Local Favorite Honey Salt Celebrates a Decade of Excellence
BY ELAINE & SCOTT HARRIS
Honey Salt, created by the husband and wife culinary team of Elizabeth Blau, CEO of Blau & Associates, and renowned Chef Kim Canteenwalla celebrates ten years in Summerlin Las Vegas. Over the decade, Honey Salt has been beloved by locals and visitors alike. Birthdays, receptions, anniversaries, meetings, or just plain “hanging out” with friends and family, it’s always a good time within the neighborhood. It’s also not uncommon to see celebrities enjoying farm-to-table fare, seeking a respite from the bright neon lights of the famed Las Vegas Strip.
“We started with the principle of how we like to entertain at home and how we like to eat at home,” said Blau. “We did something very authentic to us. That menu reflects the healthy and indulgent aspects, including homemade desserts. We started with the kids’ menu, Cole’s Corner. It says Cole tested; Mom approved. The mac and cheese-y is still a favorite. We have evolved our entirely plant-based menu, reflecting how we like to eat; we built that front and center.” Elizabeth adds, “The revolving and seasonally inspired menu draws from our travels, friends, and families.”
Elizabeth’s Caesar Salad is a take on the classic but with Tuscan kale and black garlic dressing. Another great dish reminiscent of this menu philosophy is the grain power salad, an abundance of delicious quinoa, beluga lentils, orange, creamy avocado, and dotted with bright pomegranates all mixed with a zingy lemon vinaigrette.
“The restaurant has evolved and grown with us,” said Canteenwalla. “The real thing is the people we have worked with and have grown with over these years. I love seeing people grow, from runners and bussers to servers to management positions.” Corporate Chef Todd Harrington, who has been with Kim and Elizabeth throughout the years, remarked, “We have always been like a family.”
The ten years have been busy for this couple, creating many loyal guests, a cookbook, coveted James Beard Award nominations, and even getting through a pandemic. They keep generating hospitality excellence because that’s who they are. When Honey Salt opened its doors, it began a shift in Las Vegas dining—taking culinary artistry with both front-of-the-house and back-of-the-house expertise and bringing them off the Strip and into the neighborhoods in the Las Vegas valley. This trend continues to this day. “We have the DNA of the design and the service aesthetic. We have the core of our menu, which translates anywhere in the country and internationally,” Blau said. “That makes it unique and authentic to any city it goes to as we incorporate food, land, and culture.”
Honey Salt is all about community. “We have created a culture focusing on philanthropy, whether at home or the restaurant. Even a year after the pandemic, we delivered close to 700,000 meals with Delivering with Dignity. Whether it’s Three Square or Community in Schools, we practice what we preach.”
Chef Kim Canteenwalla brings decades of international experience to the kitchen. He started as sous chef in Toronto, executive chef at Raffles in Singapore, and Le Méridian in Dubai, in addition to his Las Vegas experience at famed Strip fine dining venues.
Blau has appeared as a judge on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America, featured on the Travel Channel and the Martha Stewart Show, and is an annual judge for the Hotels magazine “Great Hotel Restaurant” list. Elizabeth co-starred on CNBC’s Restaurant Startup as one of the Season 3 investors. In 2017, Blau and Canteenwalla co-authored “Honey Salt: A Culinary Scrapbook,” named Best Cookbook of 2018 by Food & Beverage Magazine.
Elizabeth’s many honors and awards include the 2006 recipient of the IFMA Gold Plate Award, Cornell’s 2017 MMH Outstanding Alumna of the Year Award from the School of Hotel Administration, and 2019’s Stevie Award for Women in Business. In February 2020, Elizabeth was honored with the Silver State Innovator Award, which honors excellence in Nevada.
After ten years of success at Honey Salt, this team is nowhere near satisfied. They operate Buddy Valastro’s Buddy Vs. on the Strip and working on a new project in the affluent Pinnacles. Outside Las Vegas and the United States, they opened Honey Salt in Vancouver, Saudi Arabia, Dubai projects, and even a steakhouse in Dallas. They keep making culinary magic on an accurate global scale.
Since opening in 2012, they have created something exceptional. Authentic farm-to-table dishes inspired by their travels, memories, and countless meals shared with friends and family in their homes. Whatever you are in the mood for, there is something on the menu for you to enjoy. Everything from classic comfort food, lighter fare, vegan options, and a decadent brunch, all designed with care and competence, are available to hungry diners. At the bar, enjoy handcrafted cocktails, craft beer, and a wine list with many boutique treasures worldwide. Their wine dinners sell out almost every time, as well as theme nights, special events, and holiday meals, and their many charitable causes keep the team hopping and engaging the community. There is always something going on to keep things fresh and exciting.
“I like to think we were a part, a pretty sizable part, of making restaurants off the Strip more acceptable where they are going to get reliable service and food on par with the Strip,” said Cantawalla. “This makes us more relevant as a culinary city,” added Blau. “The Strip indeed differentiated us, but if you look at LA, Chicago, or New York, we are on par with the off the Strip dining.”
Whether you live right around the corner, on a date night, out for a girls’ lunch, or venturing off the Strip, the Honey Salt family will make you feel right at home.
Honey Salt Restaurant
(Rampart Commons)
1031 S. Rampart Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89145
Telephone: 702.445.6100