Yeah, Benihana’s the only original Hilton restaurant left there. And honestly, there’s nothing there worth the drive. The grub there is merely mediocre (at best).

Now, that I’m on a Dewar’s and Soda induced tangent, old memories surfaced of wonderful dining experiences at Las Vegas Hilton when it was “The Hilton”, before Steve Wynn broke ground for The Mirage, so it must have been the mid-1980s. The Hilton was a great property in its day. I was there the week that Andiamo opened with its show kitchen. A first class room with excellent servers and Maitre de. In those days, Le Montrachet was one of the best “gourmet rooms” in the city, and I still remember the corned beef sandwiches at Mannachen near the main entrance to The Hilton. I don’t suppose any of the original restaurants are still there other than Benihana Village. OK, enough of that. Back to the 21st Century.

Heh. Well, we gays still know how to cook up a storm. Check out my kitchen some time. ;-)

But anyway, it’s sad to see the original (for Vegas) Emeril’s deteriorate like this. I hope Chef Lagasse finds this as a wake-up call to “kick it up a notch” here.