We took an overnight trip to Laughlin last week, and were hoping to try a restaurant that was a little out of the ordinary. During our search, we came across a place called Blueberry Flats that seemed to fit the bill, so we decided we would give them a try. Boy did we make the right choice!
Located inside the soon to be renovated Pioneer Hotel and Casino, Bumbleberry Flats offers food and atmosphere unlike anything else in the relatively quiet town of Laughlin. In fact, even Las Vegas has nothing quite like this place!
Walking up to the entrance, we were warmly greeted by a host who quickly escorted us to a booth with a nice view of the patio. The restaurant is large and nicely decorated. It also featured something I had never seen before. They actually had some booths with beer taps! That just blew my mind knowing that I could come here with my friends and pour my own beers! What a great concept. I am sure this will likely be popping up at other places in the near future, but for the time being, this is reason enough alone to head over to Bumbleberry Flats with a group of friends.
Our waiter was Josh, who greeted us with a smile, and took our drink orders. After he returned, he answered our questions and made a few recommendations. That helped a lot, because much of what is found on this menu is not going to be featured anywhere else. And we appreciated that we knew that love it or hate it, we would be getting something much different than the ordinary.
We opted to go for some appetizers to get things started. We followed Josh’s recommendations and ordered the fried pickles and something they call “Southern Style Sushi.” We are not fans of seafood, but fortunately, this dish offered nothing that ever hit the water unless some cows learned to swim recently.
The fried pickles came out in a large quantity, which was a theme that would continue throughout the meal. They were perfectly breaded, and tasted similar to what you would expect, but the pickles they used were excellent and held up much better than you often find when ordering these from other establishments.
Then we got the sushi. Like the name suggests, they were rolled up and looked like something you might get from a Japanese restaurant. However, after the name and appearance, all similarities end. And for us, that was great! Inside a roll of perfectly smoked brisket was andouille sausage, pepperjack cheese stuffed jalapenos and rice. Topping it all of was some delicious Carolina BBQ sauce. How is that for a twist? To say this was delicious is an understatement. My husband and I fought over the rolls and couldn’t believe how different and tasty these were. I can honestly say I would go back all the way to Laughlin for these alone.
But things weren’t done yet. Just as we were finishing, the main course arrived. We decided to try something different once again. For me, being Hispanic, I went with the country fried steak. It might not be different for most American’s, but it was something I had never before tried. My husband decided to go with their very popular mashed potato burger. That isn’t something you see on a menu every day!
When it arrived, just like the appetizers, the portions were enormous. This is most definitely the place to go when you are looking to get great food that will make you loosen the belt a notch or two! My plate was delicious. I am not too familiar with the term “comfort food,” but I soon learned why this place is described as offering just that. It was just delicious and made me just want to relax and enjoy every last bite. Unfortunately, it was too much for me to make it all the way to the end!
My husband’s hamburger was absolutely enormous. There is no way to pick it up with your hands and eat it. So after a few moments planning out his strategy, he tackled it with his knife and fork. The burger featured griddled mashed potatoes between two griddled Angus choice beef patties with applewood smoked bacon, baby mixed greens, tomato, red onion and pickle on a griddled challah burger bun. It seemed bizarre for sure, but looked intriguing at the same time. I took a bite and wondered if I had made the right choice. Not that mine wasn’t great, but one taste of the burger and I could see why it has won some awards. Just like me, he had a difficult time finishing his meal because of the more than generous portion size. However, he was determined not to let any of his fabulous meal go to waste.
Josh again returned, this time to offer us dessert. Although we were more than intrigued by all the delicious looking cakes and pies we saw on the way in, there was absolutely no room in either of us to try them out. Next time, we will make sure to save some room since they seem to be a particular point of pride amongst the staff.
We just sat back as the plates were removed form the table and reflected on our dining experience. We had set out to find something unique, and to say this place is it would be an understatement. The very large menu offered so many more great sounding items, that our only regret was that we couldn’t try more. It’s refreshing to know that there are restaurants out there who still try to come up with different and interesting offerings. If you want different food, generous portions, and a friendly staff to round out an overall incredible experience, Bumbleberry Flats is the place. I can honestly say, even from Las Vegas, it is worth the drive.
We would like to thank all the wonderful staff for showing us a great time at their place. Josh was friendly and extremely helpful in guiding us along during the meal. His recommendations were absolutely perfect. Also, the food and beverage director, Randon was great at giving us the rundown of the restaurant. He explained what makes Bumbleberry Flats stand out from its competitors, and you could tell that he really takes pride in the place. Finally we would like to thank chef Craig Pinkard for showing us such great hospitality in his restaurant. We will be sure to make his place a regular stop and do all we can to get the word out to people about this fabulous new restaurant located inside the Pioneer Hotel and Casino.
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