Las Vegas Mixtape v32: Luenell, Paella Paradise, and a Supersized Antique Mall

Track #2: TRES Cazuelas @Chinatown

TRES Cazuelas is the place for transcendent paella and tapas. (Image: Vegas 411)

What does the world need now?  Not only more kindness and compassion, but, hey, more paella, too—especially the flavorful kind that emerges from the kitchen at Latin restaurant TRES Cazuelas.

Chef Kaira Chinchilla—in place here since last November after a one-year-plus stint as Exec Sous Chef at Edos Tapas & Wine—creates a wonderland of taste sensations with the eatery’s “Paella Mixta.” This classic Valencia, Spain-originated dish is gorgeously presented in a cast-iron skillet teeming with chicken, pork belly, braised, beef, shrimp, clams, mussels, and tangy lemon slices on a bed of saffron rice.

Don’t sleep (as I did until recently) on dining at this wallet-friendly, cozy, and charming Chinatown gem. It’s located right next door to the long-running Sand Dollar Lounge on Polaris Ave and has been open since 2019. Here, Chinchilla has been building on traditional dishes from Spain, Portugal, and South America with truly creative touches.

The patatas bravas is one of the eatery’s many irresistible dishes. (Image: Vegas 411)

We led up to the paella with an outstanding Manchego cheese and green apple salad, enhanced with candied pecan, and two magical tapas: the patatas bravas—with pee wee potatoes, poblano aioli, and parsley—and another divine creation with roasted peppers, eggplant, red wine grapes, and Manchego cheese. Be sure to request Chinchilla’s seasoned house bread with your dinner because the taste is unforgettable.