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
Vintner Grill
October 14th, 2010
This turned out to be a tough choice. Finalists included Lotus of Siam, Rosemary’s and Todd’s Unique Dining, and the often overlooked Table 34 impressed us, but in the end Vintner Grill was the last restaurant standing.
Read More »
Payard Pâtisserie & Bistro
October 14th, 2010
Gregory Gourreau, Francois Payard’s chef at his little restaurant inside his little Caesars Palace pastry shop, is one of the true unsung talents in Las Vegas. The quality of what he produces in this kitchen is mind-boggling, but even more remarkable is his three-course lunch deal for $21.
Read More »
Zach Allen of Carnevino, B&B and Otto
October 14th, 2010
What do you say about a man who can butcher a pig, create wonderful pasta dishes and manage three terrific restaurants at the same time? That’s the M.O. of Zach Allen, whose lofty title is culinary director for Mario Batali’s Las Vegas restaurants. As such, Allen is the man responsible for the excellent cuisine served at the three Batali venues in the Venetian and adjoining Palazzo. He constantly walks the floors between his three restaurants, and like a shark, rarely stops moving.
Read More »
Bar Masa
October 14th, 2010
This restaurant is first among many distinctive designs at Aria. It’s a collaboration between famed architect Richard Bloch and chef Masa Takayama, who contributed a series of sketches from which Bloch worked.
Read More »
Dinners From Hell
Join our intrepid critic for a journey to the culinary abyss, because not all restaurants are award-winning
October 14th, 2010
In the course of a 30-year career as a restaurant critic, I’ve had more than my share of unpleasant experiences, perhaps none more than in an Indian vegetarian place in Missoula, Mont., that landed me in the ER, or an encounter with a live worm that crawled out from a cabbage leaf in my wife’s soup while we were lunching at a Korean restaurant on the Strip.
Read More »
Monta Noodle House
October 14th, 2010
Some may think this as an eccentric choice, but what puts it over the top is that it is the best example of its genre not just here but perhaps anywhere in this country. The specialty is ramen—flour noodles slurped from hot broth—and the portions are trencherman.
Read More »
Joël Robuchon
October 14th, 2010
Entering this foodie sanctuary—a black and purple room framed by a Swarovski crystal chandelier and an ivy garden—is like stepping into the world of James Cameron. Which makes it the perfect setting for Joël Robuchon to make his oft-cited words come true: “The discovery of a new dish does more for the human condition than the discovery of a new star.”
Read More »
Simon
October 14th, 2010
Celebrity chef Kerry Simon does a killer Sunday brunch in the Palms Place tower, a sixth-floor space with a pool view. Brunch centers on a lineup of live stations but also features hot à la carte items from the kitchen.
Read More »
Du-par’s
October 14th, 2010
Biff Naylor, son of the legendary Tiny Naylor of the eponymous L.A. coffee shop, loved the pancakes at Du-par’s in the Farmers Market in West Hollywood so much that he bought the company. I concur.
Read More »