Hip & Happenin’ in Henderson
Bryan Hainer
Photographs by Chris Wessling
Scott Frost, 50, gives me the most morbid quote I’ve ever had when interviewing someone for a food story.
It was really weird, like a Benjamin Button thing. I’d lost my body all at once. He was slowly losing his body. But there was a time there where we were both in the exact same wheelchair. It was just odd that three years earlier we were two totally healthy guys talking about business and enjoying life and then mine overnight and his (body) deteriorated (over time), and we kind of had that middle point.
He is referring to his friend of more than a decade, celebrity chef Kerry Simon. Perhaps no chef meant more to the Las Vegas food scene than Simon, whose whimsical style fit perfectly with the Sin City party atmosphere. He was beloved. He was respected. He was revered. But while the end wasn’t kind to Simon — he died Sept. 11, 2015, at age 60 after being diagnosed three years earlier with multiple-system atrophy, a neurological disorder that basically shuts down one’s body — he led a life full of passion and left a legacy that won’t be forgotten.
Frost is part of that legacy as a partner in the newly opened Standard & Pour, all the way south on Eastern Avenue, almost on the edge of Anthem Highlands. The new gastro lounge — Frost makes it clear it is not a gastro pub, as this place focuses not only on elevated American classics in the food department but also craft cocktails — is a joint venture from Frost’s Titan Brands and the Simon Hospitality Group. The former operates three popular Mexican outposts, Hussong’s Cantina in Mandalay Bay, Boca Park, and one in Reno, as well as the pizza joint Slice Of Vegas, also in Mandalay Bay. The latter was formed by Simon and Cory Harwell, a restaurant veteran committed to carrying on Simon’s spirit through his food and their restaurants. While they have different restaurants throughout the country, perhaps none is better regarded than Carson Kitchen in Downtown Las Vegas, where Simon’s fun and delicious plays on items like fried chicken skins and the butter burger are a hit with the hip, young professionals that work, mingle and dine in the area.
But the quiet outskirts of Henderson are a long way from the noisy energy of Downtown. Frost knows it is a gamble. Who will the audience for Standard & Pour be? Suburban housewives? Anthem-based senior citizens? Locals traveling home after a long day of work in the city? Frost hopes for all of the above. “It’s really different for Henderson. It’s probably one of the last parts of the Valley to go metropolitan. Summerlin and Downtown are metropolitan. We are pioneers here in bringing a metropolitan venue, vibe, menu, both drink and food to suburbia.”
Pioneer is an apt word to describe Simon, the man Rolling Stone once dubbed “The Rock’N’Roll Chef. “Nowadays, it seems as if every restaurant is trying to create its own spin on American comfort food: macaroni and cheese eggrolls, Philly cheese steak dumplings, an endless parade of riffs on chicken and waffles. It would not be overstating it to say this style of food descended directly from what Simon was doing back in the early 2000s at Simon Kitchen & Bar in the Hard Rock Hotel. Elevated takes on dishes such as meatloaf caught the fancy of diners before it was a trendy thing to do. His desserts, homemade takes on everything from cotton candy to chocolate Hostess cupcakes, were equally pleasing to patrons and critics. Frost describes it this way, “Kerry was way ahead of his time ... taking the mundane and making it super fun and cool and playful ... His influence will live forever. Period. He’s left an indelible mark on this food scene.”
Which brings us to the actual food at Standard & Pour. This was the last menu developed by Simon with Harwell’s help. Frost explains that Harwell would take Simon’s concepts and experiment with them. And after Simon had tasted them, he would give feedback by looking at the alphabet and giving nods and winks. It must have been excruciating for all involved (never mind Simon’s physical ailments) – with the mental and emotional toll it exacted on the entire group. But its purpose is now being fulfilled, with what already is one of Henderson’s best restaurants.
The menu consists of shared plates split into four categories – vegetables, fish, meat and dessert. Each category offers worthwhile and delectable options.
The most fully realized at this point is the vegetable section, which features one tasty choice after the next. Endive & date ($12) is a modern take on the familiar pairing developed by John Courtney, the culinary director for Simon Hospitality Group. The two items are mixed with date-anchovy vinaigrette, mandarin orange segments, candied pecans and shallots. It’s a good way to warm up the palate.
Carrot risotto ($14) has both a wow factor in presentation and taste. Of the cooking method, head chef Jake Dielman, explains: “If you did just carrot by itself it becomes a little overwhelmingly sweet. We don’t cook (the rice) off with any stock, just carrot juice. We get a luxurious color with that. We finish it off with a little lemon juice to offset the sweetness.” The acid shines through, along with the aged pecorino cheese that sits on top. Black truffles and artichokes add upscale touches to this brightly colored item.
Three beans ($10) has an assertive flavor. Chinese long beans, yellow wax beans and blue lake sea beans are seared and coated with a mix of XO sauce – the spicy Chinese seafood sauce – crispy garlic and black sesame seeds. The beans hold up to the aggressive seasoning, and it’s a bite you’ll keep going back for.
Nothing is more of a showpiece item from the vegetable section than whole smoked Romanesco ($12). Somewhere between cauliflower and broccoli, this large green vegetable has a sturdy texture and takes on other flavors exquisitely. Here it is blanched, then smoked in a pizza oven for 20 minutes, giving it a nice char. It would be perfectly fine, though, if they wanted to char the whole damn thing even more. Capers, pickled red onions, golden raisins and herbs bombard the vegetable vessel with salty, sweet and acidic tastes. It’s an impressive and creative use of an underutilized piece of produce.
Simon understood the importance of presentation. After all, we eat with our eyes first. Knowing that, it would be tough for just about anyone to not devour the scallop crudo ($22) from the fish section. It’s a stunning visual, with the sliced scallops engulfed in different sauces and accompanying items, all featuring different colors and textures. Bright green avocado puree sits beneath the scallop, while a darker green bagna cauda sauce, featuring brown butter, anchovy and capers, sits on top. Ruby red grapefruit segments give some sweet relief, and the whole thing is as tasty as it is pretty.
Moving on to the meats, kimchi tacos ($14) feel like something Simon would present. The tacos here are scallion pancakes, with kimchi strewn throughout the dough. It adds to the taste and pops the color, making the whole thing look like an orange tortilla. Short rib is the meat of choice filling the interior. It’s marinated in familiar Korean flavors. An Asian pear vinaigrette tops the dish. Everything works harmoniously, with each element adding to the next. It’s a winner and likely will be very popular when S&P institutes happy hour.
The rib-eye cap ($26) shows restraint, with the tender meat salted, sliced and served simply with a juniper porcini rub. A house steak sauce is served with it, but the meat is already so flavorful it’s unneeded.
Desserts ($8) are modern and a good representation of where Simon was going with his food. The best is the fruit loop panna cotta, which encapsulates the whimsy of something like Simon’s take on Hostess cupcakes. But it also shows a level of sophistication. The base is a cornflake-infused panna cotta, (Doesn’t that sound like something Simon would do?) with fresh zest, orange sorbet, hazelnuts and raspberry gummies combining for a nearly perfect dish. It’s not too sweet, full of different textures, and each bite offers something unique and delectable. This is the next level of the famous desserts from the old Simon Kitchen and Bar.
The saffron rice pudding is as good as any in the city. It’s another brainchild of Courtney’s, or as the story goes, it’s the recipe of his fiancée’s paternal grandmother. This Persian rice pudding, known as Shole Zard, again holds back on the sweetness and lets textures shine. The featured items include almond slivers, pomegranate seeds, dates and pistachios mixed throughout. The actual pudding is touched with a cinnamon ampersand, the same one that brings together the words Standard & Pour.
Frost’s presence is prevalent at the restaurant. He’s partially there to make sure they get everything right, from fixing the difficult parking situation to deciding if the high-top tables are the right height. He stands from time to time, but is most often traveling around on his motorized wheelchair, the same one he references about the time Simon also became wheelchair-dependent. Frost and Simon connected and bonded over food and nightlife. Both healthy, they worked on deals with Indian casinos throughout the country, with the goal of bringing Vegas style food and nightlife to these venues. While nothing ever came of those talks, the friendship between the two continued to grow.
On May 10, 2009, Frost was in a motorcycle crash. He was sure he would die. But he didn’t. Doctors told him he would be a quadriplegic for the rest of his life. But, as he puts it, “I got stuff back I wasn’t supposed to get back.”
As the lanky Frost slowly rebuilt his health, Simon’s began to go. The last time they spoke, Frost was in Chicago, Simon at The Mayo Clinic in Minneapolis. Both were receiving treatments for their conditions. While the two had shared food, drink, good times and business dealings in the past, on this day Frost shared something else with his friend.
You could barely understand him over the phone. I gave him my view – I sat in a ditch for over an hour contemplating my demise – I had an afterlife experience, a glimpse of what was on the other side. I gave him my two cents of what I thought was waiting for him and, hopefully, that gave him some solace. Until then it just sucks. It’s tough. It’s how you handle it. Two things you have control over in any situation are your effort and your attitude, and Kerry always had an awesome effort and an awesome attitude. That guy went down swinging, man.
Frost’s favorite part of Standard & Pour is a table made from the doors of the original Simon Kitchen & Bar. The inscription on the plaque describing the table ends with these words of advice, which Simon’s disciples now live by. “Keep Calm And Kerry On.”
Somewhere, the ever-thoughtful, ever-playful Kerry Simon is smiling.
Whole Smoked Romanesco.
Three beans
Saffron Rice Pudding
Carrot risotto