Eat: Recommended Restaurants

Knock 'em back

By James P. Reza

Restaurants once went to great pains to separate the bar from the dining room. A perfect example was the Alpine Village Inn, which had not only a dark, ski-lodge themed bar at street level, but a basement rathskellar, where a draft-quaffing piano player would sing pub songs with a crowd notoriously peppered with underage UNLV students. For now, that approach has changed dramatically. Bars are often the centerpiece, if not the raison d'etre, of a restaurant, creating a scene in which meeting over martinis is just as important as the menu.

Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba

3200 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 298-1211

$-$$$; Smart Causal/Trendy

This stylish Spanish tapas bar boasts a kinetic patio overlooking the Fashion Show's semi-public Strip-side piazza, plus a somewhat secluded one on the north side. Indoors, a bustling bar serves the entire menu, a specialty drink selection, plus several delicious varieties of refreshing sangria. Skip the entrees and share from dozens of hot (jalapeño shrimp, olive crusted halibut, fried green peppers) and cold (tortilla española, lobster cocktail) tapas.

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.

Gordon Biersch Brewing Company

3987 S. Paradise Road; 312-5247

$$; Smart Casual

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 micro-brew 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.

Hamada of Japan

365 E. Flamingo Road; 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.

Kona Grill

750 S. Rampart Blvd.; 547-5552

$$; Casual/Trendy

The west side's hopping spot for Summerlin's hippest and clove-smoking boomers 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 is oh-so-Hollywood: They're sexy and they try hard.

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.

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 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.

Panevino Ristorante

246 Via Antonio; 222-2400

$$$; Smart Casual

Featuring an open dining room with an expansive curving wall of glass overlooking the Strip, a seemingly unending bar punctuated by a comfortable lounge around a blazing fire, and a delicious menu of upscale Italian comfort food, Panevino is the place to nosh. Start with mozzarella campagnola, a delish variation of the now-expected caprese, continue with insalata esotica (spinach, avocado, hearts of palm), and wrap it up with freshly made pasta (gnochetti, lobster ravioli) or risotto.

Simon Kitchen & Bar

4455 Paradise Road; 693-5000

$$$; Smart Casual/Trendy

The Hard Rock's hotspot for the underdressed and overtressed, Kerry Simon's Palm Springs-style eatery is where beautiful design feeds the eye while good plates satiate 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.

Z'Tejas

3824 S. Paradise Road; 732-1660

9560 W. Sahara Ave.; 638-0610

$-$$; Smart Casual

Locals put off by the carpetbagger vibe of the central location will love the ambiance of the west side, where weekends are populated by neighbors enjoying a drink and the game, and the tables are big enough for briefcases. Delicious wild mushroom enchiladas and spicy grilled chicken pasta are choice selections from the Southwestern/cajun-inspired menu.

Native Las Vegan James P. Reza is the dining editor of the 2004 Zagat Survey: Las Vegas. Tip him off at jpreza@cox.net.