All ELV wanted was some tasty bivalves, a hunk of sourdough, a snappy Sauvignon Blanc to wash them down, and a little peace and quiet. What he got was three of the four, and some unwanted “entertainment” courtesy of The District. Continue reading “KING’S FISH HOUSE or “Can’t Stop The Music!””
Category: Celebrity Chef Hell
FOOD FOR THOUGHT on News 88.9 FM KNPR – Nevada Public Radio – Belt-Tightening Time
ELV Readers: Almost on cue, this e-mail popped up in our mailbox this morning (11.17.08). It perfectly illustrates the phenomenon we commented on last week (and offers some tasty bargains at the MGM — if you, as a local, are willing to go there).
If you haven’t heard or seen for yourself, the restaurants of Las Vegas are hurtin’ critters. Click here to hear ELV expound upon this unfortunate fact in the indelible intonations for which he is known, or continue reading if that’s how you prefer to educate yourself on this weighty matter:
Belt-Tightening Time
Louis Osteen threw in the towel for good two weeks ago, Andre’s downtown is history as of New Year’s Day, and Joseph Keller’s Bistro Zinc quietly shuttered last month.
Expect more of the same in the coming months (including some high profile closings in The Palazzo) as the boom-boom restaurant years die a slow and noisy death.
Two Lunches – MIMMO FERRARO’S and MESA GRILL
Sometimes you’re just in the mood for something basic and uncomplicated, wouldn’t you agree? No fancy plate stylings or exotic garnishes, just a bowl of good old spaghetti and clams (aka pasta alle vongole),
and boy can Mimmo Ferraro’s fill that bill. This may be the best version of this Italian-American classic we’ve had since we visited Umberto’s Clam House in NYC’s Little Italy years ago, to see where Crazy Joey Gallo bought the farm.
As we were double-booked for lunch (a common occurrence for ELV), we then hightailed in to Caesars to Mesa Grill to chow down on a Bobby Flay Cuban burger — that was tastier than anything we’ve had there in a long time. Equally surprising: good grilled mahi-mahi tacos, a quesadilla more agressively spiced than we remember the food being here, and a cornbread pudding dessert that had three grown men fighting for the last bite.
To hear how tough I’ve been on Mesa Grill in the past, click here. And to read Frank Bruni’s review in the NYTimes (echoing my thoughts of three years earlier), click here.
To hear a past review of Ferraro’s, click here.
Ferraro’s Italian Restaurant
5900 West Flamingo Rd.
Las Vegas, NV 89103
702.364.5300
Mesa Grill
In Caesars Palace
3570 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
877.346.4642