LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Some local Las Vegas business owners are capitalizing on the grasshopper invasion in Southern Nevada.
Vegas Cakes has a larger-than-life sweet take on the grasshoppers gone wild in Las Vegas. They envision the grasshoppers double-fisting martinis and ready to roll the dice with four of its six legs. It is on display at Freed's Bakery and already popular with customers.
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"Well, people have been interested in it,” said Jamie Baker who is in cake sales. “It has been fun because we are inundated with grasshoppers all over the bakery."
Downtown at Evel Pie, their tribute to the grasshopper has had more mixed reviews.
“Very adamant nays and very adamant yays!”
Corey Horan, general manager of Evel Pie, said that was the response to their latest offering which will be coming out of the oven hot and steamy starting Wednesday morning.
"To some degree they were a little bit of nuisance down here.” Horan said. ”It has deterred people from being out. Somehow we came up with the great idea to go ahead and make some grasshopper pizza."
It is not grasshopper shaped pizza. It is not grasshopper inspired. It is really grasshoppers on pizza!
But don't worry, they didn't come from outside the restaurant.
"The grasshoppers are from Oaxaca, Mexico, “ explained Horan. ”And they’ve been seasoned with salt, lemon, chili and garlic. A little mealy, but it comes through nice with the creamy texture of all the cheese.”
There's also some chorizo, caramelized onion, goat cheese and arugula.
"We already do a rattle snake pizza so I don’t think it’s going to be a problem selling it," Horan said.
The Smashed Pig offers something you can wash it all down with. It is a drink some old timers know as the grasshopper.
"It's a simple old-fashioned kind of cocktail,” said General Manager Ian Smaller. “Really kind of sweet. And as soon as people heard that it was just sweet drink and that it was green, they were all for it."
"It's good. It has creme de menthe, creme de cocoa and cream,” said patron Chris Miller. “It has a really good mint flavor to it. Reminds me of a mint chocolate chip ice cream."
So, if you don’t like your grasshoppers swarming you might like them frosted, baked or with a little booze.
