Celebrity chef Michael Symon expands the menu

Can we please get another Michael Symon restaurant in Las Vegas? The award-winning chef and always entertaining TV personality (Iron Chef, The Chew) brought one of our favorite barbecue spots to town when he opened Mabel’s during the Station Casinos renovation of the Palms. Fortunately, the restaurant survived the transition to the resort’s current ownership, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, and has continued to set a high standard for smoked meats and more.

But Symon fans know the Cleveland native’s bold flavors don’t stop with barbecue, so we’d love to see another local venue that showcases his skills with Italian, Mediterranean and Eastern European cuisines. He seems to be busier these days with TV projects and cookbooks, but come on, chef, carve out a little something extra for Vegas, huh?

Michael Symon

Maybe we can make the request when Symon comes to town this weekend to host Touchdowns and Tailgates, a football brunch party at his Palms eatery on September 29 starting at 10 a.m. There’ll be an all-you-can-eat barbecue buffet plus bottomless Modelos and Bloody Marys for $49 per person.

It’s definitely time to check back in at Mabel’s, which has shifted gears slightly to become Mabel’s Bar & Q and expanded its menu significantly. The repositioning is certainly poised to take greater advantage of sports fans—it was always the right atmosphere for a social viewing experience—and you’ll find plenty of football-friendly specials as well as the new Family, Friends & Feast t0-go boxes if you’d rather have your watch party in the comfort of your own home.

Game day specials include bacon-wrapped jalapeños stuffed with brisket and cheddar cheese ($14), beer-braised brats ($16), and the brisket grilled cheese sandwich ($18), loaded with smoked cheddar and gruyere with a kick of tomato jam on sourdough.

If you’re catching an early game, new brunch menu offerings include a smoked tri-trip steak and eggs ($28) and a breakfast burrito ($18) stocked with chorizo, crispy potatoes, salsa roja, avocado and pico de gallo. Other new all-day dishes worth checking out: the Blue Cow burger ($20) with blue cheese, sautéed mushrooms and arugula; the soy-glazed crispy ribs appetizer ($18) topped with peanuts and cilantro; the always-necessary and shareable chicken tenders ($18), served here with truffle hot honey and parmesan; and a spicy fried chicken sandwich ($19).

Of course, you can always come back to Mabel’s stellar meats, and we recommend the can’t-miss pork ribs ($21) with Symon’s Cleveland-style barbecue sauce and the pastrami-spiced brisket ($21) served with salsa verde, with a side of cornbread and molasses beans. Just don’t forget to occasionally look up and check the score.

MABEL’S BAR & Q Palms, 866-942-7780, palms.com. Sunday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; Monday & Thursday, 4-10 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 4-11 p.m.

For photos and more details visit LasVegasWeekly.com