Las Vegas’ Forte European Tapas is a worldwide tour of taste

After a hard day, there’s not much a cool mug of Gypsy Milk can’t solve.

Oh, you’ve never had Gypsy Milk? Time to visit Forte European Tapas.

The eatery is tucked away in a nondescript Spring Valley strip mall at 4180 S. Rainbow Blvd., but don’t let its outside lackluster appearance deter you: This place is a Las Vegas Valley gem.

The Gypsy Milk in question is one of Forte’s specialty cocktails, a tasty blend of Gypsy juice, huckleberry vodka, lime and ginger beer, served chilled in a Moscow Mule-style copper mug. During happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m., they’re $5.

The intriguing cocktail menu isn’t the only unexpected delight here: After placing an order for the Stroganoff Fries ($8, crispy, shoestring fries covered in beef stroganoff ragu), my dining partner and I noticed that almost every other table in the restaurant was enjoying that same appetizer.

And rightfully so: The fries were light enough so as to not outshine the rich ragu but were a substantial enough vessel for transporting it.

Along with the fries, we also enjoyed the Marcona Almond Stuffed Dates ($6, wrapped in bacon and drizzled with Jerez Sherry Reduction) and Vareniki ($8.50, handmade dumplings filled with potato and fried onions and served with sour cream).

For meat eaters, there’s the “Silence of the Lambs” menu (beef and lamb confit; lamb chop lollipops; Bulgarian Easter lamb) and “The Grill,” with Lescovacka Pljeskavica, a Serbian burger with spices, served with onions, kajmak (similar to clotted cream) and fresh baked lepina (Serbian flatbread); chicken shish kabob; and a la carte sausages.

Another area of the menu spotlights two of the dishes featured during Forte’s episode of the popular Food Network Guy Fieri-anchored series “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”: Bulgarian Mixed Grill ($11, featuring three kinds of sausages with Bulgarian bean relish, liuteniza and European slaw) and Thracian Clay Pot ($7.95, featuring tomatoes, peppers, onion, feta, Bulgarian-style charcuterie and egg baked in a Bulgarian clay pot).

The dining space includes a small bar area and an eclectic dining room with reserved seating available (and recommended for larger parties and on weekends).

Forte is open from 5 to 11 p.m. Sunday and Monday and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Visit barforte.com or call 702-220-3876.