Las Vegas Weekly

On Wednesday nights Todd's Unique offers free corkage so our choice for dinner this evening was a forgone conclusion. Todd's happens to be my favorite Las Vegas restaurant though physically situated on Sunset Road in nearby Henderson. Our karma was good this evening as we were assigned to one of Sheena's tables. She appeared to be suitably impressed when I unveiled our bottle of Tunnel of Elms that sported a plastic cork. We allowed her to recite the daily specials, but our minds were made up beforehand. We shared a baby spoonleaf spinach salad with cranberries, goat cheese and candied walnuts tossed with a warm bacon dressing that was nothing short of sublime. Our entrees were teriyaki halibut served over steamed rice and baby bok choy. I have ordered this entree at least 5 times in the past and it has never been anything short of exceptional and I don't even like teriyaki. Todd, owner/chef extraordinaire, stopped by the table and recognized my name from the Chowhound board and thanked us for our support. Meanwhile Sheena managed to keep our glasses filled while also attending to several other tables including a large party of 10. We passed on dessert, but Todd sent over 2 complimentary aperitifs.

On our most recent visit a few months ago we again chose a Wednesday due to the free corkage. On our arrival we were disappointed to learn our favorite server (Sheena) had departed for parts unknown, but "Sunny", our new favorite server, proved to be both appropriately named and equally efficient. We shared a watermelon salad that included pepitas, cayenne, lime juice and feta cheese - an amazing mixture of flavors. We each chose the fresh teriyaki halibut entree served over coconut rice and bok choy, but Todd has reworked the recipe to include fingerling potatoes plus baby carrots and sugar peas. Near the end of the meal Todd came over to our table and thanked us for our continuing patronage and nice reviews. 5 Forks out of a possible 5.

Todd Clure, the owner/chef of this restaurant, continues to accumulate awards for his innovative cuisine. Unlike other celebrity chefs in Las Vegas, you will find Todd in the kitchen every evening. He also modifies the menu in concert with the availability of fresh fish and produce.

We like to dine on Wednesday nights when the normal $20 corkage fee is waived. On this evening we enjoyed a bottle of Los Vacos cabernet sauvignon.

Our server, James, recited the evening's specials and answered our questions about the menu. We started off by ordering one of Todd's signature appetizers, Asian dumplings with a soy-garlic dipping sauce. These dumplings were delightfully light and flavorful. He also served us a complimentary appetizer, in appreciation of our continuing patronage, of arancini with tomato sauce that were unlike any we have ever experienced (this is a compliment).

My wife ordered the mahi mahi stuffed with crab served with island rice and an almond sauce. My entree was South African sea bass with a barley salad and Riesling reduction sauce. Both plates included a roasted tomato, grilled squash, enoki mushrooms, watercress and carrots; a rainbow of textures, colors and flavor. At the end of this feast, I was kicking myself after realizing that I had forgotten to bring an email Ann received for a complimentary dessert in recognition of her birthday. It did not matter because shortly after our plates were cleared, James brought us a complimentary Toddamisu, Todd's take on a tiramisu. 5 Forks out of a possible 5.