Wolfgang Puck’s Fine Dining Group, as overseen by a long-time Las Vegan and Puck executive, has brought a bakery, bar, and casual restaurant to downtown and it’s an interesting concept that fits perfectly into the heart of the Arts District on Main Street near the corner of Colorado.
This neighborhood is a mix of industrial and trendy. A defunct auto-repair shop is right next door …
… while just across Colorado is the Red Kat vintage clothing store with one of countless murals that adorn the walls in the District.
Across Main is Sin City Yoga; nearby are a tattoo parlor, Rebar (beer, booze, and bargains), a dispensary, a couple of other bars, Good Pie pizzeria, and Main Street Provisions, another contemporary restaurant.
Walk in 1228’s door and go left to the counter. On the wall behind are the menus for meals and bread and the breads themselves; up front is the pastry display fridge.
At the counter, you order and pay (card only, no cash), then take your number to a table where servers deliver the food. This is a convenient setup for patrons and staff. Our meal was so hot when it arrived that it was probably no more than 15 seconds from the pot in the wide-open kitchen to the place setting.
We tried the shakshuka ($16), a North African dish comprising two fried eggs in a spicy red-pepper stew — eggs you eat with a spoon. Excellent. It comes with sourdough toast, house-baked, of course. We also tried the strawberry cream Danish ($7), with just the right mix of fruit and unsweet flake.
Other breakfast dishes (7 a.m.-1 p.m.) include yogurt and granola ($11), smoked salmon and latke ($16), and bacon, eggs, and green chile hash ($17). For lunch (starting at 11 a.m.) are egg salad on rye ($14), BLT and fries ($15), sugar-snap salad ($16), and grilled hanger steak ($33). Dinner is a little more formal and expensive, from a $22 burger and $30 shrimp and pasta to $52 for the Zabutan steak (a cut of Japanese chuck). Pastries run the gamut, from banana bread ($4), classic croissant, and coffee crumb cake ($5) to berry crostata ($11). Beer runs from canned Coors Light ($6) to draft Franziskane ($9) and wine $9-$18.
No reservations are taken for breakfast or lunch, only dinner. No one answers the phone, either. All in all, 1228 Main has plenty to recommend it — funky neighborhood, Puck pedigree, convenient ordering and fast service, in-house bakery, imaginative menu, and good prices — and we’re sure we’ll be back for more.