Beverly Poppe
Tuesday, March 15, 2011 | 4 p.m.
You’ve gotta keep an open mind to eat at Carlos’ Kitchen, nestled inside the unassuming Charlie’s Saloon on South Durango. Work your way past the parking-lot signage advertising adult DVDs and the initial waft of smoke upon entering and you’ll be rewarded by Strip-pedigreed Le Cordon Bleu instructor Carlos Fernandez in the most unlikely of places.
The Details
- Carlos' Kitchen
- Inside Charlie's Saloon
- 4420 S. Durango Drive, 579-0245
- Daily, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Map of Carlos' Kitchen
Almost everything at Carlos’ is housemade, so starting with soup ($3 cup/$5 bowl) makes sense. The rotating offerings during our visits included creamy corn and cheesy potato—hearty and warming in the way good soups should be. If you’re looking a little lighter, the grilled chicken and strawberry salad ($9) wholeheartedly delivers; seasoned walnuts, blue cheese and an outstanding housemade balsamic vinegar/olive-oil dressing make for a surprisingly healthy meal in a decidedly unhealthy setting.
Carlos’ sandwiches also excel. The spicy chicken ($9) finds crispy tenders doused in housemade (there’s that word again) wing sauce—a derivative of Frank’s with garlic and other spices added in—on a hoagie roll with lettuce and tomato. The sauce is so good, I suggest ordering it on the side with any sandwich and using it as a dip for the tasty battered fries. The turkey cranberry sandwich ($8) also makes for a well-balanced nosh, served on grilled rye with cranberry mayonnaise, spinach and Swiss cheese.
Carlos’ presents simple dishes with precise attention to cooking methods and ingredients—to be expected with a culinary instructor in the kitchen. Those willing to put aside preconceived notions can get schooled, too.
— Originally published in Las Vegas Weekly.
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