Kona Grill

Thursday, October 23, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Eat: Recommended Restaurants

See and be scene

By James P. Reza

Anyone who dines out often knows it's not always about the food on your plate but the candy for your eyes--interior design and hotties are tops--that can make or break a place. Foodies hate that fact, but Eat makes no claim to being a food review column. We review restaurants, and this list comprises just a few of the places where what you see is just as important as what you get.

Firefly Tapas Kitchen

3900 Paradise Road; 369-3971

$$; Smart Casual/Trendy

Mon Ami Gabi alumnus John Simmons and Ramon Triay have addressed Las Vegas' previous lack of the popular tapas bar concept with this new late-night hangout. Sure, you can order from a full-plate menu, but that is counterintuitive to the tapas experience. Instead, gather a group of friends and choose from dozens of small plates designed for sharing, such as tortilla española, beef skewers and artichoke toasts. Nosh until 3 a.m. nightly. Crowd: urban hipsters.

Gordon Biersch Brewing Company

3987 S. Paradise Road; 312-5247

$$; Casual/Trendy

There are places where everyone knows your name, and there are places where you have to ask yourself the next morning, "What was his name?" This microbrew chain falls squarely into the latter category. There is a menu of tasty pastas, meats and salads, but the real draw are the premises-brewed beers and what the well-heeled and horny crowd does after imbibing them. Crowd: lonely lawyers.

Kona Grill

750 S. Rampart Blvd.; 547-5552

$$; Casual/Trendy

The west side's hopping new spot for hotties hails from Scottsdale yet feels like Kon Tiki California by way of Palm Springs. Everything from surf 'n' turf to pasta, sushi and a pretty decent pizza are available, with one of the best half-price happy hour menus we've enjoyed. The plasma-screened indoor-outdoor bar area is where the restless congregate, and the staff feels like Hollywood: They're sexy, and they try. Crowd: Summerlin's hippest and clove-smoking boomers.

Little Buddha

4321 W. Flamingo Road; 942-7778

$$; Smart Casual/Trendy

Elevating the concept of scene restaurant to its apex, the Vegas version of Paris' notorious Buddha Bar is at once a cocktail lounge, sushi bar and restaurant. Groovy electronic lounge music pulses in the foreground (Buddha sells its own soundtrack CDs) while the fashion-capable nosh tasty French-Asian fusion cuisine. Crowd: horny clubbers.

Nine

4321 W. Flamingo Road; 942-7777

$$-$$$; Smart Casual/Trendy

Any restaurant from the N9ne Group (Rain & Ghostbar) had better deliver The Scene right to the dinner table, and Nine does so with aplomb. Upscale modern in decor and futuristic in accouterments (check out those plasma screens), Nine's sexy lounge, where the beautiful thirtysomethings meet, eats a third of the space, while steak and seafood tables surround a round center bar. Music, hotties, liquor...you get the idea. Crowd: thirtysomething but still stylin'.

P.F. Chang's China Bistro

4165 Paradise Rd.; 792-2207

1095 S. Rampart Blvd.; 968-8885

3667 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 836-0955

$-$$; Smart Casual/Trendy

Yes, you can get noodles here. And rice. But the honest draw is the people parade: The hostesses are beautiful, the wait staff quick and quirky, and the bar slammed with hipsters. If you still want to eat, try the tofu lettuce wraps, the garlic noodles and the Szechwan long beans--but beware: What sounds vegetarian often is not. Crowd: everyone who longs to be beautiful.

Pink Taco

4455 Paradise Road; 693-5000

$; Casual/Trendy

This is the Ÿber-sexy beachside taqueria in the Cabo of your dreams. Everyone--staff, sexpots, satyrs--look to have been plucked from MTV, and the music volume boosts conversation to strip club levels. Unexpectedly, the Mexican menu (by chef Tacho Kneeland) is equally as appealing as the people, with unusual items such as chilaquiles emerging properly tasteful. Crowd: It's getting hot in herre.

Simon

4455 Paradise Road; 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 satiates 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 like freshly spun cotton candy melt in your wet, lip gloss-covered mouth. Crowd: celebs, nouveau riche.

Sedona

9580 W. Flamingo Road; 320-4700

$$; Casual/Smart Casual

The southwest valley's sexy new Sedona is an upscale tavern sporting plenty of dining tables and a modern vibe. Owned in part by Andre Agassi, Sedona looks and feels like it actually belongs in the Mojave Desert, and the menu boasts some fairly impressive steak and seafood offerings. An enclosed patio with a firepit is cool-ass, and the Friday night happy hour shows what hotties look like when they have money for clothes. Crowd: peacocks whose clocks are ticking.