Neighborhood Epicurean
Neighborhood Epicurean
More Than Astroturf and Forced Perspective
Finding fresh new eats on the fauxliage-lined streets of Town Square
March 8th, 2012
When Town Square opened in late 2007, not everyone was convinced it was going to survive. Several storefronts were empty, and the parking lot was often barren. But thanks to a great tenant mix and central location, it didn’t take long for it to become the hot spot of the Valley. Even in the blustery winter and sweltering summer months, the place is packed with shoppers, moviegoers, diners and drinkers. The mall that offers it all has done considerably well. Read more »
Neighborhood Epicurean
Dining on the Edge
An otherwise deserted urban landscape is revived by the diversity of its colorful culinary offerings
December 8th, 2011
The pocket of Spring Valley near Fort Apache and Russell roads was once poised to be the next super suburb, but, alas, it was not immune to the flatlining of the real estate market. However, hope is not lost—where housing has come to a halt, commerce curiously continues to thrive. Hidden between vacant lots and stalled developments is a dining scene that’s alive and well. Three shopping plazas within a half-mile stretch host a wide variety of restaurants. Read more »
Neighborhood Epicurean
Worth the Wait
Family-style dining intersects with happy hours and even after-hours at this suburban intersection
November 17th, 2011
Here the pace is a little slower, creating opportunities for restaurants to cater to the entire family, including the littlest members, and to get to know their customers’ names. Sure, a to-go order might take a little while longer, but that’s time well spent getting to know the proprietors. It’s not quite Slow Food, but it’s a step in the right direction. Read more »
Neighborhood Epicurean
Shack Attack!
We’re on a roll with downtown’s food huts, and the nearby bars that sustain them
October 13th, 2011
Brush off those flip-flops and prepare for an offbeat dining adventure. Downtown Las Vegas is ripe territory for low-key dining and drinking, where we found incredible eats at the area’s Latin food huts. Read more »
Neighborhood Epicurean
Your Lunch, on Vacation
The Sahara/Fort Apache area offers new tastes to those who want to break away from their same old takeaway
September 15th, 2011
The intersection of Fort Apache Road and Sahara Avenue sees a lot of midday traffic thanks to the many office parks in the area. The lunch rut is an easy one to fall into, especially when you are relegated to the same 2-mile radius day in and day out. But even after escaping the office, lots of worker bees stick around or even head back to this area after hours to explore its many dining options. Read more »
Neighborhood Epicurean
Making Waves
Lake Las Vegas is back on the menu. Here are five reasons to make the drive …
July 28th, 2011
Things have been picking up of late in The Village at Lake Las Vegas. The last time I stopped by, the self-parking garage—almost empty on recent visits—was nearly full, and there was a good Saturday-night crowd on hand for a free lakeside concert. Despite the loss of some good restaurants at Lake Las Vegas in recent years, there is, once again, no shortage of fine dining in these parts, so bring a hearty appetite. Read more »
Neighborhood Epicurean
Comfort’s Crossing
Unearthing delicious relics at the axis of Decatur and Alta
June 23rd, 2011
You miss out on some good things if you don’t return to old stomping grounds. Which is why I recommend the Decatur and Alta axis. Sure, it isn’t the happening commercial hot space that it was in the ‘80s, the era when the Meadows Mall controlled (for good or bad) the destiny of so many. Yet you’d be surprised as to what’s still out there and, no, it’s not just the buffet at Arizona Charlie’s. Comfort foods define this axis as Cholesterol Cross. And I can prove it. Read more »
Neighborhood Epicurean
Somewhere Over by Rainbow
Fly to the southwest for uncharted dishes
May 12th, 2011
The Rainbow Boulevard exit off of Interstate 215 is a mecca of big-box stores with such established restaurant chains as Chipotle and Panda Express from which to choose. But if you’re looking for a tastier, more personal experience, journey just a few blocks south on Rainbow to a strip mall harboring a plethora of restaurants, where, in fact, the eateries outnumber other establishments. This is undiscovered culinary country, just waiting for adventurous foodies to explore. Read more »
Neighborhood Epicurean
A Happy Detour
Boulder City’s best restaurants are worth going out of your way
April 14th, 2011
Neighborhood Epicurean
A Universal Center
Incongruities give Commercial Center flavor
March 10th, 2011
Poor Commercial Center. It just doesn’t get the right kind of love or respect sometimes. For every shattered beer bottle, discarded razor wire and off-kilter philosopher living out of a shopping cart on the premise, there are winning attributes to counter it all. For one, how about giving it props for sticking around for nearly half-century in a city where commercial longevity is considered a strange bedfellow? Or how about enjoying the bristling, ornate diversity of its offerings south and west of East Sahara Avenue and South Maryland Parkway? Fetish clothing, avant-garde theater space, wigs, billiards, Asian food markets, gay bars and a notorious sex club (if you don’t know about the Green Door, welcome to Vegas; you’re obviously a newbie). Man, dumpster-diving must be a blast here. Read more »
