K.I.K burger, O.M.G burger, L.V.B. burger

K.I.K burger, O.M.G burger, L.V.B. burger

It begins with a simple premise: Bring more locally and regionally sourced food to Las Vegas Boulevard. And that’s what LVB Burgers & Bar has done since it opened at The Mirage,with a menu that uses fresh ingredients to create gourmet taste in the simple burger.

When you dine here, you’ll want to start off with a beverage, and LVB Burgers & Bar has plenty to choose from. They range from typical draft beers to local and regional craft beers on draft, plus a wide assortment of other beers, cocktails and wine. There are also two beers that are brewed especially for The Mirage, local brewery Crafthaus’ Island Hopper Saison, which has a wonderful mango finish, and Amber’s Ale from Wasatch Brewery in Salt Lake City. Amber’s Ale is brewed in memory of Amber Wornica, a beloved Mirage employee who passed away suddenly. And it’s delicious, with a slight citrus flavor.

Some dishes on the menu use Amber’s Ale, such as the pickle chips. The light batter and the slight pop of juice make every bite delightful. The Diablo’s Huevos twists the traditional deviled eggs up with the addition of blue crab and avocado. A playful take on a po’boy comes in a mini form, with crispy fried oysters stuffed into small buns.

That playfulness carries over into the rest of the menu—you can get “Thai-Riyaki” chicken wings, and burgers labeled with acronyms such as the L.V.B. (Las Vegas Boulevard Burger), which comes with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, caramelized onion and pickles. It’s a darned good burger, with a plump, juicy patty piled with fixings. The O.M.G. (Oh My Gosh) duck burger, a sort of take on the classic juicy Lucy, oozes Muenster with every bite. Smoked ketchup, tomato and watercress are accented with a duck mayo. The skin of the duck is rendered down, for a fatty addition that takes the duckness level up several notches. One of the prettiest burgers here has to be the K.I.K. (Kick in the Kisser), layering a patty, pickled jalapeño, avocado, onion straws, pepper jack, fried egg and sriracha aioli. It’s pretty, but definitely gets your tongue tingling. Substitute a veggie patty for the meat if you so choose.

Desserts here take many forms, including warm doughnut holes with a Nutella ganache inside and banana toffee sauce for dipping. You can share these, but fair warning, they come in threes and your dining partner may snatch the last one from right under your nose. Better make that two orders.

But how could you come to a burger place and not get a shake? These could almost make a meal themselves, and they certainly can make the dessert. You could stick with classics like strawberry, chocolate and vanilla, but the Stay Puft might just break you out of that rut, delving into the land of the s’more with graham cracker, chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream and roasted marshmallow. Adventurous types of the legal age to drink will want to indulge in the spiked shakes. For something that tastes a little bit like mint chocolate chip, try the Cold as Ice with Fernet Branca Menta and crème de cacao. And the Jailhouse Rock captures the essence of the King’s famous sandwich, with peanut butter, banana, chocolate syrup and rum making for a super-satisfying end to your meal.

The Mirage, 11 a.m.-midnight Sun.-Thurs., 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Fri.-Sat. 702.792.7888