A page of great Vegas culinary repasts enjoyed by yours truly
Six Tables- Now here is an interesting concept restaurant. Totally upscale and at the same time like dining at home. You make reservations to sit at one of the tables for the only meal they serve daily. It is at 7:00 pm and you must arrive on time. It is a six course meal with champagne for starters, wines, appetizer, entrée, fillers and dessert. All prepared by Chef de Cuisine Roland Levi. This Belgian born chef has cooked for presidents, kings and all such mucky-mucks. The food is incredible as is the very personal service. Pricewise I don’t think it is too much for the value. A romantic place to dine.
Jimmy’s Cafe- Jimmy’s Cafe- Rampart and Lake Mead- Jimmy’s Cafe is not to be confused with Jimmy John’s, a much lesser quality sandwich venue. Although Jimmy’s is only open for breakfast and lunch, they offer a prepared dinner pickup service. Service was good although a bit confusing. They have a sign which leads you to believe you have to order, and then sit down. In reality you can seat yourself or ask to be seated and order from the table menu. The food is great, flavors are excellently melded into the dishes and are gourmet quality. All sandwiches are served with a plethora of sides ranging from hand made chips (golden and purple) to a bleu cheese cole slaw and bow-tie pasta salad. Pricing here is very competitive to any other sandwich restaurant. The dinner offer lists a variety of dinner entrees which are listed as changing weekly. It includes salad/soup, entree, sides and dessert and are reasonably priced.
Ruby Tuesday- I guess sooner or later every place has a crappy day. This must have been for this restaurant last Saturday evening. The food was abundant, my dining partners were pleased but I got a friggin’ e-coli special of a burger. This thing (alleged medium well) was still mooing at my plate’s arrival. I suppose they don’t read the paper EVER!!! I asked the first person passing to take it back and get it cooked for real. When it was returned and still a bit raw yet the manager came to the table apologized and asked if all was well now. I told him it was fine but I won’t eat there again soon. After all that and it was HAMBURGER dummy they offered not a touch of restitution. I don’t look for a handout but if I want a party to return perhaps I might make an uncomfortable situation more cozy with a discount for the wait and subsequent waste of my precious time here. Nothing offered nothing gained customer lost. I emailed the management and let them know how shoddy I thought their operation had become and voiced my opinion and said I will not return. I don’t think they give a rat’s ass but I try.
Sea Blue The restaurant is nice, waterfall walls and dark appointments. Service is OK, the wait staff is slow to clean the used plates from the table as the meal progresses from course to course.
The salmon was great, placed on a bed of mashed potatoes, mushrooms and baby asparagus. My wife had the NY strip steak, served the same way, this steak was a bit overcooked. I would advise not ordering “turf�? as this is a “surf�? based venue.
The menu could include the fact that the sides are served with the meal. It also seemed as if the waiters were pushing the “design it yourself�? salad a bit hard. Our shared dessert was good, a lemon polenta cake with a creamsicle float and a lemon crisp again the wait staff was about five minutes behind and my wife received her coffee about halfway through dessert.
Swish (Sahara, west of Buffalo) features shabu-shabu cooking. This is a great restaurant experience. The basis is that you have a platter of thinly sliced meat coupled with a platter of FRESH vegetables, which you can prepare one of two ways. Sukiyaki style in which you simmer it in a pan with sukiyaki sauce. Sukiyaki is like stir-fry with broth. Traditionally the sukiyaki is dipped in raw egg after cooking to cool and add flavor. Shabu-Shabu is like fondue cooking. Included with the shabu-shabu meal are two dipping sauces. Goma, a sesame sauce and ponzu, a spiced soy vinegar sauce these are used for dipping to heighten taste of the cooked food. . There is a knowledgeable staff to serve you and they are happy to give pointers and answer any questions you might have.
Sierra Gold (Jones and 215) Nice bar/restaurant, a little pricey but the food is good. The burgers are served on a fresh bun with a great choice of toppings. The crumbled bleu cheese and a fried egg was this writers choice. The clam chowder is to die for and would be really good in the bread bowl. One note, the menu makes a big deal about the coo-coo fries but they are less than great.
A Vegas secret! Hugo’s Cellar is a local secret in Vegas. It is known by some outsiders but more often than not you will be dining there with a local. Located in the basement of the Four Queens hotel, Hugo’s is well known for it’s ambience, food and service which cannot be beat. We base the judgements of all restaurants on this little gem. Although the hotel was taken over by new owners not too long ago it still stands out as a great dining experience. The sommelier John is an award winning wine connoisseur and one of the friendliest people in Vegas. The wait staff is superb and very attentive and the salad and dessert are special treats to be experienced and savored. For a full dinner experience with a good service staff try Hugo’s if you haven’t already.
The Orleans hotel buffet is unique to say the least. Try the lunch. It is cheap and you must show up HUNGRY!! If you like southern cooking this is the one place it is done up in an abundance. Crawfish, gumbos, bisques, grits, black-eyed peas, fried Okra and collard greens are part of the fare here. They also have the usual Mexican, Chinese and American foods we have all grown to love.
Mix the restaurant is located at the top of the Hotel at Mandalay Bay. It is a lovely restaurant with a TREMENDOUS view. The wait staff is cordial as is the bar staff. The food is good but definitely not worth the price. Buy a drink, enjoy the view for a while. Either before or after, dine in one of the better restaurants on the first level Mandalay. Unless you’re showing off or you’re made of money!!
Lawry’s is an interesting experience. If you like prime rib it is one of the best experiences. The meal is presented at your table by waitresses here called “Misses�? in the oddest costumes seen of late. The meal consists of the spinning bowl salad whereby they set a metal bowl spinning on a bed of ice and pour in the dressing and stir it up for serving. Although there are a few choices on the menu you must order the prime rib for the name says it all “Lawry’s the prime rib�? . Much of the bravura of this meal is in the way each part of the dinner is prepared and presented. They wheel a large oval shaped metal cart to your table. This is the famous Lawry’s “silver�? cart which allows the beef to be carved at tableside. Within this cart is the entire meal sans fish and seafoods, Yorkshire pudding and the aforementioned salad. You tell the waitress which cut you’d like from the five or six choices offered and to what degree of doneness you like it. The waitress then relays your wishes to the carver. The waitress we had was very knowledgeable and actually told the carver to cut my favorite the end cut from the loin end as that is more tender meat. Portions range from three thin slices to a 20 ounce slab. Your meal comes with mashed potatoes and Yorkshire pudding, but there are other various sides available for purchase as well. Another note, the gold medallions worn by some of the carvers are awarded for accuracy in the slicing of the beef. This of course is another unique touch to an extremely unique dining experience.
Nora’s How could one possibly leave out the best Italian restaurant in Vegas!
I really shouldn’t say anything here as it is already too hard to get a table at Nora’s. This is a quaint family owned restaurant which has grown from one storefront to three in just a couple of years. The staff is cordial, they treat you like family and the food is incredible. All who venture here will surely be back again and again. It is indeed hard to get a seat and reservations are suggested but it will definitely be worth the effort. If you like italian food, made in the old school way, you’ll like Nora’s.
NINE I was skeptical as this restaurant is constantly touted as the best steak house in Vegas. It is GREAT but I don’t think it is the best. The food was a bit pricey but not out of line with other comparable restaurants in town. It was a good experience and I would go back again. My caveat which is used often anymore is the lack of privacy or the lending of a romantic touch. It seems anymore most restaurants are like meeting places with the zoo-like feature allowing you to pretty much view and watch all the other people in the restaurant. The Carmel room which is reviewed here is one of the local places which actually have this concept. It is nice if you enjoy the person you are dining with and not in a people watching mood. At any rate I would strongly refer everyone to Nine for the steak is great, the sides abundant and the service fabulous.
Plaza dining room, lower level at the front entrance. 9.95 is all it costs for any one of the various entrees included on the one page menu. It was a surprise to see that the servings were ample and the food was actually delicious. I had the one pound burger w/onion rings, my wife the steak and mini-lobster and my stepson the prime rib. All great and 9.95 includes the drink as well. This is not the Ritz but if your looking for a bargain downtown, look no further. We noticed after sitting that the buffet and dining room are connected and you can actually go through the buffet and sit on the other side where we were. Quite an idea which we only see downtown. Again 9.95, you won’t regret money well spent.
Memphis BBQ Is an award winning restaurant which offers real down home barbeque. It is a great place to take friends and family as the prices are reasonable and the food abundant. If you like barbeque and who doesn’t give it a try, if you haven’t already.
Carmel Room-Rampart/JW Marriott-The Carmel room is one of the most beautiful restaurants in Las Vegas. This is the place to go for that special date. With an actual host greeting you at the front door and the extremely attentive staff it is an excellent dining experience. The meals are lavishly prepared and out of this world tasty. I had the Prime Rib at my last visit and it was excellent. My wife had the Veal. Coupled with the potatoes au-gratin and the broccolini which we shared(large portions)it made for a most wonderful meal.
