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Thursday, February 13, 2003 Eat: Recommended Restaurants
By James P. Reza
This week's theme: Vegas, Baby!
As different as they may seem, there is a commonality here that inexplicably links these eateries to a Las Vegas larger than life. That's Vegas!--a city where players populate a desert playground for one last stand of the American dream.
Andre's 401 S. 6th St.; 385-5016 $$$$; Trendy/Jacket Andre Rochat has held fast in this downtown bungalow for two decades, a testament to the chef's tasty French haute cuisine. Foie gras is now almost commonplace, but frog legs are not. With a menu that explores the breadth of France and a wine list boasting 500-plus selections, Andre's remains a player despite increased competition to the south.
Bay City Diner 1 Fremont St.; 385-1906 $; Casual Casino coffee shops were once a refuge where bleary-eyed losers found solace at 3 a.m., slowly swallowing a prime rib special or a shrimp cocktail while wearing a thousand-yard stare and fondly recalling a time when they had money. Few iconic coffee shops remain, so it's appropriate that this one, in Las Vegas' first hotel (the Golden Gate, opened 1906), stands like something from a noir Western where politicians and power brokers still lunch.
AJ's Steakhouse 4455 Paradise Rd.; 693-5000 $$$$; Trendy/Jacket A throwback to the heyday of Vegas steakhouses, AJ's comes across as a Rat Pack-era hangout for boys and the broads who love 'em. A very Hollywood crowd jams the bar, while diners sample delicious steaks and seafood as a piano player entertains. Still an honest scene after eight years.
Battista's Hole in the Wall 4041 Audrie St.; 732-1424 $-$$; Casual/Smart Casual A locally owned eatery from back in the day (the 1960s), Battista's has grown larger and serves a great many tourists thanks to its location, but old-school locals still enjoy it for its authentic Vegas flavor. Family friendly and noisy, this could be the archetype for the Buca di Beppo chain.
Bootlegger Bistro 7700 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 736-4939 $$; Casual/Smart Casual This 24-hour Vegas institution serves some of the best Southern Italian in town. Typically, this bistro bustles with cooing couples and smartly dressed families, but on the weekends, when '50s-era Strip entertainers sing and dance, it's a Who's Who of Old Vegas. On any swing shift, you'll find the city's best servers and strippers in the lounge, sampling the satisfying menu.
Bob Taylor's Ranch House 6250 Rio Vista St.; 645-1399 $$-$$$; Casual/Smart Casual You can get Mesquite-grilled steaks and seafood on almost any corner anymore, so why make the drive to Bob Taylor's? For a taste of old-school hospitality and an escape from corporate blandness. Filet and shrimp, lobster tail, prime rib...the menu reads like 1950s Vegas.
Chicago Joe's 820 S. Fourth St.; 382-5637 $-$$; Casual/Smart Casual Open since the early 1980s, Chicago Joe's has survived unchanged the remaking of Las Vegas. Ensconced in a diminutive brick bungalow, Joe's serves Southern Italian cooking, Chicago style, in a comfortably intimate atmosphere. Tasty signatures include spicy Lobster Joe and stuffed artichokes to offset the red sauce pasta. Super second date spot.
El Sombrero Cafe 807 S. Main St.; 382-9234 $; Casual Since 1950, El Sombrero has been the archetypical Mexican hole-in-the-wall. A tiny storefront in a part of town most suburbanites ignorantly avoid, El Sombrero is still owned by the same bloodline that launched it. The food is classic Mex-American: cheap, good eats overflowing the plate. Weekday lunches are consistently busy.
Golden Steer 308 W. Sahara Ave.; 384-4470 $$$; Smart Casual/Jacket There are restaurants notorious for their discretion, both at the deep booths and in general. The Golden Steer, a meat lover's paradise, is just such a place: a dark, private steakhouse where much of what went down in the old days was discussed. Looking for love or to be left alone? This is the place.
Hamada of Japan 365 E. Flamingo Rd.; 733-3005 $$$; Smart Casual/Trendy Dating to an era when Japanese teppan-yaki was a trendy fave, Hamada offers the perfect combination of kitsch and style. There's standard table service here, but the fun (and the parade of beautiful people) can be found at the sushi bar or the teppan room, where food is sliced, diced and sizzled before your eyes.
Huntridge Drug Restaurant 1122 E. Charleston Blvd.; 384-3737 $; Casual Remnants of small-town Vegas are hard to find, but this family-run drugstore food counter puts those oversized discount store chains to shame when it comes to atmosphere. If you are accustomed to 1950s hybrid Chinese-American food (tomato chow mein, egg foo yung), then Bill Fong's unassuming diner is the place to get it.
Hill Top House Supper Club 3500 N. Rancho Drive; 645-9904 $-$$; Casual A small, simple restaurant the likes of which you may have experienced in small-town America. The converted home smacks of "Ozzie & Harriet," and the menu is old school with a twist: steaks, seafood, chicken, frog legs. Searching for something casual and inexpensive that's not a predictable chain? This is it.
Pamplemousse 400 E. Sahara Ave.; 733-2066 $$$$; Smart Casual/Jacket Yet another converted old house has re-emerged as a great date spot after previous years in the spotlight. Eclipsed by the volume of excellent eateries opening in recent years, Georges LeForge's longtime French restaurant remains intimate, unique and oh so continental. The menu is in your server's head, the vegetables so fresh they snap and the food darn good.
Sterling Sunday Brunch, Bally's 3645 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 947-4661 $$$$; Smart Casual/Trendy No matter how good the Bellagio buffet is, it still fails to capture the experience of the Sunday brunches once held in the glorious tiered showrooms of Vegas past. However, Bally's Sterling Brunch--held in an intimate room replete with ice sculptures and sharply attired staff attending your every need--is the quintessential brunch. Here, you'll gorge on selections so good--chateaubriand, beef medallions--you'll hardly believe you can refill your plate as much as you like.
Know of a great new restaurant that opened in the past three months? Send the name to jpreza@lvcm.com and tell him why you love it. |
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