Friday, January 23, 1998
Rainforest Cafe in Vegas runs wild with tasty food
RESTAURANT: Outlandish setting, spicy meals make dinner an
exciting event
By Mike Prevatt
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
In the land of over-the-top tourist attractions and exhausted
theme motifs comes the Rainforest Cafe, the newest restaurant chain
to hit Las Vegas.
Located in a newly renovated part of the garish MGM Grand Hotel
and Casino, the Rainforest Cafe opened less than a month ago. The
Las Vegas location for this younger-themed eatery was hyped
probably more so than any of the other restaurants in the chain
(including its South Coast Plaza locale in our own Costa Mesa)
precisely because of its tourist-friendly site.
Las Vegas is the proud home of all the popular themed cafes,
like the Hard Rock Cafe, Planet Hollywood and the All Star Cafe. So
why shouldn’t the Rainforest Cafe take its place among all the
other outrageously decorated greasy spoons?
The environmentally conscious Rainforest Cafe takes its Amazon,
eating-among-the-wild motif to the max. One knows they are near the
restaurant when gaudy, fake trees with all sorts of robotic, moving
animals hanging from their branches appear nestled among
merchandise (bearing the logo of the diner in true Hard Rock
fashion) and countless, loudly decorated tabletops. Music native to
South America booms through the cafe’s PA system, as do elephant
roars and bird squawks (in other words, it’s very loud).
Surrounding the patrons on their epicurean safari are many
shades of green covering the faux plants. The ceiling glows in blue
to give a nighttime effect, but doesn’t make the place too dark.
The embellished theme will either astound you or drive you nuts,
depending on your Vegas-decor threshold.
Once a group, or "safari," is called by the host (even on a busy
Saturday night, the wait can be as short as 15 minutes thanks to a
huge staff and numerous, closely packed tables), it is led through
aquariums and foliage. As the party waits to be seated, one can
even rest their laurels at a mushroom-covered bar.
When guests arrive at their table, they get the impression the
dining experience should be typical. Then lightning and thunder
appear out of nowhere, with flickering lights, anxious
audio-animatronic animals moving about and rain pouring in buckets
(relax, no one gets wet). Hey, this isn’t called "the Rainforest"
for nothing.
Despite all the theatrics and loud wall hangings, the Rainforest
Cafe is still in the food business. With a menu that’s not too big
but provides something for everyone, guests can choose from a
variety of entrees, appetizers, burgers, sandwiches, desserts and
drinks (both alcoholic and regular).
Despite its all-around menu, the Rainforest Cafe hits the
spicier pasta and the Cajun-style dishes pretty hard. In fact, most
of the choices on the menu warrant a nice cold glass of water along
with it, as red peppers, onions, garlic and Jamaican seasonings
find their way into a lot of the items on the menu. The chefs will
leave out the more exciting ingredients on request, but be warned
that the plate could take a bit longer.
Open with an appetizer like the Rainforest Pita Quesadillas. Or,
if that’s a bit too heavy to start off the meal, try splitting an
Amazon Flatbread (ahem, pizza) with spicy Italian sausages or an
African Wind salad, with a "sweet and stingin’" honey mustard
dressing. The sandwiches run the typical gamut of chicken and
turkey choices. At a half pound, the Blue Mountain Chicken has huge
written all over it and is grilled just right with its own
tongue-roasting "Captivating Cajun" seasoning and "Rainforest
Rescue Sauce."
The pastas, while not as piquant as the other dishes, remain far
from the bland side of the culinary spectrum. The Rasta Pasta, a
big favorite here, entices with spinach, broccoli and bell peppers
garnishing the bow-tie pasta, but also has a savory richness with
its creamy garlic sauce. The dish also includes shrimp and corn
salsa.
The Congo Mogambo (half the fun at the Rainforest is just saying
these dishes) draws its flavorful distinctness from its combination
of linguine, a garlic-heavy Alfredo sauce, fresh shrimp and peas
that is a welcome change from the standard pasta fare around
Vegas.
And of course, to satisfy that huge meat-and-potatoes
contingency, there’s Mojo Bones (BBQ ribs), Jamaica, Me Crazy!
(pork chops) and various other steak and meat dishes. Children’s
dishes are available at a slightly less peppery level. Desserts
include Monkey Business, which is a huge portion of finessed
coconut bread pudding.
Beverages abound, including ornate shakes and original mixed
drinks. The Spotted Chocolate Monkey, for example, is a heavenly
rich shake with bananas, chocolate and a bit of rum. Coffee drinks
also score high points with loads of whipped cream and tantalizing
sweetness.
On the whole, the food here takes on the same wild and colorful
characteristics as the cafe itself. This collection of aromatic
selections will get your attention quickly, and depending on how
exciting you like your food, you can either approach the milder
fare or go for the gusto and try some of the hotter dishes.
One disappointing absence from the menu was a selection of
plentiful side orders. The Blue Mountain Chicken comes with Cajun
chips, and for a $1.25 more, one can upgrade that to greasy Waffle
Fries. Hardly the unique side order substitution. The pasta does
come with Parmesan bread, thankfully.
And the damage? Considering that most themed restaurants hike up
the prices because they know tourists and curious diners will check
out their mega-hyped joints (a la Planet Hollywood), the Rainforest
Cafe is moderately priced, a plus for students. There’s not too
much above $10 here, and nothing goes over $15.
And considering the prices, the dishes include a heaping amount
of food. A regular dinner here might just make guests too full for
that 11 p.m. steak and eggs special at the casino next door. Not to
mention that the playful animals that "move" and the changing
weather conditions add to the entertainment value of it all.
Whether everyone will be able to handle all its outrageous
atmosphere is another issue, but it shouldn’t keep people from
visiting this unusual eating experience that will please all the
senses.
Photo courtesy of Mike Prevatt
The Rainforest Cafe, which opened last month in Las Vegas, also
has a Costa Mesa location.