SUGAR FACTORY Fractiousness

ELV’s Invariable Inverse Endorsement Postulate: The quality of anything is inversely proportional to the number of celebrities endorsing it.

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Let’s get a few things out of the way right away: The Sugar Factory is a “concept” restaurant, carefully calculated to corral casino crowds to consume its confections. It neither aspires to be, or can compete with, the better three-meal-a-day joints around town like Simon, MOzen, The Verandah, et al. Its competition is places like the Cheesecake Factory, Serendipity 3, and whatever and wherever sappy, shocking, over-the-top, sweet, sugary succulence is being supplied to our slack-jawed citizens.

For these reasons, The Food Gals® (#s 1 & 2) hated it. Loathed it with the loathing that dare not speak its name. Hated it with a passion ELV usually reserves for beets and deep-dish pizzas (see post below). “Too sweet, too cloying, too caloric….just too too much,” was the chorus ELV heard over and over again at our recent brunch.

“But that’s the point,” was ELV’s rejoinder. “If the measure of a restaurant is how well it accomplishes its intentions, the Sugar Factory succeeds on all levels. Oh, and by the way, the tourists will eat this stuff up.”

“Maybe,” came the chorus, “but the chocolate pizza and raspberry fruit dessert crepe were so teeth-achingly sugared, even one bite was impossible.” (Keep in mind, Food Gal #1 has a serious sweet tooth and she was shouting the loudest.)

“Okay,” said ELV. “I’ll admit those were sinisterly sweet, but the savories were surprisingly satisfying.”

“What about the ham and egg sandwich with country gravy that looked like someone threw up on my plate?” was the retort from FG2.

Maybe it wasn’t much to look at,” came our response, but it was darn tasty and the country (milk) gravy was as good as any I’ve had in Tennessee. Furthermore, the red velvet cakes were fluffy and light, the steak and eggs a decent version, and the BLT crepe chock full of crispy bacon — and who doesn’t love that?”

“And furthermore (ELV was on a roll now), the pizza was a passable pie (when speaking to his ex- and his gf at the same time, ELV is even more alliterative than usual), and those fresh-made doughnuts were addictively good, and the melted chocolate chef Michel Gillet is using in the hazelnut chocolate fondue is a thing of beauty. You can’t assess the food here through the epicurean sensibilities of a L’Atelier or B&B fan, you have to just accept the premise for what it is and see if it succeeds at what it sets out to do.”

“And just what would that be?” was their joint reply. “Overload Americans with huge sugar concoctions and a 22 page, all-things-to-all-people menu? Enough already!”

The problem is, ELV can see all sides of this debate. On a sociological and societal level, The Food Gals are right, of course. Vegas needs another 24 scoop King Kong “Situation” sundae the way it needs another scandalous night club.

But on another level, they’re wrong. Vegas tourists really do eat this stuff up, and they’re here on vacation to cut loose with the pocketbook and the waistline. Damn the calories! Full indulgence ahead! — and places like the SF are there to make them feel sinful in a very sweet sort of way.

It’s not my kind of food. It’s not my kind of restaurant. But if I was a twenty-something on a date, or feeding a crowd, or a dude with kids of all ages, I’d be here all the time.

Bottom line: the food is as good as Serendipity 3, and the American bistro design miles more romantic and fun, although the noise level will be borderline intolerable for anyone over forty.

And we’re still remembering how good that fondue was, and why our dentist and cardiologist don’t want us coming here anymore.

ELV’s first meal here cost him $27. The second one was comped.

SUGAR FACTORY

In the Paris Hotel and Casino

3655 Las Vegas Blvd. South

Las Vegas, NV 89109

702.331.5100

www.sugarfactory.com

9 thoughts on “SUGAR FACTORY Fractiousness

  1. what is with casting aspersions at BEETS ! i quartered & roasted some yesterday…but felt they needed “a little something” so i threw a few tablespoons of St. Dalfour Black Cherry Jelly ( on sale at Ocean State Job Lots for $2.29 but it is from FRANCE so no tittering) into the pan as a sort of glaze and they were OH LA LA sweet AND i felt this qualified me to go on that cooking show where they deliver baskets full of improbable food to the chefs ! i was LICKING the pan!

    rethink beets – that’s my advice :o)

  2. You do know that 99% of your ELV readership has zero interest in a place like this and wouldn’t be caught dead eating there, right?

    Is a review of the Cheesecake Factory next?

  3. “You do know that 99% of your ELV readership has zero interest in a place like this and wouldn’t be caught dead eating there, right?”

    OH MY GULAY!!

    I just love snobbish people. Especially those with a “name” like Viva Las Vegas….COME ON…”he” has been dead and rotting in a hole for decades.

    I am also sooooooo glad there is an authority who pipes in once-in-awhile to let me know what I think!!!….Geesh…..Fresh fried doughnuts sound great to me and country gravy can be better than a night with a filipina bar girl!!!

    ELV…..reviews like this are very informative for a real “foodie”….please continue!! (Oh when you decide to review Cheesecake Factory, please invite me along….I’ll watch your back for you.

    Thanks again!

  4. “If the measure of a restaurant is how well it accomplishes its intentions (sic)”

    Then doesn’t Amore accomplish the same with deep dish pizza? And wouldn’t Sugar Factory make fat Chicagoans fatter than pizza would?

    Consistency and non bias please! :)

    Signed,

    A skinny Chicagoan

  5. A restaurant that caters to the eyes of fatties and yesterday’s vision of las Vegas. A day late and a dollar too much spent HARRAHS CORP.
    Unless I get to eat any of those dishes off some play mate nipples or clean ass cheeks, I see no reason to visit this insipid concept.

  6. You can’t sugar-coat the truth. Even if the Sugar Factory put beet cotton candy on the sweets section of the menu, a beet is still a beet. Beets are good for coloring one thing-tye-dyed tee shirts.

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