By Ken Miller
LAS VEGAS SUN

Nearly six years ago, when Grape Street Cafe, Wine Bar & Cellar opened at 7501 W. Lake Mead Blvd., there were few competing restaurants in the area.

Since then, there has been an explosion of eateries in the neighborhood. But Grape Street, co-owned by chef John McKibben, keeps packing in the diners, even on a midweek evening.

The secret?

"Good quality food, atmosphere and good prices," says McKibben, who adds that good word-of-mouth advertising hasn't hurt either.

"We have regulars that tell other people," he notes. "But if you don't have the ingredients, you're not going to survive."

McKibben prints his menus in-house daily, so it can change easily.

"We'll make whatever people want, even if it's not on the menu," he says. "We like to take care of our customers."

Designed to look like a wine cellar with exposed brick walls and concrete floor, Grape Street offers 150 seats with patio dining, private dining room, wine bar and main dining room.

And befitting its name, Grape Street offers anywhere from 75 to 90 wines by the glass.

"This is a place where you can come to socialize, not sit at a bar and watch TV," McKibben says.

Grape Street's menu starts off with such appetizers as the baked brie pastry pouch filled with brie, toasted hazelnuts, caramelized onions and apricot preserves ($10); fried calamari with spicy marinara ($8); caprese, beefsteak tomato with buffalo mozzarella, basil and toasted pine nuts and balsamic vinegar and olive oil ($10); and crab-stuffed shrimp baked with a seasoned king crab stuffing served scampi style ($10).

Salad choices include house ($4 small, $6 large), chopped ($9), steak ($11), Greek ($9), orange chicken ($8) and blackened salmon ($13).

Sandwich items include portabella Philly ($7), Italian cold cuts ($7), eggplant Parmesan ($7), grilled goat cheese ($7) and salmon burger ($8).

Among the pasta choices are linguine with triple cream brie with toasted walnuts, mushrooms, prosciutto, herbs and Parmesan ($12); lasagna ($10); bow-tie Olivia, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and onions tossed in goat cheese, olive oil and garlic sauce ($11; with chicken, $14); seafood fra diavolo with clams, shrimp, calamari, scallops, mussels and spicy tomato sauce on linguine ($15); and eggplant Parmesan with a side of spaghetti marinara ($11).

Pizza also is served including barbecue chicken, four cheese, prosciutto, margherita, Mediterranean, and pepperoni and mushroom ($9 each), along with shrimp pesto ($10).

Dinner specials, available from 4 p.m. to closing, include such items as grilled salmon with vermouth shallot butter, haricot vert and garlic mashed potatoes ($16); herb chicken, a roasted half-chicken rubbed with garlic and herbs and served with haricot vert and garlic mashed potatoes ($14); lamb chops with honey herbs, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, baby carrots and cabernet sauce ($21); and Hawaiian ahi tuna topped with spinach, gorgonzola, mashed potatoes and asparagus with cabernet sauce ($24).

For dessert, McKibben created pear d'amore, white wine-poached pears baked in a light French almond cake and topped with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream ($6); profiteroles, three pastry cream puffs filled with vanilla bean ice cream and topped with chocolate ganache, caramel and raspberry ($6); bread pudding with vanilla bean ice cream and whiskey sauce ($6); dark chocolate fondue served with pound cake, bananas, strawberries, apples and pineapple ($9); chocolate souffle cake served with whipped cream ($6); and apple tart, served with warm caramel and vanilla bean ice cream ($6).

Grape Street is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.