Vegas pastry scene. At 28, he was designated a Meilleur Ouvrier de France, (Best Craftsman), one of the youngest ever, and three years ago, he was Captain of the U.S. Pastry Team, winners of the World Pastry Championship.


Now you can eat his croissants, muffins, granola, panini, crepes, chocolates, candies and gelati at his own shop, but first, you'll have to get in line. The shop opens at 7 a.m. for breakfast, and one taste of his sticky buns, Nutella or dulce de leche croissants; or ham-cheese-and-mushroom crepe, a buckwheat flour crepe crowned with an egg, sunny side up, and you'll be a believer.
Inside the Spa Tower at Bellagio, 693-8788.



Carnegie Deli


America is truly the Home of the Brave for anyone who can, as I've witnessed here, finish the Woody Allen, a mile-high pastrami and corned beef combo sandwich, before 8 a.m. Go ahead and try, although I'd advise against it, at the newly opened, Adam Tihany-designed Carnegie Deli, the New York institution's first and only restaurant outside the Big Apple.


The Carnegie produces a variety of classic Jewish-American breakfasts like terrific, cheese-filled blintzes; the Passover dish matzo brei, chopped-up matzo scrambled with eggs; French toast made from challah, a braided Jewish Sabbath bread; and potato latkes, golden pancakes that sink in the stomach like Jacques-Yves Cousteau's bell. The Mylanta costs extra.
Inside the Mirage, 791-7111.



Blueberry Hill Family Restaurant


There is almost always a line at these 24/7 American comfort-food restaurants, and why not? The pot roast, burgers and old-fashioned homemade layer cakes, which look like what you see on the Duncan Hines box, are dependable and delicious, and prices here are more than reasonable.


Still, the only time I eat here is breakfast, when I come for the 100-percent-made-from-scratch buttermilk pancakes; light, crisp butter cream waffles; French toast made with half-and-half; and chicken-fried steak, which in my humble opinion is the best in town. Heavier fare such as biscuits and gravy, or something called Guadalajara Skillet—your basic egg and potato fry duded up with peppers, onions, tomato and chorizo—is also worthy. The signature blueberry pancakes, doused with compote and whipped cream, are a bit much for this pilgrim.
Six locations including 1505 E. Flamingo Road, 696-9666.



Verandah Restaurant


The recently redesigned Verandah has long been a Strip power breakfast spot, and since it is just south of all the Strip action and not in a casino, getting in and out is both fast and efficient. I've been coming here for years to eat menu items such as a low-fat egg white frittata with green asparagus; the restaurant's crisp, tasty corned beef and pastrami hash; and cinnamon raisin French toast with brandied pecans and bananas, not to mention an array of good breads and pastries from Alsatian pastry chef Jean-Luc Daul.


But on weekends, the $25 breakfast buffet ($35 if you want a Mimosa or Bloody Mary) is so good, I'm willing to break my no-buffet rule. I'd come for the doughnut station alone, where a variety of made-to-order doughnuts are created with various toppings and frostings. Consider then, that this buffet also offers perfect eggs Benedict, wonderful smoked salmon, great fresh juices and a setting that offers genteel luxury in spades, and voila, you have the ideal venue for a big splurge, or an even bigger appetite.
Inside the Four Seasons Hotel, 632-5000.

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