Eat: Recommended Restaurants

Celeb city

By James P. Reza

Local and national media can't get enough of Las Vegas' recently re-established celebrity culture. Britney was seen supping at N9NE! Enrique and Anna were trading serves at Simon! While there are other, uniquely more qualified writers covering the celeb scene in Las Vegas, that doesn't mean we don't know where to go when we feel like playing Hollywood hipster for a night. While there's no guarantee you'll be getting any Paris at the Hilton, you have a good chance of seeing somebody who is somebody if you drop in one of these joints during the weekend.

Bouchon

3355 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 414-6200

$$$-$$$$; Smart Casual/Trendy

Open just a short time, Thomas Keller's Venetian resort outpost of his Napa Valley fave is already on the radar of those seeking discreet ostentation. Designed by the renowned Adam Tihany in classic French bistro style, Bouchon offers an upscale power breakfast every morning, plus classic bistro fare (pan-seared, braised and roasted meats and fish) at dinner.

Fiamma Trattoria

3799 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 891-7600

$$-$$$; Smart Casual/Trendy

SoHo restaurateur Stephen Hanson replaced MGM's hipster haven Olio with this new flame, perfect for a pre- or post-concert repast. A sister to Manhattan's Fiamma Osteria, Hanson updated and brightened the room while maintaining its fab fireplace and bar. Plus, the menu, sporting Italian faves from spaghetti and ravioli to surf 'n' turf--grilled swordfish, bistecca fiorentina (porterhouse for two)--is more accessible.

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 fritte, a glass of wine...you are Bardot in waiting.

N9NE Steakhouse

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 N9ne 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.

Nobu

4455 Paradise Road; 693-5090

$$$$; Smart Casual/Trendy

Among global foodie cognoscenti, sex and sushi are symbiotic, so it makes perfect sense that chef Nobu Matsuhisa would locate Nobu in the Hard Rock Hotel, the Vegas epicenter of the sexy and stylish. The food is a fusion of Asian and South American, the decor implies an updated clichéd Japanese village. Uninitiated? Go for the pricey omakase chef's tasting menu. Hey, is that De Niro?

Piero's Italian Cuisine

355 Convention Center Drive; 369-2305

$$$$; Smart Casual/Trendy

One of the few holdovers from the golden days of Vegas, Freddie Glusman's off-Strip hideaway is so old Vegas that he once joked that "the boys still come in here, but now the FBI follows them in." At least we think he was joking. Famous as much for its clientele and old Vegas feel as its specialties (osso buco, stone crab), Piero's attracts old guard celebs and those who dress like them.

Simon Kitchen & Bar

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.

Spago

3500 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 369-0360

$$$; Smart Casual

Opened during the holiday season of 1992, Vegas foodies consider Wolfgang Puck's "patio" cafe at the Forum Shops the genesis of the Vegas dining renaissance. Puck popularized, if not invented, the unusual combinations that comprise California cuisine, and you'll enjoy everything from soups to pizza, pasta and homey American fusion while gawking at the glitterati and hoi polloi parading past.

James P. Reza is the dining editor of the 2004 Zagat Survey: Las Vegas. Haven't seen your fave nosh joint listed? Tip him off at jpreza@cox.net.