Local services deliver the goods

Max Jacobson

Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2001 | 8:22 a.m.

Did you ever get the urge to dine on restaurant fare on one of those lazy evenings when you just couldn't muster the energy to go out and retrieve it yourself?

Things are looking up. Las Vegas has more options than ever in home delivery of freshly prepared restaurant fare, and we aren't just talking pizza. Food Hotline, a growing California company, delivers from an impressive variety of local restaurants. Some places deliver strictly on their own, two notable ones being Abacus, a Chinese restaurant on the west side, and Sonio's Cafe, one of the best rotisserie chicken places in the valley:

Food Hotline

This company was founded in Montclair, Calif., just five years ago, and it has grown to 35 locations in that state and three in the valley in Henderson, Las Vegas and Summerlin.

The concept is simple. Order from one of approximately 75 menus in the Food Hotline handbook. The fee is a $6.50 to $8.50 delivery charge, plus the cost indicated on the menu for the items selected. The charge, incidentally, varies because of travel time from a given restaurant to the address. You probably wouldn't be able to get food from Summerlin delivered to a Henderson address, but there is enough variety in the choices that this will not be a problem.

It's not quite that simple, of course.

The food is delivered in hot packs by uniformed waiters, and they expect to be tipped. But they perform more than just delivery. Says Vice President of Operations Liz Williams, "Our goal is to have food delivered in no more than one hour from the time of the phone call. Drivers are dispatched as they would be in a taxi service, from one central office. Whoever is closest to the restaurant where the food is being ordered from will get the call."

Continues Williams: "Our drivers dress like waiters in a high-end restaurant, with tuxedo shirts, red aprons and black slacks. What's more, they unpack all the food, and serve it up on your own crockery, at your table. Then they will describe the dishes, just as a waiter would do in a fancy restaurant. Naturally, you would tip if this service were performed gracefully."

Indeed, most of us would. If you don't have the Food Hotline handbook, you can always call its number and have it mailed to you. And when you do, you will find a long list of good local restaurants. Just a few are the New Orleans-style restaurant Simply Southern, a trio of sushi places, Sushi On Summerlin, Sushi On Tropicana and Sushi On Rainbow, an upscale list of places such as Venetian and Mayflower Cuisiner, and countless ethnic places: Kim Tar, India Palace and House of Kabob being just three.

The company is planning a huge direct-mail program of around 75,000 brochures, so you may be getting one in the mail soon. Until then, however, you have many more options around here than pizza.

Delivery hours are 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Friday, 3-10 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.

Sonio's Cafe

3900 W. Charleston Blvd.

Since acquiring this business four years ago, Chicagoan Yiorgo Aretos has turned his small cafe into what may be the valley's best rotisserie chicken joint. Everything in his restaurant -- the salad dressing, the pita bread, and of course, the terrific, crisp-skinned rotisserie chicken -- is made on the premises.

Aretos says that the secret of this chicken is twofold, his marinade, the recipe of which he is loathe to divulge; and slow roasting, up to three hours per bird. These chickens, incidentally, are prepared without preservatives.

One of the best deals here is to order a whole chicken with two large (16-ounce) side orders, for $13.95. The sides include delicious options such as chicken pasta salad, rice primavera and pinto beans. This kitchen also puts out one of the city's best Greek salads, romaine lettuce, fresh tomatoes, green onions, Kalamata olives, fresh feta cheese and a toothsome homemade Greek dressing, for $7.25. The whole chicken and the salad will serve four, a wonderful meal for just over $20, delivered.

Aretos has been known to deliver the County Building and City Hall downtown, and to go a little further than usual for regular customers. Even better news is that he is about to expand his delivery westward, to approximately Rainbow Boulevard. But be aware that during a busy lunch, he may not be able to accommodate every request.

Delivery hours are 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. Closed Sunday. Free delivery within a 2-3 mile radius, with orders of $10 or more.

Abacus Chinese Restaurant

5960 Spring Mountain Road

Likable owner Edward Huang runs one of the more authentic Chinese restaurants in the city, and it also happens to be the only one that delivers independently. Some of the dishes here are terrific, especially scallion pancakes, $2.50, shrimp and scallop in hot garlic sauce, $10.95; tea-smoked duck served with steamed buns, $9.95, minced chicken in lettuce cups, $9.95 and twice-cooked pork, a specialty of Szechuan, $6.95.

The main drawback to this being a dream delivery service is the fact that the restaurant does not use bubble top or metal containers, the better to hold in heat, but rather the plain cardboard takeout boxes common to every Chinese restaurant. However, they promise a delivery time of 30-45 minutes from the time of the phone call, pretty good turnaround time for any delivery service.

You probably won't be able to order any of the more unusual specialties this restaurant prides itself in -- fare from a large Chinese language blackboard -- but even these dishes are possible, if you know their availability and can communicate their names to the people on the phone.

Anyway, there's always pizza.

Free delivery within a four-mile radius, with a $15 minimum order. Delivery hours 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. daily.