we're all happy!!!. every time i go to vegas, i look for restaurants that are off the strip. i have found great dim sum, italian, german, and so on. on this trip i took to google to assist me in my search for a restaurant. using the search words, "las vegas off strip best restaurant," led me tohoneysalt and i am glad it did.
there were four of us staying at a hotel on the strip. we braved the over 100 degree afternoon temperatures to arrive athoneysalt (hs) for dinner. a relatively short drive to the northwest of the strip. hs was just making the transition from its limited afternoon menu to its dinner menu when we showed up. evidently afternoon diners are not seated in the main dining room and are instead seated in a much smaller side area. management accommodated us and seated us in the main dining room despite the fact that the dinner service was not yet ready.
we ordered pork chops, grilled octopus, turkey meatballs, and the new england fry, along with sides of grilled or roasted cauliflower, macaroni and cheese, and french fries. great tasting bread and some sort of large (very large) triangular cheese cracker were served with whippedhoneybutter before the food we ordered arrived.
the pork chop was very thick but was super tender; amazingly tender. it was served with an apple coleslaw that complemented the pork chop well. i like applesauce with my pork chop (hey, you can't break some childhood habits) but you never get that when dining out, so this was a nice surprise and a nice adult substitute for apple sauce. the grilled octopus was also good - it wasn't rubbery or difficult to chew as some octopus can become. the new england fry consisted of calamari and ipswich clams with a nice dipping sauce, all very delicious. the calamari wasn't soggy, wasn't too small, and the breading wasn't over done. the turkey meatballs were served in a red sauce and did not disappoint. they were just the right size. the french fries had the right consistency - not too crunch, not to soft - and just the right amount of salt. the grilled or roasted (i don't remember which) cauliflower turned out to be the favorite for most of us (3 out of 4 isn't bad). the macaroni and cheese was also delicious, but i thought it was much too salty. another of our group thought the salt ratio was just right, but she loves extra salt on everything. i thought the salt content of the macaroni and cheese overwhelmed an otherwise excellent product... they might want to rethink the amount of salt they're putting into it.
because i was the designated driver (yes, we did drink and drive responsibly while in las vegas), i didn't drink any alcohol aside from taking a sip of my dining companion's wine, a malbec. i don't recall the vintner, but it was a good malbec.
dessert consisted of three items. a glass with a layer of chocolate pudding, then a layer of butterscotch pudding, topped with mascarpone and chocolate dust, with salted caramel popcorn on top of that and on the side. it went down fast. the next was chocolate cake that had layers of chocolate mousse; also delicious. and then there was a brownie dish (i forget the name, but we know it as a slutty brownie) with a side of ice cream. all three were very good and worthy of ordering again. and we had coffee with the meal and even that was good, but we did have to wait for the temperature of the cup and the coffee to go down so that lips did not blister.
the wait staff was excellent, personable, friendly, and on top of things. water glasses did not go empty. requests were met with smiles and a seeming desire to please.
the decor is pleasant and the place has a cool vibe to it. even the wait staff, the two female bartenders, and the management have a cool vibe.
we'll be back and, judging from our first visit, it will be a pleasure to do so. the owners and staff should be very proud of this place. we've already provided the info to this place for several of our friends who will soon be in vegas. sometimes getting off the beaten path (the strip) is so worth it.