simon at palms place.

Despite the fact that celebrity chef Kerry Simon is a real easygoing guy and he's been happy to talk to us on several occasions, our much delayed debut at his eponymous Palms Place restaurant was a little flat. Don't get me wrong; he's a very busy dude and we are far from the tourist diner who expects to see every famous chef in the kitchen. It wasn't that. And it wasn't the menu, which looks to be a tasty hodgepodge of steakhouse/sushi/Californian cuisine. And it certainly isn't the decor, since the restaurant is wrapped by a swanky, cabana-laden pool, accented by a neat sushi bar, a fireplace, and a super-mod wooden and white, space lounge. It's a cool room.

It was the underwhelming combination of all those things, and some downright bland food and drink. A spicy yellowtail roll was fresh and energizing, but you can't really fuck up fresh fish with jalapeno. A southwestern-style turkey chopped salad had no taste whatsoever, basically lettuce with very few tiny bits of meat, cheese, black beans and corn. And the signature cocktails we sampled -- a mojito with squished grapes and a citrus martini spinoff -- were mediocre at best. The cocktail menu is uninspired, leaning heavily on vodka and fruit that doesn't taste so fresh.

I haven't yet attended Simon's newly infamous Sunday Brunch, and I can see how that would work well in this not-so-Vegasy space, which feels like a resort rooftop in some fast-paced metropolitan destination. But after this quick snack and booze sampling, I wasn't left with an impression that will bring me back for dinner anytime soon. In fact, the mild disappointment sent us searching for satisfaction elsewhere. We found better booze at the Rojo Lounge, the lobby bar of Palms Place, and then better food and dinner atmosphere at Summerlin's Vintner Grill.