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Thursday, April 03, 2003 Eat: Recommended Restaurants
By James P. Reza
Chain Gang
While we all eagerly give lip service (and dining dollars) to locally owned restaurants, sometimes you just want to go where the service, the food and the atmosphere is mechanically consistent. On these rare occasions, it's a good thing we live in Las Vegas, where the opening of a new Chili's is greeted with the kind of enthusiasm that should make us all embarrassed.
Bertolini's Authentic Trattoria 3500 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 735-4663 9500 W. Sahara Ave.; 869-1540 $$; Smart Casual This smallish upscale chain, owned by Morton's Restaurant Group, exemplifies what a good chain restaurant should be by offering a consistent, high-value dining experience. Light, northern Italian pasta and risotto are complemented by tasty salads, wood-fired pizza and signature desserts. Both locations have a decent bar scene as well.
Buca di Beppo 412 E. Flamingo Rd.; 866-2867 7690 W. Lake Mead Blvd.; 363-6524 $; Casual-Smart Casual Loud and fun, tables that are easily grouped, semi-private dining rooms seating 12, and a little too much "flair," this place was designed for family dinners or meetings--which, when you think about it, are the same thing. Decent southern Italian food served family style and a noise level so high you could argue your way into oblivion. Ah, flesh and blood.
Capriotti's Sandwich Shop 324 W. Sahara Ave.; 474-0229 3981 E. Sunset Rd.; 898-4904 $; Casual Ten of these no-frills deli counters are sprinkled across the valley, a testament to the bustling business earned by the two originals. Bags of chips and canned sodas are an afterthought, but with messy subs this good, who cares? The notorious Bobbie (Thanksgiving on a bun) is a word-of-mouth fave, while the (usually bland) veggie burger is packed with flavor.
California Pizza Kitchen 3200 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 893-1370 $-$$; Casual/Smart Casual The Fashion Show Mall location is the perfect place to enjoy the pizza of this California Cuisine chain. Who else but Californians would have thought to shovel barbecue sauce, smoked Gouda and Mozzarella cheeses, BBQ Chicken, sliced red onions and cilantro on a wood-fired crust? Not us, but we enjoy the cafe-style people watching anyway.
Carrabba's Italian Grill 8771 W. Charleston Blvd.; 304-2345 10160 S. Eastern Ave.; 990-0650 $$; Casual/Smart Casual Lying in an under-served medium between "family" and "upscale," diners at Carrabba's are equally comfortable either after work or play. The dining room is dark enough for a first date, but bright enough for families, and the bar is always busy. Like most chains this size, the food can be a bit bland, but choosing your selections from the specialties menu helps.
Cheesecake Factory 750 S. Rampart Blvd; 951-3800 3500 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 792-6888 $-$$; Casual/Smart Casual As far as gimmicky chains go, this ubiquitous, upscale eatery is among the best for lunch and brunch. The speedy service and chi-chi feel belies the well-made comfort food on the massive menu. A dozen tasty salads (meals in themselves) are offered to accompany everything from burgers and breakfast to quesadillas and Cuervo. Plus, the namesake gimmick lives up to the boast.
Cozymel's Coastal Mexican Grill 355 Hughes Center Dr.; 732-4833 $$; Smart Casual/Trendy With 15 locations, nine of them in the Southern and Midwestern U.S., you might think Cozymel's specializes in bland approximations of Mexican food. But since this is a coastal Mexican grill, and everyone loves seafood, if you focus on the specialties (Yucatan Especial, Chilean Sea Bass) you'll be happy. Even the fajitas are pretty good, and the location makes the bar scene a sexy one.
Fatburger 3763 Las Vegas Boulevard South; 736-4733 (and nine other locations) $; Casual Many late nights we have found ourselves seeking that post-gin nourishment, and too often found it in a burrito cheaper than a gumball. No more, we say. Instead, roll into the 24-hour drive-through of one of these ubiquitous fried burger joints and enjoy thick-as-cement real ice cream shakes, fried egg-on-toast sandwiches, or the fattest burger your mama ever made. Hangover, away!
House of Blues 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 632-7607 $$; Casual/Trendy If hipness can be successfully packaged and exported across the gloriously unbuckled beef-eating belt of the U.S. of A., then the House of Blues chain is the only one that has managed to do it reasonably well. On the premise of Louisiana food served in a voodoo-driven atmosphere, HOB combines a restaurant, bar, and concert hall into a vortex of cool. The expected burgers and pasta are complemented by genuinely tasty specialties (blackened chicken sandwich, Louisiana Crawfish and Shrimp Etouffée).
In-N-Out Burger 2900 W. Sahara; 800-786-1000 (and four other locations) $; Casual This now-ubiquitous chain once owned the coolest renegade bumper sticker alteration ever, the "In-N-Out Urge" that simply screamed Southern California. There are even Gen X Las Vegans who would drive to Cali just to get a bag of burgers to bring back to their friends. Consequently, when the chain arrived with its freshly fried beef, fries and real ice cream shakes, its success was immediate. There is even an off-the-menu culture of specialty items (grilled cheese, "animal-style" burgers) that you have to know about to order.
Original Pancake House 4833 W. Charleston Blvd.; 259-7755 3460 E. Sunset Road; 433-5800 2300 Paseo Verde Pkwy.; 614-7200 8620 W. Cheyenne Ave.; 396-8220 $; Casual Every kid leaps at the thought of pancakes, and the ones at this Portland fave are almost too good to be true. There are so many varieties of scratch-made delights that it takes several minutes just to salivate your way through the menu: apple, Swedish, buckwheat. ... For those who don't dig sweets in the morning, a full breakfast menu is also available.
Romano's Macaroni Grill 2440 W. Sahara Ave.; 248-9500 2001 N. Rainbow Blvd.; 648-6688 573 Stephanie St.; 433-2788 $-$$; Casual-Smart Casual This Italian restaurant chain is bistro-inspired but far too big to be one. It is, however, upscale casual, loud and sturdy enough for children. Parents will love the good food at decent prices, the kids will love coloring on the butcher paper-covered tableswith provided crayons, and everyone will love being a family and not getting stared down. |
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