Dining
Trendspotting
Fermented, Fried and Fun
Japanese izakayas offer booze-friendly bites and boisterous behavior
June 19th, 2013
Las Vegas can’t seem to stop guzzling down bowls of ramen, clamping our chopsticks around sushi or nearly impaling our cheeks while gnawing sustenance from skewers. Throw in some sake or a Sapporo and life is good. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that people are finally discovering the izakaya (pronounced ee-ZAH-ka-ya). Think of these casual restaurants as a marriage between a tapas bar and pub, where friends can grab drinks and share a range of inexpensive small plates. Spirited chatter and lingering into the wee hours is strongly encouraged. Here are some spots perfect for fulfilling the dual desire to get plastered and pig out. Read more »
Diner's Notebook
Hot Tiki Action, Brunch that Bares All, and the Return of Daniel Boulud
June 19th, 2013
Veteran rock star Sammy Hagar blew into town for a tiki party/concert at the Venetian pool, aided and abetted by the irrepressible chef Emeril Lagasse, who cooked a whole roast suckling pig for a brave crowd out despite the 110-degree temperature. This has to be why we love Las Vegas. Both the music and the food were terrific. Read more »
Just A Sip
Who is Las Vegas' Best Bartender?
June 19th, 2013
Vegas Seven and Bols Bartending Academy are looking for Las Vegas’ Best Bartender. And we’re not messing around! June 25, we’ll put competitors through a grueling, all-day gauntlet of four tests: knowledge, speed and efficiency, creativity and mixology, and service and personality. Read more »
Hops & Harvest Opens in Tivoli Village
Bradley Ogden heads for Summerlin’s hills, and we’ll gladly follow for Hops & Harvest’s craft beer and those winsome burgers
June 19th, 2013
It’s hard to impress my Chinese friend, the Pearl River Gourmet. He compares everything to his own cuisine, usually with a measure of disdain. But he had to admit that the cooking at Bradley Ogden’s new Tivoli Village digs, Hops & Harvest, was top notch. Pulling a third french-fry-shaped piece of crispy sweet and sour pork belly from a paper cone basket, he remarked, “This is even better than Chinese barbecued pork.” Read more »
Dining
The New Dog in Town
On the road with Las Vegas’ newest gourmet food truck, Sin City Dogs
June 18th, 2013
Even via email, Tom Portanova is cheerful. Bouncy, even. I envision him being like the guys who sling hot dogs at Cubs games, walking down the aisles with a portable steam cabinet strapped to their chest. They always look like the happiest guys, because what’s better than spending your days at the ballpark? But even without the big metal box, Portanova is the happiest guy in the hot dog-slinging game. Read more »
Scene Stirs
Buy the Book: Essential Summer Drink–er, Reading
June 18th, 2013
Liquid Vacation is available on Amazon and FrankiesTikiRoom.com. Or you can pick one up and have it signed by the author at the June 22 launch party at Frankie’s Tiki Room. While you’re at it, here are a few more tomes for your cocktail table and the beverages with which to enjoy them. Read more »
Cocktail Culture
Frankie's Tiki Room Owner Unveils Cocktail Recipes in New Book
June 18th, 2013
P Moss’ third book, Liquid Vacation: 77 Refreshing Tropical Drinks from Frankie’s Tiki Room in Las Vegas (Stephens Press, $30) includes many of the expected tiki trappings: over-the-top garnishes, outlandish colors, flames, cream and hulking wedges of juicy pineapple. Read more »
Scene Stirs
National Bourbon Daze
June 18th, 2013
Even though National Bourbon Day appears to be championed by a company called PartyExcuses.com (also boosters for National Pasta Day and World Pistachio Day), I’m always down for a refreshing cocktail. Read more »
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 »
Father's Day
Father’s Day Noshing Guide
June 14th, 2013
Your old man is one-of-a-kind—shouldn’t your celebration of him be, too? Read more »
