Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Carlos’ Kitchen: a culinary diamond in the rough

Carlos' Kitchen

Beverly Poppe

The spicy chicken sandwich, made with housemade wing sauce, at Carlos’ Kitchen.

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

Carlos' Kitchen

4140 S. Durango Drive, Las Vegas

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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