Rooster Boy Cafe: Simply Sensational
The brunch game in Las Vegas is a crowded, competitive field. There are many a watered-down bottomless mimosas and tooth-ache inducing pancakes to navigate. That kind of thing can be fun occasionally, but often the flavor rewards of those brunches do not outweigh the empty calories and inevitable sugar crash two hours later. But who says we can’t have it all, a healthy, wholesome brunch that is also decadently delicious?
Chef Sonia El-Nawal’s Rooster Boy Café is all those things and more. It may be a long trek for some, tucked in the Desert Shores community, three doors down from Las Vegas French dining institution Marché Bacchus, but let me assure you this café is worth the trip. The modest interior includes a bar which seats five and a communal table which seats eight. There is outdoor seating available, on charming white wrought iron chairs and tables, but to sit outside is to miss the show.
I’ve yet to sample a dish that isn’t executed with perfection, layers of flavor, and enticing textures
There’s something about the little, open kitchen and the meticulous, well-choreographed moves that take place within it, which reminds me of this hole-in-the-wall hummus place in Old City Jerusalem. Don’t misunderstand, Chef El-Nawal’s kitchen is immaculate and there’s nothing that feels old at Rooster Boy Café, but there is a certain vibe that resides in small-scale restaurants which manage to fit so much into so little. So much heart, so much talent, so much good food.
The Chef’s varied international background and resume are both reflected in the menu. After many visits, I’ve traveled most of its savory offerings (I’m a sodium in the morning type of lady). I’ve yet to sample a dish that isn’t executed with perfection, layers of flavor, and enticing textures. On our most recent visit, Rich and I split two dishes: Fire Up and Frenchy.
The Fire Up was the best rendition of Huevos Rancheros I’ve ever had. Huevos Rancheros is a pretty straightforward dish, tortillas, fried eggs, salsa, and beans, but there is a lot that can go wrong. The eggs can be under or overcooked, the plate can be lost under a sea of salsa, and tortillas can be a soggy sad mess. But at Rooster Boy Café, the eggs had a crispy edge and gooey center, the brightly flavored salsa coated evenly but not excessively, the tortillas retained a soft crackle, the black beans were a hearty, earthy balanced addition, and the avocado, freshly scooped, was a welcome buttery topping.
As tasty as it was, I was happy to hand half of the Fire Up plate over to Rich in exchange for the Frenchy, the second half of my meal. Another deceivingly simple dish, the Frenchy features a baked egg on brioche with arugula and white truffle oil. With so few components on the plate, it’s easy for flavors to blend or for one to take over entirely obscuring everything else. Not here. Golden yolks drip and glaze a supple and beautifully baked brioche. Each bite is punctuated with the luxurious notes of white truffle and underscored with the light bitterness of arugula. It’s a choir of disparate voices harmonizing with dazzling grace.
This delightful eatery was clearly born of many years of culinary experience and stoked with a passion for quality ingredients complimenting each other seamlessly on the plate. Whenever I leave Rooster Boy Café, I feel full to the brim without overflowing. I feel happy. When someone puts that much effort into making your morning great, as Chef El-Nawal does, it’s hard not to.
