Santa Claus (me) has been checking his list and checking it twice, and he’s gonna find out who’s been naughty and nice. Actually, he already knows, and since Santa sees all, we thought it time to hand out a few appropriate gifts to a few deserving souls. (And by “deserving souls” we mean those people and places in our local food scene who should get either kudos or scorn for how they’ve behaved in the past year.)

Aria Hotel – a big kiss from Santa and a Nebuchadnezzar of premium champagne for the continued excellence of Sage, Carbone and Bardot Brasserie.

Wynn/Encore – a bag of coal and rotten grapes for the most criminally overpriced wine lists on the Strip.

Downtown Summerlin – a lifetime pass to Penn & Teller for performing the magic act of keeping (what seems like) 58 half-empty restaurants open for the entire year.

Evel Pie – tickets to a Yankees’ game for bringing a slice of Little Italy to Las Vegas.

Cory Harwell – an in-house psychiatrist for the sessions he will need after being driven crazy by trying to appeal to the whims of Henderson diners.

El Sombrero/Irma Aguirre – a copy of Hamlet to help them weather the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that Donald Trump brought to their doorstep.

Bradley Manchester – a bottle of good whiskey to help him drown his sorrows after the sorrowful closing of Glutton.

Golden Steer Steakhouse – Windex, Clorox, a mop, bug-spray, a can of paint and a gift certificate to Coit Carpet Cleaners to finally clean up this ratty looking ode to the Rat Pack.

THE Steakhouse at Circus Circus – the Zsa Zsa Gabor award for hanging in there long after, by all rights, it should be dead.

Carla Pellegrino – the Comeback of the Year award for coming back from Miami, and for coming back from having her restaurant turned into a demolition derby by an errant driver.

Anthony Curtis, Greg Thilmont and Mitchell Wilburn – drinks on me for all the work they put into publishing two editions of EATING LAS VEGAS – The 50 Essential Restaurants this year.

EATT Healthy Food – salt and pepper shakers to brighten up their extraordinary food that is sometimes woefully under-seasoned.

José Andrés – a couple of brass balls for standing up to Donald “Mr. 46%” Trump.

Libertine Social – aspirin to hand out to all of their customers for the wicked hangovers they’re bound to get from all the wicked good cocktails.

The Mixx Grill & Lounge – fire extinguishers for the biggest, fastest, flame-out of any restaurant this year.

“Celebrity Chef” Sam Marvin (and the lamebrains behind F. Pigalle) –  a year’s supply of AA batteries, my old Vivid Video collection, and a case of K-Y to help you use all those decorative butt plugs and dildos left over from the WORST RESTAURANT IDEA IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD.

Ho ho ho to all until next year!