I would say that for the last fifteen years when we have stayed in Las Vegas for pleasure, we stay in Summerlin and not on The Strip.  I mention Summerlin, usually in passing, but Howard Hughes purchased twenty-five-thousand acres in the Las Vegas Valley and that made him the largest landowner in the area and he originally planned on moving his businesses there.  That was in 1952 and the land was undeveloped for decades, Hughes died in 1976 and the Summa Corporation was organized and developed by his heirs, and they created this master-planned commercial and residential community, named after Jean Amelia Summerlin, Howard Hughes’ paternal grandmother.  In 1988, the corporation began and in 1990 the first residential village, park and school had become developed.  In 1994 Summa Corporation became Howard Hughes Corporation and continued with the development and has almost been consistently Number One in new home sales.  In 2016 they created Downtown Summerlin, a mix of shopping, entertainment and restaurants.  My Bride likes shopping there, me as a retired clothier, I just like to follow her around.

We ended up at one of our favorite haunts in the complex, the Grape Street Café, Wine Bar & Cellar.  Nineteen years ago, it was created by Chef John McKibben offering a California style bistro, with wine, beer and spirits.  I am even partial to the tables, as they utilize reclaimed wooden wine crates for the table tops.  We just decided to get a casual lunch, because we were going to see the kids later that day for dinner.  We ordered a Roasted Bulb of Garlic, because that is always a pleasure to munch on.  We had a Poached Salmon Platter with artichokes, capers, tomatoes cherry peppers, asparagus, and a dill-scallion sauce.  We also order a plate of Crab Stuffed Shrimp which was snow crab stuffing with a Scampi finish, along with Artisanal Cheeses, cured meats, nuts and fruit preserves.  Basically, three plates in the center of the table and we just kept filling up a small plate with goodies. 

Somehow wine, always makes the occasion better, shopping or stopping in and having a quick bite between shopping, wine always works.  My Bride always zeroes in on Pinot Grigio lately, if she gets a chance.  She went with a glass of SeaGlass Pinot Grigio Central Coast 2019 which is under the Trinchero Family Estates.  This wine is ninety-seven percent Pinot Grigio and three percent Chenin Blanc.  The wine is fermented in Stainless Steel tanks in cold temperatures avoiding all oxygen and it did not undergo malolactic fermentation.  It was also bottled early to maintain crispness and the fruit flavors noted for this varietal. The wine offered some lemongrass and grapefruit to the nose, with notes of apple and pear and some refreshing acidity which wants you to have a second glass, and it had a slight finish of terroir of minerals.  I went with the Martin Codax Albarino Rias Baixas 2019.  Martin Codax is a co-operative of growers in the Rias Baixas.  It was formed in 1986 and is named for a famous troubadour from the 13^th Century of old romantic Spain.  The winemaker and one of the original founders of Martin Codax is Luciano Amoedo, who was also one of the most vocal in getting Denominacion de Origen (DO) appellation for Rias Baixas in 1988 and the main varietal for the co-operative is Albarino, which accounts for ninety percent of their production.  This wine was light and crisp and had a nice flinty terroir in the finish and I was totally happy with the wine for lunch.