Even before culinary school, I felt the enormous power of food. My key childhood memories centered around big gatherings at the dinner table, where food traditions healed family fractures. As I was growing up in an Asian American and Latino household, my mom and grandma administered herbs for tummy aches, sore gums, and cramps. So, when I heard about the idea behind the upcoming Chamana’s (3655 South Durango Suite 29, chamanascafe.com), I was intrigued immediately.
“Our concept is healing,” chef Mariana Alvarado-Garcia says. “We have both, Dan and I, been through our share of ups and downs.” Garcia is known for MasAzul, her charming tortilla company that appears at pop-ups and farmers markets across the valley.
MasAzul gained fans with its nixtamalized corn tortillas made with Mexican heirloom corn. But Garcia long dreamed of opening a brick-and-mortar, even competing on Food Network’s Big Restaurant Bet to try to get it bankrolled. She says she’s “honored and grateful” that chef Dan Krohmer is partnering with her to bring Chamana’s to southwest Las Vegas. The team plans to open the restaurant later this summer in the same plaza as Krohmer’s critically acclaimed Other Mama, at Durango and Twain. Garcia also will serve as corporate chef of all their restaurant operations moving forward. She says, “Las Vegas has been waiting for this. We want to create a community, a holistic approach to cooking and eating. Chamanas are healers. It’s magical and nurturing.”
I had a magical night 800 feet above the Strip recently. The Strat’s Top of the World restaurant (thestrat.com) revamped its menu to include, among other things, lobster tacos that made my tastebuds soar. Generous pieces of shellfish are topped with caramelized pineapple salsa and served in a crispy wonton shell. For a tangy finale, the key lime explosion proved perfect. It’s a tart cheesecake bolstered by a delightful coconut graham cracker crust and crowned with Chantilly cream. Give the 28-year-old restaurant another try (I hadn’t been there in decades!), cap off a stellar night by checking out the spectacular view from their open-air observation deck.
For a marvelous morning, gather your brunch babes and head for the most impressive spread in Summerlin. I yearn for Naxos Taverna’s (Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa, naxosredrock.com) puffy pita and Mediterranean dips at all hours. You can order the muhammara (roasted red pepper dip) and the beet-citrus tartar spreads at brunch, but I’d add the best shakshuka in the valley — three poached eggs swimming in a tomato eggplant sauce and topped with feta crumbles. For a happy ending, try the bougatsa, a flaky traditional Greek dessert with tangy custard and crunchy phyllo crust. The coastal food here is so good, I want to break plates (but please don’t!).
Speaking of Mediterranean flavors, my top Italian restaurant now has a sister spot a few doors down on Water Street in Henderson. I recently stopped in at Azzurra Wine Bar (314 S. Water St., azzurracucina.com) which shares a space with Public Works Coffee, for early evening snacks and a refreshing wine flight and discovered a sensational sauvignon blanc, the Domaine Girard Sancerre La Garenne. Its citrusy, grassy notes paired well with a whipped ricotta bruschetta. The lemon ricotta with pistachios and hot honey balanced nicely with crispy rustic bread. I found the saltimbocca bombs a bit too doughy, and it took quite a while to get our plates, but with a little time and skilled managers at the helm of both locations, it should soon be a new favorite spot for downtown Henderson food and wine lovers.
That’s the Vegas Dish for now. Until we eat again…
Editor’s note: Since publication, Chef Mariana Alvarado Garcia has chosen not to move forward as a partner in the Chamana’s project.
