Malls court hungry customers on the move

BY Max Jacobson

Wednesday, April 4, 2001 | 9:07 a.m.

Everyone needs to grab a bite at the mall from time to time, and no one really expects it to be a world-class eating experience. Most large malls have food courts, areas ringed by food stands with tables, chairs and a generally pleasant atmosphere that provides a short respite from the rigors of shopping.

Food courts differ from mall to mall, but there are persistent similarities. Nearly all of them, for instance, have either a Burger King or McDonald's. They also a feature Sbarro, an Italian kitchen that serves hot pizza dough rolls brushed with garlic butter, big meatballs, stuffed and regular pizzas and a variety of pasta.

Every mall these days has Chinese food as well, sometimes the popular Panda Express, sometimes a private concession.

Here's a rundown of what you can expect if you visit one of the prominent Las Vegas malls. Fashion Show mall will have a swell food court when the remodel is done, but it is currently closed, and it has been omitted here. And since the better-known franchises are already familiar to most, this article describes some of the lesser known choices:

Galleria at Sunset This pleasant, second-level food court has a huge common area, lots of ambient light and quite a few plants. The dining area is surrounded by more than a dozen places that serve food: Sbarro, the Great Steak and Potato Company, McDonald's, Taco Maker, Galleria Deli, the Honey Tree, Edo, Bourbon St. Grill, Orange Julius, Dairy Queen, Cinnabon and Hot Dog On A Stick.

The Honey Tree is a full-fledged Greek kitchen run by friendly Greek immigrant Athanasios Goulas. Everything he serves is made on the premises and it's fresh, tasty fare. The Greek village salad, for instance, is made with cucumber, tomato, onion, Kalamata olives, bell peppers and feta cheese, and no lettuce. A square of buttery spinach pie is $3.15, and a delicious, homemade egg lemon soup, $3.15. Greek casseroles are $5.35 and include rice. The terrific grilled chicken breast, redolent of lemon, oregano and garlic, is $5.35 with rice or salad.

Edo, the old word for Tokyo, belongs to a friendly Korean lady named Sue Warbasse. She says her food is the freshest, healthiest food in the court, with such items as fresh sushi sold for $1.25 a piece, shrimp yakisoba -- a kind of thick Japanese noodle pan fried with carrot, onion and cabbage -- and various types of broiled chicken. Good stuff.

Then there is Bourbon St. Grill, a name which suggests New Orleans, serving chicken dishes that are decidedly Asian with some Southern side dishes. This is a Tampa, Fla.-based franchise, and there are red beans and rice and jambalaya, a New Orleans-style rice.

All the meat dishes are chicken-based. Shrimp dishes were recently removed from the menu because they did not sell well, the manager lamented. One meat and one side will set you back $3.97. Two plus two costs $5.97.

Belz Factory Outlets

Belz is so large that it actually has two, count 'em two, food courts. One is by the main entrance to the mall, the other at the far south end. There are also enough Japanese tourists to warrant Japanese-language menus posted in a couple of the restaurants. The Chinese restaurant Chao Praya, which happens to be the name of the river running through Bangkok, Thailand (go figure), has two locations, and hand-written Japanese menus.

In the main food court, there is the Great American Cookie Co., similar to a Mrs. Fields, the Steak N Spud Factory, actually a Mexican restaurant selling tacos, burritos and baked potatoes with lots of different toppings, Sbarro, Chao Praya and the candy store Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.

The food court at the mall's south end has the Beanstalk, for espresso, Chicago hot dogs for $2.75 and good sandwiches such as smoked turkey for $4.50; Chao Praya, and two places slightly more unusual. One is Umberto's Gourmet Pizza, where you can get good pizza by the slice for $1.89-$2.49, or giant 16-inch whole pies for $10.99-$15.99, as well as strombolis, calzones and other pizza-oven fare.

The other, with the misleading name California Soup and Salad, is really a Lebanese restaurant in disguise. Yes, there are specialty salads, such as a nice Chinese chicken salad for $5.95, and a couple of fresh homemade soups that change daily, $2.95 for a 12-ounce portion.

But this is the only place in a local mall where you can eat a felafel sandwich on hot pita bread (spiced, deep fried balls made from garbanzo bean flour), Lebanese-style rice and herb-stuffed grape leaves, and even fried kibbeh, delicious patties made from ground beef, bulgur wheat and pine nuts. It's all quite good, too.

The Boulevard Mall

The food court here is bright and attractive, with comfortable chairs and a soft gray tile floor. The various places from which to order food are arranged in a semi-circle, and the choices are diverse and of good quality. In addition to Sbarro, McDonald's, Panda Express and the other usual suspects, there are some real winners in this food court.

One of the best places is the fresh Mexican food restaurant La Salsa, which grills meat to order on a real brazier. The chain has just added fresh mango and avocado salsas to its already impressive condiment bar, and the food is consistently good. Steak and mahi-mahi burritos are both delicious, stuffed with beans, rice and veggies. Baja shrimp tacos, $5.75, is another dish that does the chain proud.

At Soup & Sandwich Co., a choice of six soups which change daily are served in a bread bowl, for $3.99, a complete and filling meal. One more interesting place serving food is the Big Easy, where the food has a New Orleans theme.

You'll see all of 10 side dishes in a steam table, anything from steamed cabbage to hearty red kidney beans. This is the only mall restaurant in which to get shrimp etouffee, and it's excellent, especially served over the restaurant's jambalaya rice. There is also Cajun roast pork. It's good, too, but that lingering flavor of star anise reflects the fact that the franchisees are Chinese, not from Louisiana.

The Sampler, one side dish, five entrees and a choice of rice or pasta, priced at $6.50, will feed a small army.