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
Maccioni Comes Full Circo
June 14th, 2013
Restaurateur Mario Maccioni confirmed that his family would close its iconic Italian restaurant Circo in Bellagio in late spring 2014.
Read More »
Top of the World is Tops, and More Batali, Bastianich for Venetian
June 11th, 2013
On a glorious late-spring evening, nothing is more impressive than watching the sun set and the lights glimmer across the Valley from a white-tableclothed perch at Top of the World, the Stratosphere’s high-end, slowly rotating dining venue (380-7711).
Read More »
Eat, Mix and Mingo
Eccentric and irreverent, Mingo Kitchen & Lounge is a delightful round peg in Art Square
June 11th, 2013
The Arts District, a slowly expanding ’hood just south of Downtown, fools us into believing we are in Los Angeles, except in summer, when the searing desert heat tells a different story. A Bohemian vibe pervades these quiet streets, which are dotted with art galleries and modest storefronts that look like covers from record albums you probably wouldn’t buy at a garage sale.
Read More »
Diner's Notebook
Chicago's Connections, Hops & Harvest and Exhilarating Organics
June 4th, 2013
Chicago stands tall as a summer travel option, thanks to draws such as Grant Park, Lake Michigan and the music scene on Rush Street. It’s also one of America’s great food cities. Looking beyond the hot dog and Italian beef sandwich, I visited two of the Windy City area’s best restaurants, both with ties to local eateries.
Read More »
Garduño's Passes the Torch to Heraea
The Palms' colossal restaurant makeover wins the gold
June 4th, 2013
Heraea might be hard to pronounce for those of us who are not up on ancient Greek (say “ha-RAY-ah”), but the new upscale sports bar/restaurant at the Palms isn’t hard to swallow.
Read More »
Diner's Notebook
Project Dinner Perfect, Whisky Wednesays and Bon Chef’s Buon Italiano
May 28th, 2013
The 21st Project Dinner Table, spearheaded by the event’s irrepressible founder, Gina Gavan, was the most impressive to date in the event’s four-year history. What made it so? A lineup of star chefs soon to grace Summerlin’s Tivoli Village, including Sam Marvin of Echo & Rig and Bradley Ogden of Hops & Harvest—plus representation from Angelo Sosa’s Poppy Den and more.
Read More »
Hidden Gems for Your Lunch Hour
Three spots you might overlook, unless you work next door
May 28th, 2013
The long upcoming summer is a good time for discovering local restaurants that remain under the radar. Here are three hidden gems I’ve been frequenting lately, each with its own distinctive character and ethnic charm, all easy on the pocketbook.
Read More »
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.
Read More »
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.
Read More »