Cafe 6 at Palms Place “Kerry’s” On The SIMON Tradition

Sammasseur reviews Cafe 6 at Palms Place…

Count me as one of those folks who were crushed by the one-two punch of the closures of KGB Burger Bar (inside Harrah’s) and Simon’s at Palms Place. Of course, they were shuttered in conjunction with the illness and subsequent passing of Chef Kerry Simon, a beloved fixture in Las Vegas. And while Downtown’s Carson Kitchen drives forward without its creator at the helm, the late Simon’s influence is also alive at the off-Strip venue that once carried his name.

For a terrific-looking restaurant driven by a well-known chef, Simon’s kept a pretty low profile. Its out-of-the-way location was both a blessing and perhaps a little bit of a curse. Far from the Palms Casino floor, tucked away on the sixth level of the sedate and soothing Palms Place tower, and right around the corner from Drift Spa (which I once reviewed for VegasChatter), Simon’s was a great restaurant to dine at while enjoying the poolside views.

Cafe 6 opened up the very next day after Simon’s closed (March of 2015). The Palms took over operations of the venue and decided to keep the look of the place mostly intact. Not sure if this was their intention but what they ended up doing was merging the best qualities of Simon’s with those of KGB Burger Bar. And what was once a rather dignified (and frankly, somewhat conventional) menu is now fun and festive…a perfect pairing for the gorgeous venue.

Take, for instance, the 14 oz Soft Pretzel appetizer ($9.95) which is baked fresh to order, served hard and salted on a wooden palette with Dijon mustard and cheese sauce. We added a little apple/cranberry marmalade for a third dipping sauce. It was steering-wheel-sized, deliciously satisfying, and easily shareable by 3 or 4.

BLTA Stack with a side salad ($14.95)

Along with Buttermilk Chicken Tenders or Bone-in Wings with cilantro, shaved onions and specialty sauces ($10.95) and Beer-battered Rock Shrimp with Tabasco ranch ($14.95), the appetizer list throws a few curve balls that we’ll need to try on our next visit. They are Salty Crunchy Pickles with sriracha mayo, bbq sauce and lemon-herb aioli ($6.95) and Virgin Veg Lettuce Wraps with roasted zucchini, yellow squash, breakfast radishes, onions and taro crisps in a white balsamic-honey vinaigrette ($7.95). Sounds yummy!

The Cafe 6 menu lists only two entrees, four sandwiches (Sammiches) and four dinner salads, which is fine since the restaurant is very burger-centric. There are seven varieties of full-size specialty burgers and another seven mini-burgers (3 to an order). The minis can be requested as a sampler, with any combo of three for $14.95.

Full-sized burgers include a choice of skinny fries, waffle fries, sweet potato fries or beer-batter onion rings. Add-ons of Mac’n’Cheese ($6.95) and Old Bay Coleslaw ($4.50) round out the side goodies.

And speaking of those specialty burgers, they are anything but ordinary. One of them, in particular, takes me back to those fondly-remembered trips to Harrah’s just for KGB‘s “Thanksgiving Burger”. Cafe 6’s version is called Thanksgiving Dinner ($13.95) and consists of a turkey patty, lettuce, avocado, swiss cheese and apple-cranberry marmalade on a taro (a purple Chinese sweet dough) bun. It certainly is festive and colorful, but I’d recommend a different bun (pretzel, perhaps) as the taro sweetness overpowered the other flavors.

Thanksgiving Dinner Burger ($13.95) with sweet potato fries and side of Old Bay Coleslaw

The Meatloaf  Burger ($14.95) has layers of meatloaf, bacon, red onion, havarti cheese and lettuce/tomato on a pretzel bun. Burn Your Face Off ($14.95) apparently sets out to do just that with a fiery offering on a torta (crusty white) bun filled with chicken breast or Angus beef with roasted poblano, pickled jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, habanero hot sauce and Latin slaw.

Meatloaf burger with waffle fries ($14.95)

Bragging rights for the most outrageous and mouth-watering selection must go to the Smoke Out ($17.95). The barbeque beef brisket alone would make an excellent sandwich, but here it’s piled high with an angus patty, coleslaw, bbq sauce and fried onions on a salt-sprinkled pretzel bun.

The Smoke Out ($17.95) with bbq brisket

Like any gourmet burger place these days, you can design your own from a long list of buns (Hawaiian sweet bread, brioche and gluten-free among them), the main ingredient (including salmon steak, veggie patty, and turkey burger), and cheeses for $13.95. Additional ingredients like pork belly, fried egg, caramelized onions and various mayos can be added for an additional charge.

The Cafe 6 menu offers suggested beer pairings to go along with their specialty burgers. A separate menu details an extensive list of porters, pilsners, stouts, ales, fruit beers, ciders and IPA’s.

My personal tastes don’t lean towards sweets, but there are plenty of novelties and shakes to cool the burn from those onions and poblanos. Shakes start at $7.95 for Vanilla Bean (with caramel sauce and whipped cream) up to $9.95 for the Hazelnut, which blends chocolate ice cream with Nutella and chocolate sauces.

Dessert creations at Cafe 6 are lovingly referred to as Love Handles. If you feel like playing tame, Dusted Sweet Spuds ($5.95) are topped with cinnamon sugar and maple syrup. Chilled creations like Apple Pie ($8.95), Caramelized Banana Split ($8.95) and To Die For Chocolate ($9.95) all feature Haagen Dazs ice cream over ingredients like fresh apples, frozen brownie bites and Nutella sauce. The Fried Cookie Cutter ($9.95) pits deep-fried Oreos against an army of vanilla bean ice cream, chocolate sauce, and more Oreo crumbles.

There are plenty of burger places to visit in Vegas, and more on the way. But if you’re feeling for something that’s reasonably priced, has a great atmosphere and a chance to lounge at a gorgeous pool afterwards, Cafe 6 at Palms Place is the place you’ve gotta try.

Insider tip: Groupon.com is currently running a half-off deal on two beer flights and build-your-own burgers for a limited time.

Cafe 6 is open daily from 11am-2pm for lunch, 5pm-10pm for dinner. It’s located on the 6th floor of Palms Place, 4381 W Flamingo Road.

 [Photos: Sammasseur, Cafe  6 via Facebook]

sammasseur

A fitness buff and Vegas fan. Sam enjoys shows, bargains, and cheap healthy eats.