Honey Salt puts sweet city spin on farm-to-table dining

Honey Salt is proof that farm-to-table dining doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice sophistication or class. Here, the menu might make you feel like you’re eating on the farm, but you’re definitely doing it in the surroundings of the city.

The cozy eatery, tucked away in the center of Rampart Commons, the same shopping area that houses Pottery Barn and Williams-Sonoma, serves a full menu, including Sunday brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The dining room features padded bench booths along the walls and tables and chairs in the center, with a view of the kitchen at one end and a small bar at the other. The decor reminded me a little of an Ethan Allen showroom: all mirrors, chandeliers and throw pillows in a calming shade of sage green.

Honey Salt is the culinary brainchild of Kim Canteenwalla and Elizabeth Blau, the couple also behind Made L.V. at Tivoli Village and Andiron Steak & Sea at Downtown Summerlin. They opened Honey Salt before those two, in 2012, in the space formerly occupied by Nora’s Wine Bar & Osteria. They opened Honey Salt with the idea of putting their own spin on comfort food using farm fresh ingredients. They carry forward that theme by offering monthly Farm Table Dinners (typically $45 per person with an optional $25 wine pairing), served family style. July’s offered chef de cuisine Brett Uniss’ farm table spin on a traditional Greek menu.

During Las Vegas Restaurant Week in June, Honey Salt featured special lunch and dinner menus to benefit Three Square food bank. My dining partner and I choose to select our lunch from the Restaurant Week menu. For starters, I had the sweet corn soup (normally $8), with jicama, cilantro and lime. I was disappointed at how thin the soup was and that there were no whole kernels of corn. My friend had the turkey meatballs (normally $10), and I immediately had appetizer envy. The meatballs were tasty and served on a plate with Alta Cucina tomatoes, caramelized onions and Bellwether Farms ricotta. A lot more exciting than my thin soup.

For entrees, we both opted for the house-favorite Biloxi Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich ($14 on the regular menu), served with fries. The double-stacked sandwich featured perfectly fried chicken topped with creamy slaw and house (honey mustard) Durkee’s dressing on a brioche roll. The combination was tasty, although a bit difficult to eat: I ended up cutting my sandwich in two, but then it just kind of fell apart and became easier to tackle with a knife and fork.

For dessert we both chose the huckleberry bread pudding (normally $9) with lemon buttermilk caramel and whipped Mascarpone. It was delicious and not as overly filling as you’d expect a bread pudding to be.

The regular menu also features a selection of small and large plates, salads, pizzas and entrees available after 5 p.m. such as Mary’s Free Range Brick Oven Chicken Breast ($23), caramelized sea scallops ($32) and pan-roasted halibut ($27). A vegetarian option is wild mushroom risotto with asparagus and kale chips ($24). A children’s menu is available.

On the Sunday brunch menu, you’ll find juices such as Green Goddess, $8 and called a “salad in a glass” with kale, apples, fennel, cucumber, celery, lemon and ginger. Also on the menu is Monkey Bread ($9), baked citrus brioche with honey bourbon sauce; blueberry buttermilk pancakes with lemon curd and maple syrup or strawberry shortcake French toast with strawberry jam and whipped cream ($13 each); and The Summerlin “Detox,” $11, with red cabbage, broccoli, avocado and toasted almonds.

Heartier brunch fare includes smoked salmon Benedict ($19), corned beef hash ($15) and steak and egg slider ($18). The Weekend Frittata ($14) has spinach, garlic, potatoes, roasted tomato and Parmesan (add grilled chicken for $2 more).

Honey Salt is open from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. A limited menu is available from 2:30 to 5 p.m.