Max Jacobson
Contributing Editor, Food
Contact: Email
Vegas Seven’s food critic started his career as a food journalist in Japan in the early ’80s. Since then, he has been a columnist for the Los Angeles Times and has written for a variety of national publications, such as Saveur and Gourmet. He's best known as an authority on Asian food, but he has rarely met a cuisine he doesn't like. He has covered the Vegas culinary scene since 2000.
Recent Articles
Pop-Up Pizza v. Radio City Pizza
May 21st, 2013
On top of everything else going on Downtown, the pizza scene seems to be strong as well. Pop-Up Pizza, a counter inside the Plaza (1 Main St., 366-0049), may not look like much, but the pizza is terrific—thin-crusted, generously topped and creative. It’s similar to what is served at the “secret pizzeria” joint at the Cosmo (which is not so secret anymore).
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Hakkasan's Chic Chinese
Chef Ho Chee Boon’s cuisine hits all the right notes
May 21st, 2013
Generally, the word “awesome” should be reserved for natural phenomena, such as the Northern Lights or spiritual epiphany. I’m going to break this rule, and proclaim that Hakkasan, the new, nine-figure restaurant/nightclub at the MGM Grand, deserves the label.
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Diner's Notebook
Uncork’d Pops its Top, Boulud Greets the VIPs and Ferraro’s at Night
May 14th, 2013
This year’s Vegas Uncork’d culinary weekend was the best to date. I ate a sensational lunch at Border Grill, highlighted by a terrific lobster and crab salad on a fat, griddled corn cake; a world-class dinner at Joël Robuchon at the Mansion, ministered to by the “Chef of the Century” himself; and a perfect bone-in New York Strip at Old Homestead in Caesars Palace.
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La Comida Offers Solution to Downtown’s Dearth of Dining Options
May 14th, 2013
If the Strip is for tourists, Downtown is for locals. Once-limited, Downtown’s dining options seem to be expanding like the universe, thanks to new entries such as Joe Vicari’s Andiamo at the D, Park on Fremont, Mingo Kitchen & Lounge and the newly minted La Comida—Michael and Jenna Morton’s upscale Mexican joint that ups the ante for quality and, some would say, price point.
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Diner's Notebook
Game for Posh Burgers and Plenty of Pleasant Surprises at Zenshin
May 7th, 2013
Fine Irishman Conrad Gallagher won a Michelin star for his superlative cooking at Dublin’s Peacock Alley; now, some of the tricks of his trade are on hand at Posh Burger (9921 W. Charleston Blvd., 201-1408), an upscale Westside burger joint where your patty might be just as easily made of duck, elk, ostrich or lamb, as turkey or Kobe beef.
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Rollin Smoke Barbeque is on a Roll
The meats cook low ’n’ slow, but praise is high and word is spreading fast for this barbecue joint.
May 7th, 2013
Even longtime residents have trouble finding Highland Drive. If you’re driving north on Interstate 15, exit at Spring Mountain Road and bear right. If you’re driving south, though, you’d better know how to use your GPS.
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UNLVino Shines, The Springs Café Cooks and Sambalatte Grows
April 30th, 2013
UNLVino celebrated its 39th year April 18-21, and I attended the Grand Tasting and the new Sunday Bar-B-Q. As always, organizers Southern Wine & Spirits put on a great show for a huge turnout.
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A Milder Dos Caminos Opens in Suburban Location
April 30th, 2013
Despite rumors to the contrary, our food scene is not as cutting edge as that of New York, London or Tokyo, and that goes double when we’re talking the ’burbs. So when a Strip venue makes that rare move to one of our outlying neighborhoods, both the menu and the décor tend to be more conservative and less flashy than the original.
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Diner's Notebook
Tasteful Travels, Zenshin Opens and New Menus for Spring
April 23rd, 2013
I’ve just returned from a diverse trip abroad, where I experienced a number of meals with direct connections to what is available here. It was a remarkable and rewarding journey.
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Vic’s New American Cuisine is Edgy on the Edge of Town
The restaurant proposes bold flavors, settles on a perplexing location
April 23rd, 2013
Anthem Center at Anthem Sun City isn’t where one would expect to find a dude who damned near won the title of Next Food Network Star, but then, Vic Moea—also known as Vic Vegas—always has a surprise or two up the sleeves of his chef’s coat.
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