Downtown has a bunch of cool bars and restaurants, not the least of which is Carson Kitchen. The contemporary restaurant, at the corner of Sixth and Carson Streets, has concrete floors, wooden beams and metal chairs combining for a hip vibe. The dining room faces the kitchen, where barstools cozy up to a chef’s table. Out back is a chill patio, perfect for drinks or a leisurely meal when the sun goes down.
Recently, the popular restaurant announced a new menu for summer, something that chef/owner Cory Harwell and executive chef Scott Simon do each season, but it really seems more inventive than ever this year. And not only are there food items, but the cocktail menu gets a refresh as well. New to the menu are the creatively named Peas and Thank You, featuring mezcal, sugar snap pea syrup, chartreuse, fresh lime and tricolor peppercorns, and the Side Piece, with rum, pineapple shrub and mint coconut.
There’s a real mix of cuisines and flavors, and instead of a traditional appetizer menu, Carson Kitchen puts forth its Social Plates, including the gyro tacos, stuffed with lamb, feta, tomato and tzatziki. Beet tartare toast with goat cheese is so colorful, of course, with the ruby redness of the root contrasting with the bright mandarin slices atop.
Entrées range from the jerk turkey burger, topped with mango chutney slaw, to the mu shu mushroom flatbread, with hoisin sauce, sesame and an unexpected addition of soft egg. The short rib steak layers in flavor with sambal butter (sambal is a chile sauce that’s quite spicy) and kimchi chimichurri. Pretty wild! A Hawaiian mac comes with Spam accents; and grilled Spam is seriously savory. And the Broken Lasagna features seasonal vegetables, tomato and ricotta.
Banoffee pie with Bailey’s whipped cream joins other sweet goodies like glazed donut bread pudding with three-rum caramel and crème Anglaise—yum, rum!
Carson Kitchen serves up brunch on Sundays starting at 11 a.m., and that menu got a summer update as well. The cheekily named Fat Elvis takes peanut butter toast and adds toffee, bananas and bacon lardons. If you want something that screams brunch, then try the donut French toast with a three-rum caramel and crème Anglaise. Breakfast tacos fold up eggs, spicy sausage and a cucumber pico de gallo, while the “Garbage” hash puts together pork belly, short rib and a sunny-side up egg .
Other great options include the chicken and waffles with a mornay sauce, shrimp and grits, and an egg-white frittata with red pepper coulis. There’s even a cocktail menu with inventive sips like the That’s My Jam, which mixes a bacon jam vodka with house Bloody Mary mix—that’ll wake you up!
124 S. Sixth St. No. 100, 702.473.9523
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