Eat: Recommended

By James P. Reza

It's not just First Friday, it's the second anniversary of First Friday in a city where such "milestones" are rare. Now is the time to do it right, and that means staying downtown to feed your body after you have fed your heart and mind with art. Here, you'll find everything from hot Mexican to haute French served in environments to suit just about anyone from starving artists to monied patrons.

Florida Cafe

1401 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 385-3013

$-$$; Casual

Shoehorned into the front of the Howard Johnson Hotel, this Cuban cafe does a good job of offering something for everyone. Breakfast is fairly standard; make certain you sample the Cuban bread and eggs with sweet plantains. At lunch and dinner, there are more Cuban specialties--chuletas empanizadas (breaded pork chops) and picadillo aceitunado (Cuban beef hash) among them--along with a tasty appetizer menu.

Andre's

401 S. Sixth St.; 385-5016

$$$$; Trendy/Jacket

Andre Rochat has held fast in his 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, a wine list boasting 500-plus selections, and garden dining reminiscent of Manhattan, Andre's remains a player despite pressing 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 24 hours a day.

Casa Don Juan

1202 S. Main St.; 384-8070

$; Casual

Downtown's rebirth isn't coming only in the manner of $5 million bars and chichi outlet malls (though we love those, too). Visiting the completely reborn (after a fire years ago) Casa Don Juan is like stepping out of Las Vegas and into Downtown, Anyplace. Freshly handmade tortillas wrap the expected tacos and burritos, but digging deeper on the menu reveals the Baja-inspired parrillada (seafood grill), steak ranchero and chilaquiles.

Chicago Joe's

820 S. Fourth St.; 382-5637

$$; Casual/Smart Casual

Open since the early '80s, 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.

Doña Maria's

910 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 382-6538

3205 N. Tenaya; 656-1600

$; Casual

This few-frills family-owned Mexican cocina features the expected combination plates, but choose from the tamales menu--pork, chicken or cheese--as this is Doña's true fame claim. Experienced diners know to request a bowl of the smoking hot chipotle salsa, with a snowy margarita to quench the flame. There's always a futbol match on the big screen, and lunch tables fill fast.

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.

Thai BBQ

1424 S. Third St.; 383-1128

$; Casual

This longtime Vegas eatery has made a name for itself by satisfying the take-out urges of many a lunching downtown cube farmer, and is the place many in town savored their first taste of Thai iced tea and coffee. The namesake barbecue is tasty, the satay very good and the soup a nice alternative. Be careful what and how you order; this food can be hot.

Tinoco's Bistro

103 E. Charleston Blvd.; 868-0430

$$; Smart Casual

A continental bistro in the most unexpected of places, affable chef Enrique Tinoco's Italian-influenced menu serves big-city food to an urbane and urban crowd. The small, semi-industrial space in the Arts Factory carries a very New York vibe with its handpainted tables, stained concrete block walls and exposed ducts. Don't let the location fool you: The food--from incredible soups to Chilean sea bass--is decidedly delicious and not as cheap as you may expect.

Native Las Vegan 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.