Downtown Coffee Company Las Vegas

Since it was built in 1905, the first church in Las Vegas has burned down, been rebuilt, demolished and rebuilt yet again, and then put up for sale in 2003.
The building at 231 S. Third St. has undergone yet another transformation, this time as the Downtown Coffee Co., a coffeehouse, deli, and soup and salad bar.
Bought by the Katz Family Trust, the historic landmark was remodeled and restored during a two-year period to the way it looked in the 1940s, even down to a piano the church used in that era. Photos of early Las Vegas line the walls, as well as paintings by local artists."We thought it was time to stop knocking things down," says manager Jim Barbarite, whose varied career in the restaurant business includes stints running the Lodge at Pebble Beach in California and the Chart House in Vail, Colo., as well as opening the restaurants at Luxor.
The kitchen, where the restaurant's 35-item salad bar and large deli sandwiches are prepared, is housed in what formerly was a closet and later a prayer room.
Open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, the eatery is attracting a heavy lunchtime crowd, Barbarite says. He plans to add a jazz bar on Friday nights in the near future to tie in with First Friday, the local monthly art event in the downtown arts district.
The building also houses a copy center, commercial art gallery and conference room.

Downtown Coffee Co. seats 80 and offers a five-table outdoor deck.
Free delivery is offered (phone: 382-2323; fax: 386-8068).

Starters: Bagels, provided by Einstein Bros. Bagels, are served every morning starting at 7:30 a.m. An individual bagel is 89 cents, a dozen is $7.50 and a half-dozen is $4.99. Flavors include asiago cheese, cinnamon raisin, plain and onion. Toppings include cream cheese, sliced tomato, butter or preserves.

Breakfast items, served from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., include the bagel omelet sandwich with a plain bagel, eggs, cheese, ham or bacon ($5.25), and the breakfast burrito with potato, eggs, cheese, pico de gallo, bacon and avocado ($5.95).

Soup and salad: The soup and salad bar is $7.95.

Entrees: Hot deli sandwiches include Philly cheese steak with provolone cheese, onions and mushrooms ($7.25); corned beef and Swiss cheese ($6.95); pastrami and Swiss ($6.95); grilled cheese, avocado and tomato ($5.95); and Reuben ($6.95).

Cold deli sandwiches include egg salad ($5.95); tuna salad, roast beef, turkey, ham, salami and club ($6.95 each); and BLT ($6.25).
Sandwiches also are offered sloppy Joe-style with coleslaw and Thousand Island dressing on a choice of roast beef, corned beef, pastrami, turkey, salami or ham ($7.25 each).

Double-decker sandwiches feature a choice of two meats (corned beef, pastrami, turkey, roast beef, salami or ham) and a choice of toppings ($8.95).

Vegetarian sandwich offerings include the Farm House with artichoke hearts, chopped egg, cheddar, lettuce, tomato and spicy mustard; roasted vegetable with roasted red peppers, provolone, lettuce, tomato, avocado and nonfat ranch dressing; and the Sicilian with buffalo mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, basil and balsamic vinegar ($6.25 each).
Beverages include blended drinks, coffee and tea, espresso and iced espresso.