Javier’s at Aria serving up Mexican comfort food

Somewhere, I am confident, it’s written that every Las Vegas casino of any size has to have a steakhouse, an Italian restaurant and a Mexican restaurant. Slots? Certainly. Table games? Probably. Keno? Maybe not. Those three restaurants, though? They’re a lock, because they represent the most popular restaurant genres in the country.

Aria, MGM Resorts International’s showpiece at CityCenter, is a foodie mecca, with a number of restaurants from famous and well-respected chefs such as Michael Mina and Jean-Georges Vongerichten. It has more than a dozen restaurants, many of which break new culinary ground as a matter of course. Javier’s, its Mexican entity, isn’t one of them.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Mexican cuisine has become so popular in this country that most of us think of it as comfort food, whether or not we have roots below the border and whether or not the Mexican food at hand is authentic; not for nothing has Taco Bell sold bazillions of its Doritos Locos Taco. Aria’s culinary lions may cast long shadows, but provided it’s a good one, sometimes an enchilada is just an enchilada. And when it come to good enchilada — and good, solid renditions of the other classics — Javier’s delivers.

The enchiladas that are a case in point were the seafood version ($27) listed as one of the “Especiales del Mar” of the Southern California-based Javier’s. The menu offered Dungeness crab, shrimp or a “combination,” which sounded good to us, but it was really one of each, which we’re guessing is a source of confusion because our waiter took pains to explain when we asked for the combo.

At any rate, they were maybe a little smallish but very good, the crabmeat sweet and fresh, the shrimp whole (which wasn’t what we had expected), both seasoned simply in a garlic-wine sauce, topped with a light tomatillo salsa and a bit of cheese. Sour cream and avocado were promised, too, and we were kind of anticipating an overload but both were used with restraint.

The plate included frijoles and rice, the latter definitely not among the best we’ve had, the former right up there in that it was at the same time far lighter than we usually encounter and also shot through with cheese.

We expected the Mole Poblano ($28) to be a classic rendition, and it was, with the exception of the airline chicken breast, an increasingly popular cut that’s boned except for the wing. The chicken was nice and moist, but the sauce was the essence of soul itself, so deeply flavored that it brought to mind the complex, earthy flavors that characterize authentic Mexican cuisine. Beans and rice, and ditto.

A starter of Queso Fundido ($12) was better than most because the Monterey Jack was perfectly melted (and stayed that way, and somehow didn’t separate) and because it was studded with mild pasilla peppers and mushrooms in addition to the requisite chorizo and onion, and had a hint of smoke thanks to a bit of chipotle.

One quibble was that our waiter treated us like tourists. Yes, Javier’s is on the Strip (you’ve no doubt noticed the Strip prices), so it attracts a large proportion of out-of-towners, but they don’t deserve to be treated like tourists, either. He disappeared for long periods, even though the restaurant wasn’t extremely busy. He also made too many assumptions, like making the decision to bring us flour tortillas instead of corn with the Queso Fundido and the Mole Poblano instead of asking for our choice.

In all, though, the Javier’s experience was a positive one. The place is cavernous, and the bar area was pretty raucous with MAGIC attendees partying for one last time before returning home, but the dining area was comparatively tranquil.

Javier’s may not stack up to the celebrity-chef spots with James Beard award-winners manning the kitchens, but that’s not its mission. And in delivering Mexican comfort food, it fulfills its mission, and quite nicely.

Las Vegas Review-Journal restaurant reviews are done anonymously at Review-Journal expense. Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at 383-0474 or email her at hrinella@
reviewjournal.com.