Palate - Las Vegas — Restaurant in Las Vegas

September 2025 Palate was one of the booths at Picnic in the Alley 2025, the impressive women-driven event showcasing all manner of creative fields from food and drink to music and crafts. Marisa Martino, as one of Palate's owners, was there as rep while Chef Sterling Buckley fashioned two of the most delicious bites I tried that night. This is the long story as to why I decided to try Palate again, this time during its Happy Hour.

Food Oysters ($6 for 6): A Wednesday-Thursday special. Impressively large pieces, very fresh with a great "slip" sensation on the tongue. Accompanied by three house-made sauces; my favorite of the trio was the pickled lemon vinaigrette.

Longganisa Sliders ($8): One of the Happy Hour food offerings. Two mini-burgers, each with a substantial and juicy sausage patty, cut with the sharp slaw and flavorful relish. Buns retained structure while also being a soft chew.

Drink Vodka'd Coffee (complimentary): A delicious shot awarded to guests to enjoy.

Lucy in the Sky ($16): Cute interesting presentation, from the mushroom-shaped glass to the tree cross-section tray dotted with ceramic toadstools and a piece of gray wool set on fire. Drink itself had a delightful spicy ginger bite.

The Show Malbec 2024 ($8): One of the Happy Hour wine selections. Very solid pour.

Tea for One ($16): Elaborate presentation, glassware decorated with gilded enamel flowers set on a golden serving tray. Drink was smooth and refreshing. Came with a crisp tasty gingersnap.

Value: Excellent.

Service: Awesome from bartender Ellie and the rest of the staff.

June 2025 Had enjoyed Palate's kitchen output during the Istorya pop-up in February. Was looking foward to trying Palate during Restaurant Week 2025. Dinner, three courses, $60. As my practice, regular menu item prices in parentheses.

First Course choice Miso Bronzed Pork Belly ($20): The server, Khaliyah, told me the RW portion was smaller than that found on the daily menu. Although the strip was half size (based upon pictures), I will say that it seemed quite substantial enough for me. Deliciously fatty and sweet with the pickles giving needed sharp contrast.

Second Course choice Soy Charred Short Ribs ($41): Full sized. And that was about the only thing going for this dish. The meat leaned dry and was even a bit chewy, for all that it had, reportedly, been braised for three hours. The rather firm mushrooms and puree didn't suffice to help the beef nor stand well alone.

Third Course Palate De Dulcet ($15?): A quintet of treats, from strawberry cotton candy, root beer float using corn ice cream, and carrot cake, to a mini brownie and an oat puff crispy cube. All were well done and tasty to eat.

Value, Food: On paper? Quite excellent as Palate seemed committed to showcasing its greatest hits at a most fair price during Restaurant Week. In my particular case? Possibly the main was an anomaly, but that meat sunk the assessment.

Drinks The Rose ($17): Scent was like strolling through a botanical garden; taste light, subtle floral with a hint of a zesty twist. Presentation leaned in, with a pretty rosebud and petal pieces decorating one side of the glass. Those pieces did tend to shed everywhere though.

Smokin' Section ($17): Very spirited, low level sweetness with an earthy undercurrent. Presentation disdained the typical plain box to contain the smoke until the reveal; this glass chest had a minigarden as a bed for the glass. The ice cube was branded with the restaurant's palate logo.

Value, Cocktails: Above average.

Service: Very proactive. In one example, brought out the second course before I had finished the first (huge pet peeve of mine). In the second, better example, offered to give a replacement dish for the ribs; I declined as I had eaten some of it, so they took a bit off of the bill. Throughout the meal everyone was perky.

Atmosphere: Alice in Wonderland, Vegased. Very colorful, plush, over the top fancy furnishings with even more colorful artwork from local artists...

My wife and I were in town for a couple days of concerts with friends. We did the usual, what do you want to eat back and forth game that every couple plays. She found this place and they had reservations open so we decided to book a table, got ready for our show, and left to eat before it. The restaurant is in a fun area of Vegas. It has an art vibe to it and is more embracing than over the top like the rest of Vegas. We were able to get a parking spot not too far away from Palate. When we walked in, we were greeted and surprised at how adorable the set up of the restaurant was. Each table was set up immaculately with precision and care. There was a woman playing the piano and singing. The volume was set at the perfect level. We could still hear the hostess and each other. The first thing the hostess did was compliment my wife on the dress she was wearing. I had it custom made for her and she’s not a fan of me splurging on wants rather than needs. But she did look stunning and the hostess acknowledged that and my wife lit up from the compliment. She offered us a table and we started looking at the menu. We ordered a trio of scallops tiger style, duck dynasty board and the charred short rib. I also got the smoking section cocktail, which the hostess highly recommended. My cocktail was tasty. It came out smoking of course. Ladies and gentlemen, I can’t stress to you enough how every single one of your taste buds will be dancing as if you just won the powerball. The food was spectacular! I have never had scallops like these. The mix the chef uses is incredible and fresh. Even the board had flavors that you never get in boards. The blend of flavor in it was great. The short rib was tender and cooked perfectly. Each thing that came from the bar or kitchen was talking us to a new level. Halfway through dinner my wife started googling all the info about Palate. Who is the chef? How new is it? We love David Chang and after eating at Palate, it was no surprise that their chef had previously worked with David Chang. I am so happy for this chef because his food is so delicious. When we finished the food, still in bliss from our taste buds dancing, I ordered us a drink called Happier. I have a sweet tooth and it seemed like a perfect end to a great meal and date. This drink comes with a s’more! It was the perfect ending to a perfect night. On the way out, the hostess wished us a fun night (we told her what we were doing). She also once again complemented my wife’s dress and said she was jealous of it. We’ll be back in Vegas for the 4th and needless to say, we’ll be visiting Palate…trying nothing that we got on our first visit because I’m convinced everything there is worth trying. Make the reservation! Don’t pass...

Looking for a date night and somewhere fresh to try, my wife and I visited here. We got reservations online and arrived about an hour later. The dining area was very nicely decorated, and the indirect afternoon sunlight coming in through the windows really gave the room a bright, airy and open feeling, especially as they illuminated the purple fabric on most of the chairs. We were greeted at the door and seated quickly. The clothing of the staff and the purple velvet chairs gave the place a distinctly upscale modern take off a 1970's vibe which was a lot of fun.

I ordered a bourbon cocktail called the Smokin' Section. The drink arrived in a glass case full of smoke. This wasn't just a gimmick, the drink itself is quite excellent. A little on the sweet side with a dominant taste of maple, a nice noticeable coconut finish and the fragrance of French toast. I want to come back just for another one of these drinks. But as the meal continued, I discovered that's not all I'd want to come back for!

We ordered the Tartar and the Butchers Block charcuterie board. The Tartar was prepared tableside. It was quite good, a bit on the sweet side and reminded us a lot of a tartar we've had elsewhere. But the real star of that dish was the mini foie gras corn bread muffins.

The Butchers Block charcuterie board was easily the single best charcuterie we've ever had. There wasn't a single item on the entire board that wasn't downright outstanding. But the chive and parmesan biscuits! Oh my goodness the biscuits! Light, fluffy and full of flavor, I wanted to just load my arms up with them take them home and eat nothing but those until I died fat and happy.

I ordered the Short rib and my wife ordered the Little Gem salad, knowing we'd both likely fill up on the charcuterie. The salad was anything but little, a full wedge salad plated beautifully with lots of color.

The short rib was likewise plated beautifully and just from sampling the sauce on the plate I knew this was going to be something special. Tender, rich, and moist, the sauce did a fantastic job of bringing out the flavor of this excellently cooked meat.

Our stomaches were full to bursting and our only regret was leaving some of the food behind. Our waiter, Zach took excellent care of us throughout the entire meal and made sure we never wanted for anything.

2 cocktails, two appetizers, an entree and a large salad cost about $150 before tip. Honestly, this is a steal. For food of this caliber, I'd honestly have expected to pay at least twice that much, if not more. We definitely plan to be back as often as we...