Farm-to-Fremont Street: Hip restaurant offerings ante up the flavor

Not too long ago, downtown vegas was down and out — a destination to no one. As urban revitalization has charged through, however, hip eateries are popping up in once-derelict buildings, and downtown is becoming a hot spot for artisan fare and cutting-edge cooking. From ugly stepsister to culinary Cinderella, today downtown is a mini Portland or austin — with just a hint of neon-infused vegas glam.

One of the latest to enter the downtown food scene is Therapy, an uber-cool two-level gastro-lounge. Creative dishes include in the gnudi, baked ricotta with truffle honey, fig jam and roasted almonds, served with a cranberry and walnut crostini; and devils on Horse- back, bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with almonds and truffle goat cheese.

Take a seat at the 32-foot-long bar and choose from more than 40 craft and 10 draft beers, plus and an array of signature cocktails. Hang around long enough on the weekends and watch the bar transform into a chic lounge with dancing, live local entertainment and deejays.

Eat — The Breakfast & lunch Joint, is a small eatery on the ground floor of an apartment building. Chef and owner Natalie Young wanted a comfortable restaurant where she could cook and engage the guests, “sort of like eating at my house” — which is exactly what Eat is.

Serving up american comfort classics prepared with Chef Young’s French-culinary-trained twist, using locally sourced, sustainable, organic ingredients whenever possible, Eat is a lively, welcoming hub of activity and neighborliness. Dishes include pancakes with chicken-apple sausage, scrambled eggs and corned beef hash, and chicken fried steak. The striking interior also keeps it local, with much of it created by local artists — from the fixtures to the murals and the wood pieces.

Housed in a renovated mid-century building complete with the oak ceiling from its original 1955 construction, Glutton is also worth a trip to the city’s core. despite its rather off-put- ting name, glutton has a subtle menu, created by chef and owner Bradley Manchester, starring savory meats, locally sourced produce, house-made pastas and seafood flown in fresh from the Pacific northwest.

-By Andrea Kahn, Tribune Content Solutions