Black Pepper Grill

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The difficult economy of the past several years has led local restaurants to try various things to bring in customers. Some have instituted specials, while others have launched coupon programs or happy hours, and the only thing that’s certain is that the creative marketing efforts will have to continue, at least for a while.

It had appeared to us that Black Pepper Grill has been yet another victim of the depressing recession. Located in an attractive space on Eastern Avenue south of the Las Vegas Beltway, it had started life as White Chocolate Grill, an offshoot of a small chain with outlets in the suburbs of Chicago, Denver and Phoenix. A name change to Black Pepper Grill — a name that seemed truer to their mission — seemed to keep the wolf from the door, but eventually we noticed that the place had been shuttered. It was a shame, because it was a good restaurant that added some variety to the area.

So you can imagine, then, that I was more than a little intrigued when, while checking on what was new in Lake Las Vegas, I noticed a listing for Black Pepper Grill. More investigation led me to the restaurant’s website, which showed it in the former Como’s and listed a menu that was substantially as I had remembered from Black Pepper/White Chocolate. Well, this was something we’d have to check out.

So you might imagine, as well, that I was pretty surprised to get to the actual restaurant and discover that few of the dishes I remembered — including the grilled artichoke, tomato-gin soup, crab cakes and couscous side-dish option — were actually on the menu. And yet our waiter assured us that the owners are the same.

As far as I’m concerned, this Black Pepper Grill is not the Black Pepper Grill. But I’m not sure that that’s a bad thing, because what they’re doing out at the beleaguered suburban outpost, they’re doing pretty well.

The atmosphere, for example. The new restaurant is more formal than the old one, with draping white-linen tablecloths, candles and soft music coming from an electronic piano that at first I didn’t realize no one was playing. The building was constructed with large french doors that can be thrown open to the soft breezes, and that had been done on the evening of our visit. (There is an outdoor dining area as well.)

One of the most obvious differences we noticed in Black Pepper’s menu was sushi, which we didn’t remember from the other place. It seemed a little incongruous with the rest of the menu, but a spicy tuna roll ($12) was generally well executed, although it could’ve used a little more on the "spicy" end.

Among the pasta dishes, we noticed the penne chicken Alfredo ($16), which seemed like a good idea because anything Alfredo has become such a cliche these days, to the extent that a legion of bastardized versions has been tried, and jarred sauces are readily available in supermarkets — and in use in some restaurants, I’m sure.

That wasn’t the case here, though. The penne was nicely al dente, the chunks of white-meat chicken both plentiful and well prepared, the Alfredo treatment pretty close to the original with its blend of butter and Parmesan and, to gild the lily, a touch of cream. It was too rich to finish, but one of the better versions I’ve tried lately.

The balsamic rib-eye ($25) was the only holdover from the previous menu that I noted, and if anything, we thought it was better than the original. While the other one seemed only infused with balsamic vinegar, this one was thoroughly napped with it, which isn’t a bad thing if you like balsamic vinegar, as we do. And the Parmesan-dusted broccoli we chose on the side was a nice touch.

Service was a little on the spotty side. When we first were seated, our affable waiter offered a choice of bottled water or iced tea. We had to ask for tap water, and again to ask for a wine list, so if it was an effort to upsell, it was a poorly designed one. Crusty bread in a basket was pretty good, but opening up little butter packages in a white-linen restaurant was a little incongruous. There were long lapses between courses, and we had to wait quite a while for coffee, although we understood that because the restaurant was nearly empty, and we knew they were making a pot.

"Nearly empty" unfortunately applies these days to the Montelago Village at Lake Las Vegas, which seems to be suffering even more since the closure of the Ritz-Carlton and the next-door casino. There’s reportedly a new hotel on the way, though, so hopefully that will breathe new life into the place. Because like the rest of the village, while the Black Pepper Grill isn’t quite like anything else, it’s enjoyable in its own right.

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.