The Worst of Las Vegas

It’s not easy living with the worst metropolitan newspaper in America. But when they invade our territory, something needs to be said. Here are our comments on some of the Review-Journal’s “Best Of…” categories in food and drink.

This isn’t pretty.

You have been warned.

RESULTS OF THE REVIEW-JOURNAL’S BEST OF LAS VEGAS READER’S POLL:

2010 – Best Bar Food

Readers’ Pick:

Timbers Bar & Grill

Multiple locations

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We figure Timbers’ win this year has much to do with a menu that’s heavy on comfort food/bar food favorites, updated with slightly sophisticated touches in keeping with modern tastes. And the beauty of this menu is its vast variety, including seven types of burgers, plus fish, steaks, pizza and more. Longtime winner PT’s Pub finishes a distant second.

Our Pick:

Steiner’s — A Nevada-Style Pub

Multiple locations

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When we think of Steiner’s we think of dark, dank, smoky poker bars — because Steiner’s is none of these things. No, this is a poker bar for the 21st century and it has the menu to prove it, with such dishes as a lamb chop appetizer, the mere memory of which makes us hungry. And we like the fact that Steiner’s has such a sense of place, with the dishes on its menu named after various Nevada locales.

ELV Pick: Steiner’s is okay, Timbers is frozen food heaven, and both are populated by the sort of video poker drones who give our neighborhood bars a bad name. A great example of the low-brow clientele the R-J constantly panders to.

Neither is in the same league as the munchies at FIRST Food & Bar.

Runner Up: Simon at Palms Place.

2010 – Best Barbeque

Readers’ Pick:

Famous Dave’s

Multiple locations

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We wonder how much Dave himself becoming the frontman on his company’s commercials — a sort of latter-day version of that other famous Dave, the late Mr. Thomas of Wendy’s — has to do with this chain becoming front and center in readers’ minds, but we’d guess it’s also because there are so many valley locations that it’s convenient to all. Oh, and those ribs, lip-smackin’ good. Memphis Championship Barbecue finishes second.

Our Pick:

T.C.’S Rib Crib

8470 W. Desert Inn Road

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T.C.’s is kind of the antithesis of Famous Dave’s — one little storefront, versus a slew of locations — but what they do have in common is dedication to the art of barbecue. Three types of ribs are available, but the pulled pork never fails to amaze us with its sweet, smoky, moist and tender wonderfulness. And we absolutely love the fact that we can get fried okra on the side.

ELV Pick: The barbecue in Las Vegas is horrendously bad, and as a dyed-in-the-wool Southern ‘cue snob, we can assure you no one at the R-j or their readers knows a damn thing about the subject. But when we have a hankerin’ for pulled pork or baby backs we go to Memphis Championship Barbecue. It ain’t Maurice’s Piggy Park, or Kreutz’s, or Struttin’ Gates, but is good enough when a craving hits.

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Worst Restaurant in City Center Named Best New Restaurant

ELV note: The press release last Friday read as follows:

EVA LONGORIA PARKER’S BESO STEAKHOUSE IS NAMED
“BEST NEW RESTAURANT” BY LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL’S ANNUAL
2010 BEST OF LAS VEGAS READERS’ POLL

LAS VEGAS – Eva Longoria Parker’s celebrated steakhouse, Beso, was named “Best New Restaurant” by the Las Vegas Review-Journal 2010 Annual Best of Las Vegas readers’ poll.

The Las Vegas interpretation, situated directly beneath her opulent nightclub Eve, is Longoria Parker’s second restaurant, modeled after her popular, original Beso in Hollywood . Since opening in December 2009 at Crystals in the world-renowned CityCenter complex, Beso has quickly become a favorite hotspot among locals and celebrities alike.

In a brief note to us over the weekend, Eric Gladstone said it best:

Dear John,

Please express my condolences to Shawn McClain, Pierre Gagnaire, Julian Serrano and probably about 10 other new restauranteurs in town. This might be the worst of many offenses in the R-J poll

Eric

Well said Eric.