Dining Review: Presto Neighborhood Cafe

Presto Neighborhood Cafe
www.prestocafelv.com
4950 S Rainbow Blvd, #130
Las Vegas, NV 89118
(702) 293-3332
Dine-in and carry-out available

Wow. Just wow.

Run - don't walk - to Presto. It's amazing. It's literally a party in your mouth of pure joy.

My mom is the one who came up with the idea of visiting this random, tiny little cafe. Nestled in a strip mall on the corner of Rainbow and Trop, in the location of a former Hurricane's, is this little gem. She read about it in Vegas Weekly and it intrigued her. Ever the dutiful sidekick, I agreed and we made the trek yesterday for a quick lunch.

On the same corner as a gas station and a Walgreens, this cafe looks rather non-descript on the outside. Inside, it's painted a cheerful pea green and immaculately clean. The food is behind sparkling glass, and the man at the counter was more than happy to go over the menu with us in detail. They have a variety of fresh-pressed juices, sandwiches, pides, and they proudly serve breakfast all day. Curious about the pide (pronounced "PEE-they"), the man pointed to this sample bread item behind glass, a long, oval shaped thing they stuff with goodies and then bake. She opted for the Greek pide while I choose the veggie sandwich with a side of one of their special salads: Israeli couscous with shaved Parmesan cheese, truffle oil, and wild mushrooms.

While we waited for our food, I asked to sample the other "salads." I'm using the term salad loosely here, as "fresh, bright, and refreshingly new flavor combinations" fits better. Of their selection: farro with asparagus, spring onions, radish, parmigiano reggiano, arugula and lemon (that's all one "salad"), beets with citrus, pickled onion, and hazelnut vinaigrette, a cauliflower variety with golden raisins, almonds, and curry,  a quinoa salad with pea sprouts and prosciutto,  a black bean mix with cilantro, lime, fresh sweet corn, roma tomatoes, and avocado, a strawberry concoction with arugula, apple, blue cheese and sherry, and finally, a tandoori chicken mix with mango, papaya, coconut, cucumber, and red onion. Do you see what I mean? These are creative, unusual combinations that surprised and delighted us.

Of the group, we sampled tiny containers of the quinoa, the beets, and black beans. It was hard to pick a favorite -- all were wonderful. My mom liked the beets the best while I favored the quinoa. But honestly, you couldn't go wrong with any of the three. They tasted super fresh, as though they had just been made minutes earlier.

Then, our food came. And I almost passed out from joy.

My sandwich was a thing of beauty - roasted eggplant with a thick slice of tomato, roasted red peppers, a generous schmear of goat cheese, olive tapenade, and field greens all stuffed on two toasted slices of olive bread. And that couscous - I don't think I have words for it. (I'll try). The truffle oil, usually not one of my favorites, was light enough to give it a slight woodsy taste without being overpowering. The Parm and the grains with the mushrooms? A serious delight. I could have eaten a pound of it. Amazing.

And my mom's pide?

It was a true testament to the spectacular deliciousness of warm bread. Stuffed with cherry tomatoes, a yummy pesto, feta cheese, olive tapenade, and roasted red peppers, we both agreed it was our favorite item (though that couscous was a close second). Delighfully soft and squishy, with the dough a perfectly toasty temperature, the cheese dripped off while the olives offered a slightly salty taste.

I'm pretty sure "Pide" is Greek for "heaven."

All in all, our meal was less than $20. The food was served on blue trays and paper plates. It's super casual, quick, healthy, and very kid-friendly. I encourage everyone to "get their pide-on." Quickly. :-)