David Clawson opened the David Clawson Restaurant on October 1, 2014 and I’ve been avoiding it like the plague ever since. The reason for my evasion is simple: I have loathed the Henderson/Anthem area of Clark County with every fiber of my body for twenty years. So unpleasant do I consider the entirety of the Southeast quadrant of our humble burg that I would rather be sentenced to a lifetime of eating Slim Jims and Hostess Twinkies than endure the mind-numbing, soul-killing drive up or down Eastern Avenue to expose my sensibilities to the commercial wasteland it celebrates.
Henderson/Anthem is so generic, pre-fabbed, cynical and craven it makes the Strip look venerable and historic by comparison.
It is a collection of monochromatic developments centered around franchised businesses with nary a place to walk or ride; an amalgam of residences and businesses with all the charm of a Subway sandwich shop. There is no place to walk; there is no place to drive. It is a community without any sense of one, formed for one and only one reason: to make housing and strip mall developers rich.
Get the point? I hate the place. I only go to Henderson/Anthem at the point of a gun. (Or to go to Valley Cheese & Wine)
Until now.
Because as I type these words I’m already planning my next visit to DCR.
Is it that good?
Yes, it’s that good.
It is the brainchild of a seasoned chef with major chops, who is cooking his kind of food in the all-over-the-globe style (and smaller portions) of the way we eat today.
Don’t call it a tapas bar. Do call it a collection of smaller plates, made for sharing, that are priced right and cooked and seasoned to a fare thee well.
Lots of proteins are featured, and after eating nearly everything on the menu we only found two clinkers in the bunch — a scallop ceviche that was way too acidic and a veal cheek that was way too salty. Hardly a clinker, but one dish we didn’t quite “get” was uni (sea urchin) atop rice bound with a Reggiano “cream.” It appeared as if the chef wants to contrast the earthy-gamy-saline quality of the urchin with risotto-like rice (an avant-garde surf and turf if you will), but for us, the combination fell flat.
Everything else was cooked a point and nearly perfect — showing the skills of a confident chef who knows how to pair flavor notes and accents with the skill of symphony conductor.
Nothing we’ve tasted has been overwrought or over-thought. Everything, from the barely blanched asparagus pictured above (set off with just the right amount of shaved Parm and sweet-sour Meyer lemon dabs) to a mini lamb t-bone with olive tapenade and something called muhammara (a Syrian red pepper paste, and yes, we had to look it up) infused yogurt, couldn’t have been any better.
Best of all is further proof of ELV’s age-old aphorism that you know you’re in rarefied edible air when the cheapest thing on the menu is also one of the best.
This rather monochromatic dish (conceived, no doubt, as an homage to all of the houses and edifices surrounding the restaurant) is simply called “lo mein, garlic, more garlic:”
….and is so packed with sweet, pungent (but not overtly sweet or pungent) garlic essence that is almost addictive. Milk-blanching the garlic softens these flavors, we’re told (grazie Carlos Buscaglia) and makes you want to plow through forkful after forkful of the barely-slurpy, toothsome strands. Even better, it’s only seven bucks.
We could wax poetic about the kusshi ‘ersters in ponzu sauce (extraordinary for an off-Strip joint), gorgeous foie gras (served with pear-ginger-shallot jam), or a pitch-perfect pork belly, but we were just as enthralled by the fresh, hamachi salad:
….(showing a firmness and freshness of fish not usually found 12 miles off Las Vegas Boulevard) and the crispy-tender quail — each dish presented as artfully as anything in a hotel, at about a quarter the price.
As we said, those plates are small, meant for sharing, and priced right. Most items on menu are in the $8-$12 range, with a few proteins going north of that, but not by much.
What this means is a couple can enjoy four or five plates of top quality vittles, with a glass or half-pour of wine (great idea that) for right around a hundred bucks — a price that would easily be 40-50% more in one of our overpriced casino dining rooms.
Speaking of wine, the pairing of wines, sakes and ciders with the various dishes on the backside of the menu is sheer genius:
….and something we’ve been entreating restaurants to do for almost a quarter of a century.
Oenophiles may be bored by the list, but in a brand new, 50 seat place in this neck of the woods, the selection and price point is probably just what the doctor(s) will order.
As for desserts, there’s only three on the menu, but they’re fabulous…and far more sophisticated than anything else in the ‘burbs.
So, in case you can’t tell, we at ELV think DCR is great. Only time will tell, but it may do for neighborhood dining what Raku did for Chinatown. Summerlin should be envious, and Henderson/Anthem should be proud. There is finally a neighborhood joint with fork-droppingly delicious food, hand-made by a dedicated chef, mixing lots of culinary metaphors beautifully, that mere mortals can afford.
Finally, you might be asking: How does ELV like his crow?
The answer: With some fava beans and a nice Chianti.
As long as they’re being cooked by David Clawson.
Merry Christmas to all!
ELV has eaten twice at DCR. The first time, the tab was picked up by his dining companions, and the other, he paid $106 for two, including a single glass of wine ($18). He has neither been comped or recognized on either occasion.
DAVID CLAWSON RESTAURANT
2840 Bicentennial Parkway
Henderson, NV 89044
702.466.2190
You have obviously not eaten at Bratalian, which is on Eastern south of Horizon Ridge. It is Italian with a Brazilian twist from Carla Pellagrino. Meatballs to die for. Lasagna that will rival my Italian grandmother.
No comps for us either, and nearly every dish shined. I told ya it was that good, John. :-)
Tks for the introduction to this new restaurant -can’t wait to try. Now regarding your diatribe against the Anthem/south valley area. Eastern Avenue is NOT the sole boundary of this part of town. The neighborhoods are the most walkable/bikeable in the valley. We have more community recreation opportunities thann any other municipality. Do you define Summerlin solely by West Sahara or West Charleston??? Think you try to not be food snob – perhaps you should try to work on other areas of your biases.
I still contend that Monta Chaya on South Eastern is better than Monta on Spring Mountain Road.