“My problem with ‘wichcraft,” says the Burger Maven of Las Vegas, “is that it’s okay, but it isn’t that great…even though he (owner/Top Chef star/judge/über-chef Tom Colicchio) loves to tear Top Chef cheftestants a new asshole over the sandwiches they make.”
The VEGAS Inc. reported yesterday that Landry's Restaurants of Houston, Texas has agreed to buy both the Beso restaurant and nightclub, en toto, but that the former basketball fan /delinquent tenant/sexpot will retain a 30% interest in a newly formed company that "will have the right to use the Beso assets" and that she'll be contractually obligated to make appearances there.
ELV used to say that barbecue was like pizza and sex: the worst he ever had was still pretty good.
That was before his trip to Famous Dave’s the other day.
Daniel Boulud recently closed his two Vancouver restaurants. Gordon Ramsay has opened and closed outlets from Prague to Los Angeles in the past five years, and some wonder if the whole “celebrity chef” thing has suffered from a surfeit of sensationalism (or “fabulous fatigue” as the New York Times dubbed it). Our friend and colleague Steve Dolinsky weighs in with thoughts on these and other chef/restaurant phenomena (and quite a bit of discussion about the Vegas restaurant scene) in this article in the Montreal Globe and Mail (where Ramsay recently opened to (what sounds like) a collective shrug).
Dear ELV,
I’m an irregular follower of yours. I’ve seen you on Iron Chef, caught your show on the radio and read some of your stuff here and there. You seem to me to be one of the more accessible and sensible of the food critics out there.
My wife and I ate at Craftsteak last weekend and as much as I like Tom Colicchio on Top Chef and wanted our 400.00 dollar dinner to be the best we’ve ever had, it was terrible.
From the 5-Star Robuchons to hole-in-the walls you’ve never heard of, Eating Las Vegas has more than 120 recommendations from the city’s top three food critics, broken down by:
–The Top 10
–The Essential 50
– And by category, including Late Night, Old Vegas, Celebrity Watching, Cheap Eats, Burgers, Pizza, Desserts, Sushi, Beer, Wine Bars, Cocktail Programs, and Chinatown.
In Eating Las Vegas, John Curtas, Max Jacobson, and Al Mancini spotlight the 50 restaurants they could all agree are essential stops for foodies, visitors, and locals seeking an unforgettable meal. In the city that boasts more than 2,000 places for dining out, this groundbreaking guide ushers you through the best of what this dining destination has to offer, with reviews covering the best of the city’s most lavish dining rooms to off-the-Strip ethnic gems. Once you’ve made your way through all 50, you can truly say you’ve “eaten Las Vegas.”
Altogether, we think this is the most comprehensive, honest, and entertaining restaurant guide we’ve ever seen. It’s essential reading for every foodie and makes a great gift for any Vegas fan with an appetite.
Click this link to read a sample review.
Click here to see one of the restaurants from the Vetoes section that didn’t quite make the cut, and why.
Click here to read the Best of Chinatown.
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John Curtas John A. Curtas has been Las Vegas’ reigning voice of food and restaurant commentary on KNPR, Nevada Public Radio, for the past 15 years. During that time, he has also been the first restaurant critic for Las Vegas Life magazine and the Las Vegas Weekly (for which he still writes), and is the man behind the “Eating Las Vegas” food blog (eatinglv.com). Nationally, he’s written for Time Out Las Vegas, Fodor’s Las Vegas, Best Places Las Vegas, and for John Mariani’s The Virtual Gourmet. He’s a voting member for the James Beard Foundation restaurant/chef awards and San Pellegino World’s 50 Best Restaurants, as well as a frequent guest on Food Network programs, including two stints as a judge on “Iron Chef America.” |
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Max Jacobson Max Jacobson has had a rousing career spanning almost 30 years in food journalism, but he’ll be happy to fly under the radar if he loses some weight. His career took flight in 1984, when he signed on at the Los Angeles Times as a writer on Chinese and Japanese food, and expanded into food and wine writing shortly thereafter. He was fortunate to arrive in Vegas when the food scene really began to blossom and has been a food writer and editor there since 1999. |
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Al Mancini Al Mancini discovered his passion for food while living in New York City, where he attended law school by day, tended bar and made pizza at the infamous punk club CBGB by night, and explored the Big Apple’s dynamic dining scene during every spare moment in between. For the past eight years, he’s served as the restaurant critic for Las Vegas CityLife. He’s also written extensively about food and dining for numerous local lifestyle publications, such as 944, Where, What’s On, Desert Companion, and Luxury Las Vegas, and has served as a contributor to the international guidebook Time Out Las Vegas. |
Max Jacobson, John Curtas and Al Mancini.
Photo: Denise Truscello/WireImage
The eagerly awaited and highly anticipated book Eating Las Vegas: The 50 Essential Restaurants has been completed, and the prized selections are now wrapped in total secrecy. Vegas DeLuxe has learned that the manuscript is on its way to the printers and should be on bookshelves in time for a planned mid-November release party.
Bobby Flay and I are about as close as any two guys can be who each thinks the other has no respect for what he does. In other words, he don’t send me no Christmas cards, and unlike with most famous chefs, my pulse quickens not a bit when he walks in a room.
ELV note: Once we announced the impending closure of Fleur de Lys, a few readers wondered if the quality would drop off as it plays out the string. The following letter addresses that concern, and also brings to light a situation we have (distressingly/frequently) heard about over the past few months, to wit: The amateurish-to-absent service at RM Upstairs.
Dear ELV,
We dined at Fleur de Lys Saturday night, and it was very good (with the possible exception of the veal ravioli). The truffled soup and souffle were great. Fleur de Lys was not, however, as good as Sage on Friday night. Sage was a revelation — my sincere thanks to Mr. Curtas for recommending it on this site.
Restaurant reviews, quips, picks and pans-with some seriously salivating history-from the man who eats his way through Sin City every day.
