Author: John Curtas

The List

Dear Readers: In his capacity as both restaurant critic and attorney to the stars, ELV is always being asked (besides: “How do you stay so young, thin and good looking?”): What are your favorite restaurants?” or “What are the top places in town?” Recently, we found ourself answering these questions so frequently that we decided to do a post that sums it all up.

As you’ll see, the only true “rankings” are the first category – Best of the Best, and steakhouses (Best Beef Eatin’). All other listed names are randomly placed within the category. And in case you’re wondering — yes, we have eaten in every one of these places multiple times over the years

The Best of the Best – when price is no object:

1) Joel Robuchon
2) Guy Savoy
3) Restaurant Charlie
4) Michael Mina
5) Picasso
6) ALEX
7) Le Cirque
8) RM Seafood

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Encore Spa

“It’s kinda like the Taj Mahal with hot tubs,” is how one ELV staffer described the ABA-designed Encore Spa after they’d completed a day of relaxation.

We realize this has nothing to do with food, but uber-designer Todd Avery Lenahan’s massage-motivated-palace-of-pleasure-zen-masterpiece is so spectacular that we just had to run a few snaps of it.

And in case you’re wondering, ELV ain’t exactly down with the whole health and relaxation thing — since his idea of a massage begins and ends with Kobe beef, and he’d rather have some Pedro Jimenez P.X. sherry than a pedicure.

BOTERO – The Return Of Mark LoRusso

Mark LoRusso deserves to be a show horse. Not that he’s a showy or flashy guy. Far from it. He’s one of those humble, workaholic chefs who prefers to let his cuisine do the talking. As the Chef de Cuisine of Michael Mina’s Aqua (now Michael Mina), he was that kitchen’s secret weapon, and a guy whose reputation among fellow chefs was exalted long before the public had ever heard of him.

His work at Tableau in the Wynn from 2005-2007 earned him Chef of the Year honors in ’07 from KNPR, and when he’s on his game (which is just about every day and night) the guy is the Tiger Woods of kitchen consistency. Unfortunately, what he’s being asked to do at Botero is the equivalent of chaining a thoroughbred to a milk wagon — and then asking it to make deliveries at 50 miles an hour. Thus has the show horse become a work horse, and because of it, the results are mixed.

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