We spent our spring break vacation in Las Vegas, a place that we had never visited before.  We didn't have any big plans other than to eat some good food and just kick back and relax.  I was assigned the task of finding places to have breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner and I definitely did some research over the course of a month or so to try to find places serving food that was delicious, affordable, and worth checking out.  One of the places that I saw mentioned over and over again was Honey Salt so I made a reservation for a Tuesday lunch for the three of us.

About This Restaurant

Honey Salt is an establishment run by the husband and wife team of Chef Kim Canteenwalla and Elizabeth Blau.  They describe it as a "farm to table" restaurant that focuses on including regional ingredients.  It is open from 11:30am until 10pm daily (with a limited menu between 2:30-5pm) and is located at 1031 S. Rampart Blvd in Las Vegas.  That being said, despite the Las Vegas address this restaurant is a good 30 minute drive away from The Strip where most tourists stay so it is not a place that you can walk to and a taxi there and back would be very expensive. 

About The Menu

Honey Salt has brunch, lunch, afternoon, and dinner menus but the first three have a definite overlap while the dinner one adds some new items.  The "early" menus include appetizers (Tuscan cannelini bean soup, ahi tuna tartare, turkey meatballs), salads and juiced greens (green goodness juice, caesar salad, market salad, steakhouse salad), sandwiches (grilled barely buzzed cheddar cheese, whole wheat farmer's toast, vegan toast, fried chicken, burger), a few different personal pizzas (margherita, meatball, charcuterie, whole wheat), and a couple of heartier dishes like roasted salmon, bucatini and sausage, and octopus nicoise.  Prices on the early menu range from $7-15 for an appetizer and $9-20 for a main dish. 

The dinner menu adds larger entrees like chicken curry, brick oven chicken, carmelized sea scallops, roast swordfish, NY strip steak, and filet mignon.  There also are side dishes like yogurt creamed spinach, macaroni and cheese (with kale), brussels sprouts, basmati rice, etc.  Entrees cost between $15 and $31 and the side dishes cost $7 each.

Our Experience

Honey Salt was one of the places that I was most excited about trying.  We arrived at 11:30am which was the opening time so the place was still almost empty.  We were warmly welcomed by the host, seated, and then welcomed by our waiter.  He asked if we wanted water or a cocktail so we ordered both: ice water for all, white sangria for me, red sangria for my friend, and some kind of chocolate stout for my husband.

By the time the drinks were delivered, we were ready to order.  I ordered the ahi tuna tartare as an appetizer and both my friend and I chose the grilled cheese with Tuscan bean soup as our entrees.  My husband went with the prime rib sliders which aren't on the regular menu but were a daily special.

The three of us devoured the ahi tuna tartare.  It consisted of chunks of raw ahi tuna, chopped avocado, alfalfa sprouts, ginger, cilantro, soy sauce, and crunchy quinoa topped with a couple of chips (pita?) and a few drops of sesame oil.  It was delicious, amazing, and something that we seriously considered ordering another plate of. 

When the main dishes were served, my friend and I immediately dug into the grilled cheese sandwiches.  The menu describes them as containing a "cheesy truffle fondue" and I'll agree with that as it definitely tasted like cheese and truffle.  Part of the whole fondue thing, though, is to add wine or beer (which was what I thought they meant by the "barely buzzed" description), but there was absolutely no detectable beer or wine flavors which was disappointing.  The cup of Tuscan cannelini bean and kale soup was very flavorful and good.  I'm not a big fan of beans in general, but I ate about half of those in my cup of soup and drained the bowl of all of the kale and rich broth.  My husband had the prime rib sliders which came with generic frozen french fries.  He didn't have much to say as he was eating the sliders other than to say that they were "good" but he ate every last bite of them which leads me to believe that they were very good.  He left most of the french fries behind, though, which I assume means that they weren't so yummy. 

The friend that we traveled with is a total dessert hound and will order and eat one even if she is completely full.  She chose the Triple Layer Cake (chocolate fudge, caramel swirled vanilla cake
chocolate ganache with vanilla bean caramel) and valiantly tried to eat it all... but she just didn't like it.  This was the only dessert during the entire week (and she ate them with both lunch and dinner) that she didn't enjoy or finish.  The menu states that the desserts are homemade but she said that it tasted like something that was frozen and taken from a box.  I was entirely too full to try it so I have no idea what it tasted like.  It looked very pretty, but my friend was the only one who actually ate it. 

Overall Opinion

Honey Salt is really a very cool litte place and one that we enjoyed for lunch one day.  My husband and I have a place that we usually visit on a Saturday or Sunday for lunch where we are "regulars" and they start making our drinks when they see our car pull into the parking lot.  While we were dining at Honey Salt, I said to my husband "if this place was where we lived, we'd never visit (that other place) again".  It was just so great to see such an interesting menu and to have such delicious food.  I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone who either lives in Las Vegas or who is visiting but has a rental car.  I really wish there was a place like this around here (Jersey Shore) because we would visit it often.  

Recommended: Yes

Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Don''t attempt to take a taxi from the Vegas strip to Honey Salt. When you get there, order the ahi tuna tartare.
Best Suited For: Friends