Friday, Sept. 27, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
WITH THE OPENING of Bonjour Bagel Cafe at 2600 W. Sahara Ave., the Las Vegas bagel boom takes another step forward.
Bonjour Bagel Cafe with its appealing upscale design is an appetizing place. Of course, bagels are what a bagel cafe are all about -- and the bagels at Bonjour are excellent. The crust is shiny and crisp, the interior chewy, and the size is just right. So is the size of the hole -- the cream cheese won't fall through it.
Bagels ($4.95 per dozen) and bialys are baked fresh throughout the day. I'm hooked on the crunchy eight-grain bagel. Like all the Bonjour bagels, it freezes well and toasts perfectly.
At the recent grand opening, I got to taste a variety of bagels and speciality items. Bagel dough is used to make fat-free, frosted cinnamon rolls big enough for two ($1.75), long cinnamon sticks thickly encrusted with cinnamon and sugar (75 cents each) and pretzels ($1.25) -- all delicious.
There's a good variety of bagel sandwiches ($3.25-$5.95), including a California club, veggie burger and the classic smoked Nova salmon. Bonjour's tuna salad is not the usual mayonnaise-laden mix -- white tuna with just enough dressing to hold it together makes a super tuna sandwich or salad. All sandwiches are served with a fresh vegetable garnish and bagel chips.
Bialys are the base for an open-faced tuna melt and quiche Lorraine ($4.45-$3.85).
The salad selection is choice ($2.75-$4.95). Included are a superior Chinese chicken salad, Greek salad, chicken Caesar salad and turkey salad.
There are plenty of temptations at the dessert counter -- European-style fruit tart, fresh baked cookies and an assortment of muffins. The selection changes regularly. A good assortment of low-fat and fat-free muffins is also available.
Breakfast is served daily until 10:30 a.m. Breakfast combinations are made with scrambled eggs atop a plain bagel (99 cents to $1.99)
Bonjour features a fine selection of coffee, tea and espresso, hot chocolate and Italian sodas. It makes an irresistible frosty mocha.
Owners Dean Slover and Michael Frey are dedicated to serving only the best. All the bagels are made with high-gluten flour and no preservatives.
Bonjour Bagel Cafe is open 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Early birds (5-7 a.m.) get free coffee. For more, call 220-7887.
Ethel M
Ethel M Chocolates is offering a sample pack of its new Mint Pastel Creamy White Heart Collection with the purchase of any one-pound box of Ethel M chocolates. A 13-ounce box of the creamy mint sweets is available for $22.
Sampling new products gives consumers an introduction to the confections, and when the sweet is as good as the new heart-shaped mint, it's a sure bet the samplers will want more.
The Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Visitors Center at 2 Cactus Drive in Henderson is a fine place to sample goodies and to take visitors. The center is open 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Sfuzzi wine dinner
Sfuzzi in the Fashion Show Mall will feature the wines of Iron Horse Vineyards and a special four-course dinner Oct. 24.
Included for $55 per person are lobster and Yukon Gold potato cakes with roasted peppers and sevruga caviar; seared foie gras with maccoon apples and carmelized onions; roast lamb shank with porcini mushroom ragout and acorn squash flan; and warm chocolate bread pudding with pumpkin gelato. Tax and gratuity are not included.
For reservations, call 699-5777.
Moon Festival
Chinatown Plaza on Spring Mountain Road will celebrate the Moon Festival by bringing Fisherman's Wharf to the center from 7-11 tonight.
The main attraction will be live crabs and lobsters from the Plaza's 99 Ranch Market, one of the few markets in town that sells live seafood. Pick your own crab or lobster and it will be steam-cooked, free, as you watch. Crabs ($5) weigh about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds; lobsters ($10) average 1 1/4 pounds.
The free festival includes traditional Chinese music, American music and dancing and other entertainment.
Also offered will be freshly made sushi from the soon-to-open Dragon Sushi, located in the new addition to the Plaza. Dragon Sushi is one of three restaurants that will debut shortly on the ground level of the new section. Coming soon are D.D.'s Cafe, an upscale Hong Kong-style French-Asian restaurant and a Thai or Filipino restaurant.
Of course, no Moon Festival would be complete without moon cakes. The sweet, round, filled cakes symbolize the meaning of the moon festival, which is celebrated when the moon is at its brightest. The Chinese believe the moon god promotes family unity and protects families, and they liken the Moon Festival to the American Thanksgiving.
Short orders
* Ib Nellemann is the new executive chef at the Rio hotel-casino. Nellemann brings many years of experience to his position. After extensive training in Europe, he participated in a Scandinavian Exchange Program in Reno. Years later, he emigrated to Reno where he spent 16 years working as assistant executive chef at Harrah's. In 1985, Nellemann was named Reno Chef of the Year.
Nellemann is preparing for the opening of the spectacular Rio Masquerade Village and Tower, set to open in February. Included in the all-suite tower are six new restaurants and The Wine Cellar, a superb wine-tasting room.
* Boomtown is offering a Friday and Saturday night seafood buffet at the Blue Diamond Buffet for $9.99. Included are Boston seafood flown in daily, Dungeness crab, steamed shrimp, poached mussels, smoked trout, blackened red snapper, fish and chips, seafood Newburg, hot crab, and salmon or halibut from the serving cart. Many other dishes are included. Blue Diamond Buffet also features a Filet Buffet Night every Tuesday and Wednesday for $7.99.
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