Tinoco’s Kitchen

Someday, somebody's going to discover Enrique Tinoco and set him up in a restaurant on the Strip.

Which, on second thought, might not be such a good idea. Chefs, like actors, have been known to fail spectacularly when given too grand a forum. But somehow it seems that Tinoco deserves to dwell somewhere other than in near obscurity.

I remember the first time I ate in one of Tinoco's restaurants, some years ago. R-J columnist Jane Ann Morrison had promised me a spectacular lunch, and then took me to a building behind a transmission shop, in a down-about-the-heels shopping area in a declining neighborhood on the near-east side. I was dubious in the extreme -- that is, until I entered a charming little space and discovered Tinoco's sea bass with lobster sauce. I became a believer.

Tinoco moved on not long after to a couple of other locations, most recently settling for a few years in a cramped but colorful space in the downtown Arts District.

Now he's off again, to the Las Vegas Club, a venerable but not particularly storied downtown spot. And let's just say I think Tinoco's will bring more to the Las Vegas Club than the Las Vegas Club brings to Tinoco's.

The negatives are that the casino is a little smoky, and pretty dead beyond the colorful Summer of '69 downtown promotional stuff.

The upsides, thankfully, are numerous. The restaurant's space feels much larger, and definitely not as cramped. There's no weird up-a-ramp entrance. You don't have to park in the vacant lot across the street and worry that you'll get towed. And the attractive private-dining room, open kitchen, big comfortable booths and lots of arty accents, including paintings on the walls and palette-shaped tables -- all reminiscent of Tinoco's Arts District history -- are very pleasing.

For me, though, Tinoco's Chilean sea bass would be enough.

Now, don't go getting all self-righteous on me. Yes, it's true that Chilean sea bass has been overfished. It's also true that many, many more fish than the Patagonian toothfish are marketed by fishermen, purveyors and chefs as Chilean sea bass -- sort of like what they do with red snapper, or grouper, or, well, tons of other fish species. And in truth, the thick slab I remember from my first Tinoco's visit didn't bear much resemblance to the thinner, butterflied fillet I was served last week, beyond that they both were firm, white fish with a mild flavor.

And that was fine with me, because what makes Tinoco's sea bass ($24) so special is the singular lobster sauce served with it, which has such a complex, layered depth of flavor that I can imagine it on a whole host of foods, although it is particularly effective with the mild fish. Yes, there's a hint of lobster, but the caramelized overtones and undertones of almost (but just almost) a curry flavor make a fine combination indeed. With lightly steamed fresh spinach and mashed potatoes, this is a dish I'm not done ordering.

A starter of seared ahi ($10) with a daikon and cabbage slaw and ginger-soy sauce was less exclusive but no less pleasing, the fish perfectly fresh and just lightly seared, the slaw crunchy and appealing.

Dinners include salad or soup, the latter of which was an adequate cream of broccoli on the evening of our visit. A house salad was a particular treat, its baby lettuces tossed with candied walnuts, sliced red onion and a Danish blue-cheese vinaigrette that was, praise heaven (and Tinoco), tilted clearly toward the vinegar side.

Our other entree, Tinoco's Triloggia ($26), was a sort of mixed grill of delicate scallops of veal and chicken, which were fine and expected, but also a rather delicate-looking scallop of beef, which wasn't. But ah, we shouldn't have doubted; it turned out to be an oh-so-tender slice of filet mignon, medium rare as ordered. A wild-rice mixture mixed with nuggets of spongy, foresty morels (that's a good thing) was on the side.

For dessert: a flourless chocolate cake ($6.95), a broad, thin wedge served with fresh berries, ice cream and whipped cream, which somehow lacked a little oomph.

That was, however, the only somewhat weak spot in our dinner. Service was just friendly enough and generally smooth, the jazz soundtrack was soothing and we felt well fed and satisfied.

The new Tinoco's Kitchen is its own little oasis.

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