Earthly DElights - Kumi Japanese Restaurant + Bar | Las Vegas

contents
Late spring 2015
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Kumi’s Blackberry Bliss
was inspired by the
season’s bounty.
60
Rick Moonen’s head mixologist at
Rx Boiler Room, Eric Smith, pours
potions worthy of the name.
taste
60 // What a CatCh
62 // Glamour in Green
Some of Las Vegas’s most luxurious
dining experiences are also its most
eco-friendly.
64 // taste spotliGht
The return of Alex Stratta; nice ice at
Yardbird; foodie festivals galore; and
extra-splurgin’ olive oils.
66 // earthly DeliGhts
Spring cocktails feature a cornucopia
of fresh herbs, greens, and fruits.
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Nobu’s sustainably sourced
yellowtail sashimi with
jalapeño gelée.
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68 // neW takes on
an anCient Grain
Unsure where to stand on the
quinoa controversy? Try an even
older supergrain, farro, in fve of the
newest dishes to hit the Strip.
photography by Sabin orr (Smith); Jenna DoSch (Kumi); courteSy of caeSarS (nobu)
The steampunk-themed upstairs at
RM Seafood, Rx Boiler Room, is as
playful as it is responsible.
tAste Cheers
Michael Monrreal
mixes up a
Blackberry Bliss
at Kumi Japanese
Restaurant + Bar.
Earthly DElights
Spring’S moSt innovative cocktailS are not your garden-variety Bloody maryS.
In Las Vegas, where a warmer-than-usual winter resulted in an earlierthan-usual spring harvest, bartenders are taking advantage of the bounty
by welcoming sunnier days with fruits, herbs, and garden greens.
At Cosmopolitan (702-698-7000; cosmopolitanlasvegas.com), chief mixologist Mariena Mercer’s Kind of a Big Dill features Stoli Elit vodka, saffron
liqueur, and yellow Chartreuse, but also fresh lemon juice, arugula juice, and
cucumber juice, plus a purée of fresh calamansi (a Philippine lime), topped
with a bit of dill oil flavored with sandalwood, frankincense, and edible gold.
“The dill oil adds a great aroma that floats atop the cocktail,” Mercer says,
“while the arugula adds a bit of pepper. The cucumber juice is the cooling
layer that coalesces all of the botanicals found in the yellow Chartreuse.”
Adding even a bit of fresh produce can liven up a drink and banish winter’s doldrums. At the ultracontemporary Kumi Japanese Restaurant +
Bar (Mandalay Bay, 702-632-9100; kumilasvegas.com), a classic bramble is
updated in the Blackberry Bliss, created by Light Group lead mixologist
Michael Monrreal. “A fresh fruit shrub gives you a nice solid base,” says
Monrreal, who makes the inventive shrub by macerating fresh blackberries
with sugar and rice vinegar; adding Stoli Elit vodka, fresh lime juice, and
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fresh ginger beer to round it out; then garnishing with mint sprigs.
Speaking of updates, Fix (Bellagio, 702-693-8400; fixlasvegas.com) is
pouring its tribute to the bar The Lonsdale in London’s Notting Hill. The
interpretation at Bellagio’s contemporary steakhouse involves Bombay
Sapphire East gin, Belle Paire pear liqueur, apple and lemon juices, cardamom honey, and muddled basil. The result is sweet, herbaceous, and briskly
refreshing all at once.
At The District in Henderson’s Green Valley Ranch, two neighboring
24-hour joints also offer garden-inspired drinks. At Whist Stove and
Spirits (702-307-2694; whiststove.com), an actual garden provides atmosphere while you sip a Rosemary’s Baby, with rosemary-infused Tito’s
Handmade vodka, or a Lipstick Collar, featuring basil-infused Caña Brava
rum. Next door at the 19th century – influenced Due & Proper (702-3072714; dueandproperbar.com), try The Dead Rabbit (named for a notorious
Gangs of New York –era street gang). You’ll savor its combination of Teeling
Irish whiskey, Ancho Reyes chile liqueur, lemon juice, spiced Sirop de Canne,
carrot juice, and a fresh carrot as garnish. If you haven’t been persuaded to
join the juice movement yet, now you can claim you have. V
photography by Jenna Dosch
by robert haynes-peterson