Diner's Notebook
Diner's Notebook
Javier’s slinks into Aria, Light Group’s Ultimate steak challenge, and the All-Stars sizzle
October 18th, 2012
Shhh! While no one was looking, Javier’s, a popular, chic Mexican restaurant import from Newport Beach, Calif., opened quietly at Aria in the space once home to Union, a Light Group steak house. The new restaurant features ceviche, carne asada and Mexican classics from all over the map. Let’s wait and see if it makes a major splash. Or not. Read more »
Diner's Notebook
Gordo’s hat trick, doing the Laundry, and the TI Shacks up
October 11th, 2012
It has now been confirmed that cranky chef Gordon Ramsay—who is also about to open a gastropub-style concept in the former Bradley Ogden space at Caesars Palace—will also open a third restaurant in his constellation here. Read more »
Diner's Notebook
Chicken flu prompts an international egg scramble
October 4th, 2012
Almost everyone, with the exception of vegans and people on restricted diets, eats eggs. Now, an outbreak of avian flu in Mexico has caused egg prices to spike mildly here and radically in Mexico, where, according to the poultry industry, consumption is 430 eggs per capita each year, or almost twice the number of that in the States. Read more »
Diner's Notebook
Lemongrass changes hands, MENUS for kids, and Hoptober has your fall fun on tap
September 27th, 2012
Lemongrass Café, the diner-like Vietnamese restaurant in a mall on Eastern Avenue and Pebble Road in southeast Las Vegas (8820 S. Eastern Ave., 463-1300), has new owners, and the food is better and more diverse than ever. Read more »
Diner's Notebook
Stealth burgers, wine excellence, and Cali’s foie bust is our boon
September 20th, 2012
I heard shouting about a new burger on the block at Wildburger in the Wildfire Casino (1901 N. Rancho Drive, 646-3447), so I had to stop in for a try. And—surprise!—this might be one of the best burgers in the city: handcrafted, beautifully charred with a variety of toppings, and a nice value. Read more »
Diner's Notebook
Sammy D’s next act, respite in San Diego, and Max picks Parsley
September 13th, 2012
Sammy DeMarco, a.k.a. Sammy D of First Food & Bar in the Palazzo, is one of our most creative chefs, so when he unfurls a new project, it’s big news. Rattlecan should be open by mid-October at the Venetian, and it’s going to be hip, fun and affordable. Read more »
Diner's Notebook
Vegas’ most lavish buffet, Germany’s best wurst, and the Public House proliferation
September 6th, 2012
Bacchanal Buffet will open in a few days at Caesars Palace in a 25,000-square-foot space formerly home to Café Lago. The design—by Tokyo firm Super Potato, which also did Sensi and Strip Steak—features wood, steel and glass sections, and nine open kitchens, where chefs will cook in front of the customers and discuss the process to boot. Read more »
Diner's Notebook
Strip House stirrings, getting a fair deal, and Three Square Food Bank’s got the hot Dish!
August 30th, 2012
I recently stopped by Fleming’s Steak House (8721 W. Charleston Blvd., 838-4774) to sample the new bar menu, and came away a happy camper. I started with a terrifically refreshing cocktail called a Blood Orange Fizz, and nibbled on crazy-good flatbreads, one with filet mignon and Danish blue cheese, another topped with roasted mushroom and artichoke. Read more »
Diner's Notebook
A buffet bacchanal, Herrin brings the meat, and someone get us to the Greek (fest)!
August 23rd, 2012
Caesars Palace president Gary Selesner was proud to walk me through the space that will be home to the new Bacchanal Buffet, which at 25,000 square feet will be the largest Las Vegas has ever seen when it opens next month. It’s going to be impressive. Read more »
Diner's Notebook
Downtown’s new comfort-cuisine queen, the Earl is in the house, and King’s reigns in crab season
August 16th, 2012
The Downtown dining scene will get a boost in a few weeks when chef Natalie Young, a veteran of foodie wars at Eiffel Tower, the Hard Rock’s Mr. Lucky’s and P.J. Clarke’s, opens Eat at 707 Carson St. in a space once home to a deli. Young is doing this on a lean budget, with reclaimed and gently used kitchen equipment as well as used furnishings for the dining room. Read more »
