The original Yardbird Southern Table & Bar is located in Miami and is owned and operated by 50 Eggs Restaurant Group. It received a James Beard Award in 2012 for Best New Restaurant. The Las Vegas opening in January 2015 marks the group’s only restaurant outside of the state of Florida and we’re certainly glad they decided to spread their wings and settle down in Sin City! We visited on a Saturday afternoon to sample their brunch menu. Here’s the rundown on what we ordered.
Old fashioned featuring bacon-infused Buffalo Trace Bourbon
If this Old Fashioned could talk, it would say, “Drink me even though it’s not 5 o’clock!” We couldn’t resist the temptation of Yardbird’s twist on this classic cocktail. The homemade, bacon-infused Buffalo Trace Bourbon, maple syrup, and 2” hand-carved sphere of ice made it a delicious conversation piece. Our friendly waitress, Mikayla, told us about the “ice room” in the back where all bartenders are trained to cut ice by hand in all shapes and sizes for various cocktails. If only we had brought a cooler, this icy, round creation would have made its way home with us!
The Crispy Chicken Sandwich was served on a toasty, branded bun and garnished with okra and a sweet pickle. The chicken was perfectly crispy on the outside and ever so juicy on the inside. The homemade bacon and fresh buttermilk dressing elevated this sandwich to the next level.
House-cut fries with buttermilk dipping sauce and “bacon salt”
As self-proclaimed French fry snobs, we had to try the house-cut fries with bacon salt and served with house-made buttermilk dipping sauce. They definitely were cooked to perfection and had a little extra bacon bit crumble on top. If you go with a group of people, you will need more than one order of these because they are tasty! Another tip: there will be bacon left on the bottom of the serving dish. When nobody is looking, you can nibble on it. I did.
For “dessert” we had buttermilk biscuits with whipped honey butter and freshly made strawberry jam. Most people would have eaten them first, of course, but since all our food was delivered at the same time, we saved them for last and we were glad we did! The biscuits were warm with a crunchy outside and a billowy inside. Four biscuits are given to you in one order. We were able to take two of them home to enjoy later. Our super kind waitress packaged up some of the honey butter and freshly made strawberry jam to go along with it.
Without a doubt, Yardbird is a worthy addition to the impressive selection of dining options at The Venetian’s Restaurant Row. We’ll certainly pay it another visit when we are fixin’ for some comfort food!
