When it comes to sipping and snacking, raise your glass to bar food that pleases the palate
Do you ever agree to meet up with friends for a casual bite over drinks — only to leave disappointed and still hungry? You’ve got a case of the bar-food blues. If you’ve ever groaned at the sight of a nacho platter, complained of chicken finger fatigue or put up with an order of entirely forgettable hot wings, you probably suffer from this common affliction. Fortunately, we have the cure: entree-worthy bar bites that pair perfectly with your drink of choice.
Olive poppers at Double Helix Wine & Whiskey Lounge
When you’re not quite hungry for a meal but a bowl of pretzels isn’t going to cut it, the Olive Poppers are a nice way to kick off an evening of whiskey-sipping and cigar-smoking at this local’s lounge. Three briny varieties are stuffed with chorizo, breaded and fried, and served with a honey-and-goat-cheese sauce. Just be careful or you might actually start to pop them like pills.
Town Square, 702-735-9463, doublehelixwine.com
Buffalo Fried Oysters and Pot Pie Nuggets at Rx Boiler Room
Rick Moonen’s funky steampunk gastropub (named Desert Companion’s Best New Restaurant of the Year 2013) has an eclectic menu that marries familiarity with creativity. Buffalo Fried Oysters with Frank’s Red Hot sauce and blue cheese is an unexpected match with champagne, but it works. If the shellfish substitute isn’t your thing, you can get your chicken fix in the form of Pot Pie Nuggets — fried tidbits of comfort that pair well with a pale ale.
Mandalay Place, 702-632-7200, rxboilerroom.com
Canadian poutine at Public House
Disco fries, garbage fries, animal fries ... there are countless ways to name a pile of crispy potato batons topped with stuff. At my favorite gastropub on the Strip, it comes in the form of Canadian poutine. The traditional plate of fries with brown gravy and squeaky cheese curds is given an upgrade with the addition of tender duck confit and an optional (yet oh-so-mandatory) fried egg. For a perfect drink pairing, order a tall stout to tackle the salty beast — preferably whichever one they use to flavor the gravy.
The Venetian, 702-407-5310, publichouselv.com
Monte Cristo pops at Yard House
Don’t wait for sunrise to soak up all that booze. The Eat Late menu (10 p.m.) at this beer-centric chain is composed of four creative snacks to nosh on with your nightcap — my favorite being breakfast-for-dinner in bite-sized form. Monte Cristo pops are stuffed with ham, turkey and Swiss cheese, and then finished with powdered sugar and jalapeño peach syrup. In other words, it hits every major food group: porky, sweet, spicy and fried.
Multiple locations, yardhouse.com
Fried chicken and haemul pajun at Soyo
A great night of imbibing doesn’t always have to include encyclopedic knowledge of Prohibition cocktails or the service of some handlebar-mustachioed mixologist. At this self-described “barstaurant,” Koreans keep it real with an all-night marathon of cheap beer and soju. To keep their stomachs anchored in place, a platter of fried chicken is the most popular choice. Extra crispy skin and a sweet-and-spicy garlic glaze set them apart from the kinds you’ve had elsewhere. Or, for a more traditional pairing, snack on slices of haemul pajun (green onion and seafood pancake) with a bottle of Makgurli (rice wine). In South Korea, it’s known as a food-and-drink pairing that brings comfort on a rainy day.
7555 S. Rainbow Blvd. #105, 702-897-7696
Philly rolls and Chicken Wing Dip at Naked City Pizza
Moondoggie’s Bar, 3240 S. Arville St., 702-243-6277, nakedcitylv.com
Pork rinds at Brooklyn Bowl
If you’ve booked a lane at Brooklyn Bowl, you had better keep a stash of napkins handy, because you’ll find yourself grabbing a bite of pork rinds between each and every roll. They’re like nachos for the low-carber: a plate of crispy (but not greasy) pig skin ribbons smothered with spicy jalapeños, fresh cilantro and crumbles of queso fresco. It’s a simple and fresh fix that brings life to a gas station snack.
The Linq, 702-862-2695, vegas.brooklynbowl.com