TonyC wrote:Headed back for a day's worth, and this time, I'm just totally uninspired by the dining prospects. Will visit Fifty50 to pay tribute to McClain (I used to walk by Spring almost daily), will probably down a few pieces of late night hikari mono at Kabuto, may take the cooking Thai bubbe in my household to mock the prices/food at LoS, but beyond that, I'm tapped out.

Any one have anything new on the radar? Is Due Forni worth the trek down to Summerlin? That Eater 38 list is of no help.

Have you been to Monta and/or Raku?

Raku
5030 W.Spring Mountain Rd #2
Las Vegas, NV 89146
(702) 367-3511

Monta Ramen
5030 Spring Mountain Rd
Las Vegas, NV 89146
(702) 367-4600

stevez wrote:

TonyC wrote:Headed back for a day's worth, and this time, I'm just totally uninspired by the dining prospects. Will visit Fifty50 to pay tribute to McClain (I used to walk by Spring almost daily), will probably down a few pieces of late night hikari mono at Kabuto, may take the cooking Thai bubbe in my household to mock the prices/food at LoS, but beyond that, I'm tapped out.

Any one have anything new on the radar? Is Due Forni worth the trek down to Summerlin? That Eater 38 list is of no help.

Have you been to Monta and/or Raku?

Raku
5030 W.Spring Mountain Rd #2
Las Vegas, NV 89146
(702) 367-3511

Monta Ramen
5030 Spring Mountain Rd
Las Vegas, NV 89146
(702) 367-4600

As much as I like both of those places, I still think Ichiza is the one Vegas/Japanese food must (said having not been to Kabuto).

Maybe not quite *cool*, but Colicchio's new place at the Mirage is on my short list.

Enjoy Kabuto - big fan. If you're not eager for LoS, maybe try Chada? I haven't been so I can't judge, but curious to try it.

stevez wrote:Have you been to Monta and/or Raku?

Big fan of Raku, but I'm all ramen'd out here in LA in the last 3 years.

Vital Information wrote:As much as I like both of those places, I still think Ichiza is the one Vegas/Japanese food must.

Maybe not quite *cool*, but Colicchio's new place at the Mirage is on my short list.

read your Ichiza rec earlier. Been couple of times, enjoyed myself, but still don't agree. There are many izakayas in the/my city, including a Shinsen Gumi right down the road, and most of 'em are on the same plane as Ichiza. Plus, the rowdy "kids" make me postal.

Re: New Coliccio at Mirage looks secksy. And not loud. Craft LA's badass MFer of a pastry chef helped on the dessert menu. I'm there. Thanks!

BR wrote:maybe try Chada?

I'd rather stab my eyeball repeatedly with an ice pick.

TonyC wrote:

BR wrote:maybe try Chada?

I'd rather stab my eyeball repeatedly with an ice pick.

So I take it you've been and had a bad experience?

^^^ not at all. On (very low) moral principles alone. Thankfully, there's Kabuto.

A recent (and short-term) transplant to Las Vegas from Chicago, checking in...

For those interested in additional Japanese options, I would strongly, strongly recommend Yonaka.

Yonaka
4983 W Flamingo Rd
Ste A
Las Vegas, NV 89103

rtb178 wrote:A recent (and short-term) transplant to Las Vegas from Chicago, checking in...

For those interested in additional Japanese options, I would strongly, strongly recommend Yonaka.

Yonaka
4983 W Flamingo Rd
Ste A
Las Vegas, NV 89103

Please tell me more about Yonaka, what you like about it, how it compares to other Japanese spots in town, etc. While I'm already booked at Raku & Kabuto, I might go a little light with dinner at Raku and have a later "dessert" at Yonaka.

Hadn't been to Vegas in at least 14 years, might have been 24, just not a place I strive to travel to anymore. On Saturday night, a large group of us (~50) dined at Momofuku by David Chang. We had a set menu but there were some nice choices.

Shishito Peppers - smoked salt, lime
Spicy Cucumbers - togarashi, toasted almond
Shrimp Cocktail - cocktail sauce & sweet/spicy mayo
Wedgeless Salad - apple, radish, bacon, ranch
Ginger Scallion noodles - pickled shitake, cucumber
Dry Roasted Mussels - Benton's bacon, Momofuku furikake
Bo Ssam - slow roasted pork shoulder w/oysters, rice, bibb lettuce, kimchi, hoisin, ssam sauce, ginger scallion sauce
Spicy Cod Hot Pot - filet steamed over mung bean noodles in spiced broth w/hint of Sichuan pepper, garnished with tomato, carrots, peppers, chillies

Food was quite good to excellent overall, with highlights for me being the spicy cucumbers, mussels, hot pot, bo ssam.

Didn't appreciate the shrimp cocktail, wedgeless salad, ginger scallion noodles (just not much interesting or well executed with these three mentioned dishes)

Momofuku (in Cosmopolitan Casino/hotel)
https://www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com/re ... s/momofuku

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I'll include off-strip here but for 3-4 days in Vegas annually, my dining choices run to simple tastes & pretty much depends on where I stay, which most often is The Mirage. If that's the case, I usually can be found at one of these:

Tom Colicchio's Heritage Steak (Mirage)--wonderful room, great service, every item done exquisitely

Japonais (Mirage)--wanted not to like this, but it's fun & tapas-style done quite well

Mon Ami Gabi (Paris)--their patio on LV Blvd across from the Bellagio fountains is the best people-watching in town. Melman quality & service, top-notch

Settebello (Henderson location only)--favorite Napolitan pizza outside of Naples

In-N-Out Burger (various)--usually last meal before driving to McCarran--the best


That being said, I have given up on a couple places--Battista's Hole-In-The-Wall, because even though it's old Vegas and still has Gordy the accordion player, the quality has declined considerably. Also, Hugo's Cellar (4 Queens) used to be a favorite but the waiters have gotten a little surly and the place somehow feels more claustrophobic with advancing age!

Japonais at Mirage closed a few months ago (https://vegas.eater.com/2017/3/20/14972960/japonais-closes-mirage). The Japanese replacement may very well be similar though.

As soon as I had Yellowtail at Bellagio (at north entrance, closest to Flamingo Rd), the Japanese-on-the-strip question was answered. I've been there 6-7 times since first try in 2008, and have never been let down.

Off the strip in the Chinatown area is a great Korean BBQ place called Hoback.

http://hobakkoreanbbq.com/

The "Combo" meals are outstanding. Reasonably priced for the amounts of food that you get. They include all the Ban chan, salad, grilled meats and desert. Staff is friendly and does most of the cooking for you at your table. Re-fills of ban chan or salad are plentiful if desired. We have gone here the last few times we were in vegas (including last week) and have never been disappointed. If you have shows/entertainment planned for "dinner-time", a late lunch here is a great option, as it's less crowded and the amounts of food will easily hold you over until a meal/snack after the show.

Any new recs for Vegas Strip? Spontaneous quick trip post Labor Day, won’t have a car, staying on Harmon just off the Strip. Apparently there’s covered moving walkway to MGM area.

Was thinking of trying a Collichio place, and hubby likes the sports book at Aria because it’s genuinely smoke free so something near there is good too. Haven’t been in about 10 years. Last time everyone was all hot about some Thai place off the strip and a fine dining experience with a famous chef also somewhere off the strip. That place had amazing grits and best heirloom tomatoes I’ve ever had. Wish I could remember the name.

Thanks!

I guess this for anyone on a future trip.

Peppermill. It's north of Encore and has been on the Strip since 1972. It's an old school coffee shop type of menu. Everything I've had has been great. It's open 24 hours and they are known for their breakfast but don't overlook the rest of the menu. On my last trip in May I went three times and loved it everytime. I took my girlfriend there and she loved it too. As a bonus, they have the swanky Fireside Lounge inside. I'm sick of the Strip and all that it's become, but I can still go here and sort of get away from it all (though I do love sitting on the patio and eating at Mon Ami Gabi in front of Paris).

As soon as you open their webpage I guarantee you'll want to go there.
http://www.peppermilllasvegas.com/

Peppermill
2985 Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas NV
702-735-4177

Ram4 wrote:I guess this for anyone on a future trip.

Peppermill. It's north of Encore and has been on the Strip since 1972. It's an old school coffee shop type of menu.

Was there years ago. I seem to remember 10-egg omelets and other extreme servings.

IIRC it's known as a late night / early morning hangout for performers from the casinos.

JoelF wrote:

Ram4 wrote:I guess this for anyone on a future trip.

Peppermill. It's north of Encore and has been on the Strip since 1972. It's an old school coffee shop type of menu.

Was there years ago. I seem to remember 10-egg omelets and other extreme servings.

IIRC it's known as a late night / early morning hangout for performers from the casinos.

Penn Gillette is a regular or at least was before he lost a lot of weight!

Any other must try breakfast or brunch spots besides Peppermill? Strip or off-strip, whichever!

I've been waxing poetic about The Hash House for years, now known as Mary's Hash House so as not to be confused with the chain Hash House a Go Go.

Everything home made from scratch by Mary, a crusty master of the flat top. It's the Patty's Diner of Vegas. For me, it's a must stop everytime I'm in town.

Look in the "Vegas Off the Strip" thread for more details and pictures.

Mary's Hash House
2605 S. Decatur Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89102
702-873-9479

There is a place on Desert Inn Road just past Eastern Ave called 50's Diner Omelet House that kills it. Get the house potatoes as they do them fresh. Great place to load up with great made from scratch chow. Will be there in a couple of weeks.

We went to the Egg and I back in August and loved it. The menu is laughably huge and entirely egg-focused.

stevez wrote:I've been waxing poetic about The Hash House for years, now known as Mary's Hash House so as not to be confused with the chain Hash House a Go Go.

Everything home made from scratch by Mary, a crusty master of the flat top. It's the Patty's Diner of Vegas. For me, it's a must stop everytime I'm in town.

Look in the "Vegas Off the Strip" thread for more details and pictures.

Mary's Hash House
2605 S. Decatur Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89102
702-873-9479

That cinches it. I'll be there in a couple weeks, and we've been looking to get out of the rut of breakfast where we stay at the Mirage--either Cravings or Carnegie Deli, both good--so we'll have to try Mary's. But it's so easy just to put on a pair of sweats and stay in the hotel, you know?

My two favorite hashes of all-time have been Manny's and Patty's, different but both perfect in their own way. You've set the bar pret-ty high, Stever!

Settebello (Napolitan pizza) by Green Valley (Sahara Ave. location not nearly as good) will no doubt be on the agenda, my favorite thin in the world, rivaled only by Wells Bros. in Racine, which the LTH North Group will be visiting Saturday--excited!

Tom Colicchio's Heritage Steak at The Mirage has been a favorite for the last few years since their opening, but on our visit last January, when I could not for the life of me find even a decent bottle of red--domestic or import--for under $100/bottle, that just soured me. So we might be branching out, and will report back.

jnm123 wrote:Tom Colicchio's Heritage Steak at The Mirage has been a favorite for the last few years since their opening, but on our visit last January, when I could not for the life of me find even a decent bottle of red--domestic or import--for under $100/bottle, that just soured me. So we might be branching out, and will report back.

I'm going in a few weeks too and a bit stumped on the steak dinner aspect. Last time I was there, we went to Bazaar Meats, which just totally went over the head of my non-foodie friends.

Heritage is one place I have not been, but somehow it has not appealed to me, and now I guess even less.

Right now the places that are on my mind seem dumb, but that's what's on my mind:
- Bavette -- I mean to go to Vegas and go to a place that's from home?
- Craftsteak -- It's easy as we're staying at MGM and it's a known quality to my friends
- Circus Circus -- It was the first Vegas steakhouse we went to (as part of my bachelor party!), would be fun to revisit
- Golden Steer - I've been there too and it mostly seems like a one and done, been there, done that kinda place, but overall, I'm balking at how expensive the strip places are (also why Circus Circus in mix).

I also think maybe I'm being a bit pennywise, that the extra $10 or so per steak is not that big of a deal in the scheme of things.

A place we like to frequent when in LV is the Italian - American Club on Sahara (kind of tricky to see). Great atmosphere, especially when they have a nightclub act. Very good food at reasonable price points. Good cocktails and very attentive staff.

When I was in Vegas last year we had a great breakfast at the Hash House-
It was chicken and waffles IIRC

Another awesome meal was at Tony Romo on Fremont
after 9:30 I think was $11.95 for steak and lobster
and I must say it was great!
absolutely the nest $12 meal I've had in my life.

I have some pix somewhere- when I have a minute I'll see if I can find them

I will announce it here that, after 35 years of accepting it for what it was, I have officially bailed on Downtown Vegas--the cheap gambling, the entertainment & the food, all of which I used to enjoy immensely as an interestingly retro counterpoint to the Strip. Fremont Street has turned into a freak show of epic proportions--it's like Halloween in an alternate universe--every night! It was for awhile morbidly fascinating, now it's just plain morbid, and borderline sickening. For a couple years I've been saying that this visit will be the last.

I used to love Hugo's Cellar at the 4 Queens, where every woman was presented a rose upon entrance. The steaks & seafood, the spinning salad bowl were quite good & reasonably-priced. The downstairs coffee shop at Binion's made a great hamburger club sandwich, and it was a primo place to people-watch at any time of the day or night. Even the historic El Cortez is more than tired and, at two blocks off the FSE, is in a fairly dangerous neighborhood. Why chance it?

We've tried Oscar Goodman's place above the Plaza and it was Strip-priced and just felt seedy, like the old saying about putting a bow on a pig.

One place we may return to--last time was my first trip to Vegas in 1982--is the Bootlegger, having moved at some point just south of 215 on LV Blvd. Appears to have been spiffed up since the move, and I just saw a Bourdain clip from 2014, that made it look like one of the few 'old Vegas' haunts left. We'll see, but Bootlegger might replace Battista's Hole-In-The-Wall in my rotation, which despite my friend accordionist Gordy's occasional appearance, has dropped off the radar quality-wise.

http://bootleggerlasvegas.com/

IMO, if you love Asian food, you're doing at least a bit of a disservice to yourself if you don't go whole hog and treat your trip to Vegas largely as a trip to Asia. For me, the standout has always been the Japanese food but the growing representation of other Asian cuisines is certainly noticeable. But go beyond the sushi and ramen and you'll find that there is plenty to eat as far as Japanese breakfasts go too. And most of the spots are very close to one another, in the various strip malls that make up Vegas' vast Chinatown.

jnm123 wrote:I will announce it here that, after 35 years of accepting it for what it was, I have officially bailed on Downtown Vegas...<snip>
One place we may return to--last time was my first trip to Vegas in 1982--is the Bootlegger, having moved at some point just south of 215 on LV Blvd. Appears to have been spiffed up since the move, and I just saw a Bourdain clip from 2014, that made it look like one of the few 'old Vegas' haunts left. We'll see, but Bootlegger might replace Battista's Hole-In-The-Wall in my rotation, which despite my friend accordionist Gordy's occasional appearance, has dropped off the radar quality-wise.

http://bootleggerlasvegas.com/

First as to downtown: when i was there in 2017, I had a very nice cocktail @ Triple George, and it looked to be a good restaurant. Moreover, in my steak quest, Andiamo, in the D, downtown, is intriguing but I cannot imagine my friends wanting--I especially want to try the "zip" sauce.

Second, as to Bootleggers, I was there in 2016, and had one of the best Vegas nights ever. The food is decent, I'm a sucker for red gravy kinda Italian, and this would be in the medium range, which is good enough, but what made the evening was that it was open mic (Mondays) and the variety and talent of the people who ventured on stage was incredible, from some very talented teacher to a professional opera singer to all sortsa in between. You cannot plan a night like that.

As to Asian, I pretty much agree and am only limited by the crowd I'm running with. More love goes to Raku, but Ichiza is my fav; I know of nothing close. Chegdu Taste is high on my lists of places I need to visit.

BR wrote:IMO, if you love Asian food, you're doing at least a bit of a disservice to yourself if you don't go whole hog and treat your trip to Vegas largely as a trip to Asia. For me, the standout has always been the Japanese food but the growing representation of other Asian cuisines is certainly noticeable.

BR's right. Besides Lotus of Siam, I've tried pho or bun bo at numerous joints on that Spring Mountain corridor and they've pretty much all been authentic and very good, on the average better than what we could get here.

My new favorite under-the-radar place is Noodle Exchange, in the Gold Coast Casino where Terrible Mike's hamburgers (awesome) used to be. The Gold Coast used to be home on my first few trips to Vegas, in the days when I was lured by quarter craps and dollar blackjack.

But I digress. Noodle Exchange purports itself as a simple, casual noodle shop, but check out the menu--it spans Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, Cantonese, Mandarin, even Macau in its cuisine. In any place other than Vegas--where they out of necessity have to cater to the Asian gambling 'whales', those who bet at least $1 million a day but will eat a ten buck meal at night as comfort food--I'd say it wouldn't work. Here it does, famously.

And the Spicy Dan Dan Noodles are pretty much to die for. On my radar in a couple weeks!

Noodle Exchange
Gold Coast Hotel & Casino
4000 W. Flamingo Rd.
Las Vegas, NV 89103
(702) 367-7111

https://www.goldcoastcasino.com/dine/casual-dining/noodle-exchange

Personally, I also treat a trip to Vegas as a trip to be with my Hawaiian people in the 9th island. Portuguese sausage on a ton of menus, Honolulu Cookie Company in the Grand Canal shops, and most importantly, the two big draws of the Cal — Lappert's Ice Cream and the Market Street Cafe. Once that Zippy's opens in 2019, I might start hopping weekend flights just to grab my favorites.

Anyone have any info on Siegle's 1941 in the El Cortez? Thinking of having dinner there after going to the Neon Museum. Haven't been to Vegas in 30's years and this place sounds kinda cool.
Also curious for reactions to the Atomic Liquors?