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Thursday, May 01, 2003 Eat: Recommended Restaurants
By James P. Reza
Urban chic
You've heard the charge before: Why can't Las Vegas be more like a real city? When we hear that, we assume they mean more urban, as in the explosion of eclecticism that happens when people are packed together like sardines, not the explosion of crime that happens under similar circumstances. Yeah, Las Vegas is spread like spilt batter, but there are a few restaurants that would make the style grade even in a Woody Allen film, a few Tarantino sets and a few that, regardless of their location, feel lifted from Downtown, Anywhere.
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.
Chicago Joe's 820 S. Fourth St.; 382-5637 $-$$; Casual/Smart Casual Open since the early 1980s, Chicago Joe's has survived unchanged the remaking of Las Vegas. Ensconced in a diminutive brick bungalow, Joe's serves southern Italian cooking, Chicago style, in a comfortably intimate atmosphere. Tasty signatures include spicy Lobster Joe and stuffed artichokes to offset the red sauce pasta. Super second-date spot.
Drai's 3595 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 737-0555 $$-$$$; Smart Casual/Trendy Las Vegas today is the Los Angeles of the 1950s--a rapidly growing suburban landscape ready to fill in with pockets of approximated urbanity. Appropriate, then, that Hollywood restaurateur Victor Drai's underground speakeasy is among the city's dining gems. Steaks, seafood and a hint of Puckish nouvelle make Drai's a hip spot for dining sophisticates.
El Sombrero Cafe 807 S. Main St.; 382-9234 $; Casual Since 1950, El Sombrero has been the archetypal Mexican hole-in-the-wall. A tiny storefront in a part of town most suburbanites ignorantly avoid, El Sombrero is still owned by the same bloodline that launched it. The food is classic Mex-American: cheap, good eats overflowing the plate. Weekday lunches are consistently busy.
Jazzed Cafe & Vinoteca 8615 W. Sahara Ave.; 233-2859 $$; Smart Casual/Trendy Calling itself "your urban-style neighborhood restaurant," this bustling suburban bistro in The Lakes overflows with local soul. Top-notch northern Italian cuisine (chef/owner Kirk Offerle has nearly perfected the hand-stirred-to-order risotto) tempts an urbane clientele that enjoys being bathed in jazz and local art. The mishmash decor evokes sensuality, and the live music and candlelit tables add to the allure.
Mon Ami Gabi 3655 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 946-4433 $$-$$$; Smart Casual/Trendy There are few Vegas places that were as quickly adopted by the power lunch and society gal set as this French sidewalk cafe on the Strip. Dining al fresco is clearly under-served in Vegas, for even the platinum prices don't keep people from using the tables here as dealmakers--just as on the real Champs Elysées. A steak frites, a glass of wine...you are Bardot in waiting.
Noodles 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 693-8131 $$; Smart Casual A relatively unknown modernist masterpiece tucked away in the Bellagio, Noodles serves delicious Pan-Asian comfort food until 3 a.m. every night. The room, designed by the internationally renowned Tony Chi, is a perfect backdrop for the parade of jetsetting hipsters who frequent the joint. Sit at the counter and slurp your noodles for a more authentic urban experience.
Simon 4455 Paradise Rd.; 693-5000 $$$; Smart Casual/Trendy The hot new spot for the underdressed and overtressed, Kerry Simon's Palm Springs-style eatery is where beautiful design feeds the eye while good food sates the palate. The comfort food trend launched years ago in New York and London makes old Vegas new again with super steaks, seafood and pasta. Meanwhile, signature desserts such as freshly spun cotton candy melt in your wet, lip gloss-covered mouth.
Stage Deli 3500 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 893-4045 $; Casual/Smart Casual Disconcertingly located in the faux environs of the Forum Shops, this small eatery is nonetheless the top NYC deli experience to be had in Vegas. Though no longer affiliated with the Big Apple original, the food--from sammiches to soups--remains. If kosher is in order, sidle up to the counter, call out for a kreplach or kugel and fancy yourself in New Amsterdam.
Tacos Mexico 3820 W. Sahara Ave.; 385-7673 $; Casual Like something straight out of East L.A., this unassuming Mexican diner is located in a repurposed googie-style fast-food building. Open late and always busy, Tacos Mexico specializes in the real thing: tacos that taste so different you may think you have died and gone to Mexico. Why fast food taco joints still exist is a mystery, for this place does them immeasurably better and almost as cheap.
Tre 1050 S. Rampart Blvd.; 946-6200 $$-$$$; Smart Casual/Trendy Tre--from New York's famed Maccioni restaurant family (Circo)--is among the most impressive off-Strip eateries in Vegas. A freestanding Summerlin building, Tre is modern Mediterranean--Arabesque, Moorish, Italianate--with an inspired menu to match. Happy hour sports a busy bar, and Tre is the west end dinner spot for those accustomed to the style and service of the Strip. |
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