Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
light and flavored with such naughty pleasures as Snickers, blackberry gra-
nola, butterscotch, and almonds. For your morning joe, order up a mug of
“Smores” mocha ($5.95), a blast of sweetness with the chocolaty coffee
topped with a lid of flame-melted marshmallow and two graham crackers to
complete the campfire illusion. Though the restaurant only opened in
September of 2005, it's already been covered by the likes of Martha Stewart
and the
New York Times.
Also on the West Side of town, the
Cracked Egg
5
(7660 W. Cheyenne
Ave.;
%
702/395-7981; Mon-Fri 6am-2pm, Sat-Sun 6am-3pm; AE, DISC,
MC, V;
$
-
$$
)
is the choice for diners with an insatiable sweet tooth. The lure
here is a birthday cake-like wedge of buttery, light coffee cake, ten times
superior to what's served in most breakfast joints. It accompanies nearly
every breakfast option on the menu (which range in cost from $4.85 for
plain eggs with sides up to $8.75 for four different types of eggs Benedict)
and its appearance alone makes a special event out of what would otherwise
just be the standard breakfast, in this standard-looking mid-sized diner.
Overindulgence is not on the menu at
Canyon Ranch Café
555
(in
the Venetian;
%
702/414-3633; www.venetian.com; 7am-6pm; AE, DISC,
MC, V;
$$
).
Portions are sensibly sized, yolks are often removed from eggs,
and the average breakfast here comes in at just 305 calories (and that's
without resorting to their “lighter plates,” which come to as little as 120
calories per serving!). The cafe abuts the famous spa, so the emphasis is
on weight loss, but this is kinder, gentler diet food, so well-spiced, varied
and just plain delish (see p. 79 for our lunch and dinner review) that you
won't feel in the least bit deprived. Among the many lovely breakfast
offerings are smoked turkey hash with eggs ($9), tropical cinnamon crumb
cake with roast pineapple ($9), and helium light Thai-style French Toast
with a ginger syrup ($10). The only discomforting part of dining here is
the creeping guilt you may feel as buff people in workout clothes fill up
the place, glowing with that “I just trimmed 5 inches off my thighs” smug-
ness. But, hey, eat here enough and you just may start to feel energized
enough to join them.
Portion sizes are also more civilized at
Bouchon
555
(in the Venetian;
%
702/414-6200; www.bouchonbistro.com; Sun-Thurs 7am-10pm, Fri-Sat
7am-11pm; AE, DISC, MC, V;
$$
-
$$$$
).
But that makes sense, as everything's
civilized and ultrarefined here, from the fine flatware; to the high-gloss
Parisian bistro setting (perfectly recreated down to the red leather ban-
quettes and the tile floors); to the food, a gourmet rethink of the breakfast
classics. Examples include the French toast ($9.95), actually a brioche bread
pudding, which is layered with custard and apples; the smoky, nutty tasting
oatmeal with raisins; or the Eggs Florentine ($14), a pansy-shaped tart of
eggs with three thin slivers of potato and a peppery Canadian bacon.
