Perch makes fine addition to Downtown Container Park food offerings

Some of the restaurants I’ve frequented at the Downtown Container Park have a lot in common. There’s the great food and limited indoor seating and a sort of common outdoor dining area, spaced around the park’s central playground.

The Perch has, in common with them, a limited menu of creative, well-prepared food. It also has more indoor seating than most, so at this time of year its air-conditioning presents extra cachet.

Like the others, The Perch has an all-day menu and when we stopped by at lunch, seating was at a premium. The menu was even smaller than the one posted on the restaurant’s website, possibly because of seasonal realities. But what we had for the most part was very good.

The Louis ($15), for example. A fairly classic version of the iconic Crab Louie or Crab Louis, it was a scoop of well-seasoned, finely shredded crab salad resting in an avocado half. It was great on its own, but even better in that it rested on a rather large bed of tender Bibb lettuce, dressed in a well-balanced vinaigrette liberally laced with chopped shallot, minced chives and other herbs.

We also tried one of the restaurant’s flatbreads, the Bianca ($12), and again, greens starred — greens that are not only tasty and healthful but especially welcome during a sultry Southern Nevada summer. The crisp rectangular crust had been topped with mozzarella, ricotta and Parmesan cheeses, which then were covered with a profusion of fresh arugula. The friend who accompanied me doesn’t identify as an arugula lover but she appreciated it here, its bitter austerity the perfect foil for the rich, salty cheeses.

House-made lemonade ($3) was perfect, tart and refreshing.

The weak link of our lunch was the creme brulee ($8). Creme brulee obviously is refrigerated before it’s flamed to caramelize the sugar topping, but usually by the time it’s served it’s not ice-cold from top to bottom, as this one was. And it had something I’ve occasionally encountered but can’t explain — what seems to be a thin layer of ash on the bottom of the dish.

Service throughout was fine and friendly. The noise level from conversation is high, so be advised. Thought has clearly been given in this casual spot to customer comfort, with not only purse hooks under the bar, which are becoming commonplace, but also electrical outlets there, for convenient charging.

Add to that the (mostly) great food, and The Perch is poised for success.

Las Vegas Review-Journal restaurant reviews are done anonymously at Review-Journal expense. E-mail Heidi Knapp Rinella at Hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Find more of her stories at reviewjournal.com and bestoflasvegas.com, and follow @HKRinella on Twitter.