Dining
Dishing
Soft Pretzels at John Cutters Saloon & Grill
February 24th, 2011
Whether you like them warm, crunchy, soft or unsalted, pretzels have always complemented beer. Many bars offer a variety, but these soft pretzels are the ideal example of this classic pub staple. Read more »
Dining
Viva la Vegan
Our food critic goes two weeks on a strict diet, and lives to share some fabulous dishes
February 17th, 2011
Veganism—the other other white meat substitute. It’s a little easier when you live in a community with three Whole Foods Markets that have giant salad bars, places like the Go Raw Café where the entire menu is vegan, and have a wife from Nepal, a country where the staple of the diet is dalbaat, rice with spiced lentil gravy. But it’s a lot harder than being just vegetarian. Read more »
Dining
Television That Sizzles
Chef Hubert Keller shares his secrets with a hungry nation
February 17th, 2011
Watching Chef Hubert Keller prepare the kitchen set for filming is delicious torture. The smells are divine, but the food is forbidden; this is a television set and not a restaurant, after all. In case you’ve been living under a pizza stone, Keller is a San Francisco-based French chef who runs multiple restaurants, two of which are in Las Vegas: Fleur (formerly Fleur de Lys) in Mandalay Bay and Burger Bar in the Shoppes at Mandalay Place. He garnered fame beyond the restaurant realm as both a contestant and judge on Bravo’s Top Chef. He’s working on his third cookbook (due out in 2012) and is passionate about his favorite charity, the Make-A-Wish Foundation. But today, his focus is on filming Secrets of a Chef. Read more »
Diner’s Notebook
A great grinder, standout fried things, a closure and a new arrival
February 17th, 2011
If you’ve been jonesin’ for a Cuban sandwich, I think I’ve found the best one in Las Vegas. It’s at Varadero, a mom and pop Cuban eatery hard by Santa Fe Station, 5081 N. Rainbow Blvd. They call it Media Noche, literally “midnight” in Spanish, a sandwich crafted from an egg bread pressed with roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, mayo and a touch of mustard. What makes this sandwich great is the quality of the roast pork. It is fragrant, redolent of orange, garlic and natural juices, as tender as the law allows. Read more »
Dishing
Shrimp Cocktail at A-Bar in Texas Station
February 17th, 2011
It’s a classic Vegas staple and Texas Station is doing it better—and for less money—than most. Five meaty, chilled jumbo shrimp are served on the rim of a cocktail glass filled with cocktail sauce and accompanied by a lemon twist for that hint of zing. Read more »
Dishing
Steel-cut Oatmeal at Jamba Juice
February 17th, 2011
Delighting even a confirmed oatmeal snob (yes, they exist) is the 100 percent organic steel-cut variety doled out daily at Jamba Juice. The firm oats are sloooow-cooked with soy milk, forming a creamy-yet-non-dairy base and left slightly al dente for a satisfying and healthful breakfast, lunch or snack. Read more »
Dishing
Sticky Rice at Pho Huong Saigon
February 17th, 2011
You will not find this dish anywhere else in the city. The unique texture comes from a special Asian short-grain rice that gets especially sticky when cooked. Rice balls are deep-fried into crisp cakes and served with soy sauce, cabbage salad and barbecue pork. Read more »
Dishing
Halibut at Vintner Grill
February 17th, 2011
With a menu rivaling that of many restaurants on the Strip, Vintner Grill is the often-touted queen bee of Summerlin dining. If the queen had a favorite dish it might just be the halibut. Pan-seared till it’s crispy on the outside and moist throughout, the halibut is served on a bed of couscous, spinach, toasted orzo, lemon gremolata and sweet tomatoes. Read more »
MISE EN PLACE
W.H. Harrison Bourbon
February 17th, 2011
Toast to the Chief this Presidents Day weekend—or just get chiefly toasted—with America’s native spirit: bourbon. But did you know that bourbon needn’t necessary be made in Kentucky to be rightfully called bourbon? Crafted in America’s heartland, W. H. Harrison Indiana straight bourbon and the bold, high-rye, barrel-proof Governor’s Reserve are named for William Henry Harrison (1773-1841), governor of the Indiana Territory who later became our ninth president. Read more »
Feature
A Banner Meal
Dining is an exchange of nostalgic ideas at Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill
February 10th, 2011
What are the odds that two globetrotting Caucasian brothers from New York City would open the hottest Japanese restaurant in Vegas? Not long, if you consider that while Bruce and Eric Bromberg ate their way around the planet as kids with their foodie dad—ultimately leading to their careers as 17-year partners in the restaurant business—their travels have never taken them to Japan. Then, one evening, they had the perfect meal a small Manhattan Japanese restaurant, Mishima. This led to an epiphany. They immediately hired the chef, and Blue Ribbon Sushi was born. The company, today with 11 restaurants in total, hasn’t looked back since. Read more »
