Small Plates: Double Barrel Roadhouse and “Gluten-Free Baking”

DINING OUT

DOUBLE BARREL ROADHOUSE, MONTE CARLO, 3770 LAS VEGAS BLVD. SOUTH

In March, Double Barrel Roadhouse became the first restaurant to open in the plaza being created on the Strip in front of the Monte Carlo. From Sam Nazarian’s SBE, the indoor-outdoor restaurant serves dishes inspired by Southern favorites (many of them prepared on a wood-burning grill) in an atmosphere reminiscent of a roadhouse, with such beverages as Double Barrel Spiked Tea and house-made wine coolers and “DB Girls” completing the picture. Here’s a sample of the menu:

Snacks and salads: Micro corn dogs, $9.95; deviled eggs, $6.95; Spicy Smokin’ Chicken Wings, $10.95; corn chowder, $5.95; Double Barrel Chopped Salad, $12.95; wood-grilled Caesar salad, $12.95.

Sliders: Barbecue beef, buffalo chicken, fried chicken, barbecue pulled pork or portabella mushroom, $12.95 for three.

Burgers and sandwiches: The Barrel Burger, $13.95; The Double Barrel Burger, $16.95; Kick Ass Grilled Cheese, $13.95; grilled chicken breast, $14.95.

Plates: Barbecue brisket, $19.95; wood-grilled shrimp, $18.95; fried chicken, $15.95; wood-grilled Pacific swordfish, $19.95; shrimp and cheesy grits, $18.95; crackling pork shank, $28.95; Cowboy Steak, $39.95.

Desserts: Pie in a Jar, $8.95; deep-fried s’mores, $7.95; hot chocolate-chunk cookies, $4.95.

Hours are 11 a.m. to midnight Sundays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Call 702-222-7735 or visit www.montecarlo.com.

NEW BOOKS FOR COOKS

CHOCOLATE VELVET BEET CAKE

Cake:

3.6 ounces almond meal flour (about 1 cup)

½ cup sugar

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa

1¼ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon xanthan gum

¼ teaspoon salt

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 ounces canned sliced beets (about 1 cup)

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 large eggs

Cooking spray

Sour cream topping:

½ cup reduced-fat sour cream

2 teaspoons sugar

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

3½ cups fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To prepare cake, weigh almond meal flour or lightly spoon into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife. Place in a food processor; pulse 10 times, or until very finely ground. Combine almond meal flour, ½ cup sugar and next four ingredients (through salt) in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk.

Combine chocolate and butter in a small microwave-safe bowl; microwave at high 1 minute, or until melted, stirring after 30 seconds. Stir until smooth.

Place chocolate mixture, beets, canola oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla and eggs in a food processor; process until smooth. Add flour mixture; process 30 seconds or until smooth.

Pour batter into an 8-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray, spreading evenly. Bake for 50 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove sides of pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare topping, combine sour cream, 2 teaspoons sugar and ¼ teaspoon vanilla in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth. Serve blueberries and topping with cake.

Serves 14.

Recipe from “Cooking Light Gluten-Free Baking” by Robert Landolphi (Oxmoor House; $21.95)

— Heidi Knapp Rinella