Burgeoning Las Vegas restaurant scene getting 6 new additions

Restaurant openings tend to come in bunches in Las Vegas, and six have recently made their debuts or announced an opening date.

I Heart Mac & Cheese

I Heart Mac & Cheese opened Wednesday at 5130 S. Fort Apache Road. The menu is filled with build-your-own options for bowls and grilled cheese sandwiches. For the bowls, you can start with pasta, gluten-free pasta, tater tots, broccoli, cauliflower or quinoa; for the sandwiches, with sourdough, wheat or gluten-free bread. Then you pile on the rest — protein, veggies and cheese for both, plus a sauce for the bowls.

There also are signature bowls, such as short rib Philly or lobster mac and cheese, signature sandwiches such as Bacon Loves Tomato or The Cuban. Plus sides such as signature mac bites, tomato soup and chips, desserts such as cheesecake bites or chocolate chip cookies and kids’ meals. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays. iheartmacandcheese.com

Terrace Mediterranean

The rooftop Terrace Mediterranean opened Thursday at Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club, 6007 Dean Martin Drive, in a partnership between the club and GloBrands LLC. Terrace Mediterranean, which will be above the “erotic ultra-lounge,” is inspired by GloBrands’ The Olive Mediterranean Grill and Hookah Lounge on East Sunset Road and will have tableside hookah service, a premium cigar collection and an extensive wine list. Pop-up performances, such as belly dancers and other live entertainment, will take place nightly.

Dinner selections will be Middle Eastern and Greek and will include flame-grilled kebabs, tabbouleh salad, shawarma and mezze platters as well as craft cocktails. Dinner reservations will be available from 5 to 8 p.m. daily. Guests must be 21 or older. 702-331-4122 or terracemediterranean.com

Saffron, The Vegetarian Eatery

The self-explanatory Saffron, The Vegetarian Eatery, has opened at 3545 S. Decatur Blvd. in Chinatown. The restaurant focuses on simple ingredients, locally and responsibly sourced when possible, such as mushrooms from Las Vegas-based Sundown Mushrooms.

Soups and salads include a vegan and gluten-free tom kha gai, a charred cabbage and fennel salad, a grilled watermelon salad and tom yum. Appetizers include beet tartare or carpaccio and wild mushroom tempura, entrees Saffron green curry or Saffron red curry, Singapore noodles and claypot rice, side dishes charred bok choy and Saffron fried rice, desserts gelato and mango sticky rice. Hours are 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. saffrontheeatery.com

Boom Bang Fine Foods & Cocktails

Boom Bang has opened at 75 S. Valle Verde Drive in Henderson. An indoor-outdoor brasserie, it specializes in classic American and traditional French cuisine at dinner daily and happy hour on weekdays, with breakfast, lunch and weekend brunch to come.

There’s a raw bar with fresh shellfish, and towers and charcuterie boards are available. Dinner starters include a wild and cultivated mushroom tart, roasted and preserved tomato tart and corn dogs, with salads and soups such as a Caesar and a lobster bisque. Entrees include steak frites, a mushroom and biscuit pot pie, spaghetti carbonara, duck confit and a pork shank; sides sauteed fingerling potatoes and seasonal vegetables; and desserts the Red Velvet Mad Bomb and Mexican Hot Chocolate Creme Brulee. At happy hour all cocktails are $9, draft beers $5 and house wines $6, and the menu includes thin-crust pizza, a burger and house bread. Hours are 4 to 6 p.m. weekdays for happy hour, with dinner from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. boombang.restaurant

Harlo

After an extended soft opening, Harlo, the steakhouse from Jeffrey Fine and La Strega’s Gina Marinelli, is accepting reservations at hello@harlosteak.com or 702-333-0402. The restaurant is in Downtown Summerlin, in the former location of Andiron Steak & Sea.

In an elegant atmosphere, Harlo serves steaks from premium purveyors Flannery and Allen Brothers, cooked on a wood-fired grill, plus a selection of traditional sides and Marinelli’s signature baked pastas. Harlo Caviar Service, with caviar sourced by the family of Bulgarian-born Las Vegas chef Nina Manchev of Forte Tapas, will be treated in a playful manner, with accompaniments including scallion pancakes, gnocco fritto and latkes.

Signature dishes include roasted bone marrow, bay scallop Rockefeller, a pastrami wedge, the 40-ounce bistecca alla Fiorentina, a 24-ounce bone-in rib-eye and sides such as spinach sformato and spicy rigatoni puttanesca. Harlo also has a martini bar, julep bar and selection of craft cocktail as well as a 400-selection wine list. Hours are 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Reservations are required. harlosteak.com

Carversteak

Carver Road Hospitality has announced that Carversteak at Resorts World is accepting reservations and will open Dec. 30. The restaurant will have a 70-foot quartzite bar and outdoor bar and dining terrace in addition to the plush main dining room. The chef is Daniel Ontiveros, formerly of Joel Robuchon and Bouchon Bistro.

The menu will include a 40-ounce wagyu tomahawk rib chop, lobster en croute, caviar poppers, a bone marrow and oxtail pie, a selection of caviar and raw bar selections such as hamachi crudo. The full menu has yet to be announced; for email updates and reservations, visit carversteak.com.

Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Follow @HKRinella on Twitter.