Park on Fremont plays its small menu right

Bar food has evolved quite a bit over the years, in step with the rest of the culinary universe.

We still have a few bars that serve old-fashioned snacks of the popcorn-and-pickled-eggs persuasion. At the other end of the spectrum are the bars, many of which are poker bars, that have reached the status of gastropub even though they may not know it. They’ve revolutionized their menus with creative takes and dishes that can rival even upscale restaurants.

Park on Fremont, I would say, falls somewhere in between.

Park on Fremont is somewhat inherently limited in that it’s a little-bitty place with a correspondingly little-bitty menu. There’s an expansive and quite attractive garden area out back with a big tree and canopies to provide shade. There’s a small patio out front as well (that’s the only place the under-21 crowd is allowed, and only during the day), and there’s the bar/dining room with high-top tables and decor reminiscent of Disney’s Haunted Mansion. In a good way.

As for the menu, much of it is heavy on salt and grease, for those who are nursing a hangover or working on one, but there also are some more creative and better-executed selections.

Ceviche and chips ($9), for example. Yes, the chips were your standard tortilla chips, but the ceviche was a nice big goblet filled with large chunks of avocado, smaller pieces (that’s a good thing, in this context) of citrus-cured shrimp, plus onions, tomatoes and cucumbers for flavor and crunch.

The menu blurb for the ahi tuna salad ($12) touted the salad’s “beautifully seared” tuna, and indeed it was. The fish had been coated with a potent blend only a little short of a blackening seasoning, but with the cool, nearly raw interior of the fish and all of that cool lettuce and light vinaigrette, a fine balance was achieved. And one of the best things about the salad was the mix of spinach, field greens and mesclun, plus shards of sweet red pepper and more nice, ripe avocado.

And the fried chicken and waffle sandwich ($11), which was equally well executed. The thinnish breaded fillets were pleasantly crispy, and while the waffle wasn’t, it gained something with a layering of bacon, and the maple syrup complemented it all. For a side we chose sweet potato tater tots, which were well flavored, crisp and a welcome change of pace.

Like the space, Park on Fremont’s menu is pretty small, but it seems to be getting better; the salad and ceviche are recent additions. And that shady yard is a great place to spend an hour or two.

Las Vegas Review-Journal restaurant reviews are done anonymously at Review-Journal expense. E-mail Heidi Knapp Rinella at Hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Find more of her stories at www.reviewjournal.com and bestoflasvegas.com, and follow @HKRinella on Twitter.