Bonito Michoacan – Las Vegas

Bonito Michoacan 3715 South Decatur Boulevard Las Vegas, Nevada 89103 (702) 257-6810 www.bonitomichoacanlasvegas.com Doctor Francisco, Tia Esther, Mamá Chelo—the names that pop up across Bonito Michoacan’s menu of seafood, steak, and chicken recipes hint that there’s a deep family history behind the restaurant. Indeed, they’re the loved ones of Javier Barajas, who left his foodie-friendly hometown of Turicato in Michoacan to spread the region’s culinary bounty to the United States. With an initial skeleton staff of only three or four workers and their skeletons, Javier and his brothers assembled an enormous menu of the recipes they loved, blending the pre-Columbian and French influences common to their hometown. Today, Cordon Bleu–trained chef Humberto—one of Javier’s nephews who grew up helping his parents in the restaurant—fills the menu with jumbo shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico, steak sautéed in cognac, and rich mole sauces. Whatever the dish, it’s likely to emerge on an enormous platter heaped with creamy refried beans and vivid red and green salsas. As for other add-ons, servers prepare fresh guacamole tableside, mixing in cilantro, jalapeños, and fresh lime juice to taste. Though you’re less likely to see them being made, the tortillas, too, are rolled by hand. Live music often entertains patrons while they sip margaritas from the full bar.