17. MIZUMI
If Mizumi had an advertising budget like Nobu or Bar Masa, Devin Hashimoto would be a household name by now. As it is, he toils in (relative) obscurity in one of the most beautiful restaurants in Las Vegas, seemingly content to kick the ass of his more famous competition, beating them at their own game, night after toothsome night.
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ELV note: We interrupt our regular programming — i.e., our march through the 50 Essential Restaurants of Las Vegas, in descending order — to bring you a few words about Bar Masa.
What you mainly feel, after the anger subsides, is a sense of relief. The sort of relief that only comes from knowing you’re free. Free from the pull of perfection. Free from dark thoughts that pull you back in, time and again. Thoughts of passions and pursuits. Chasing the high. Never getting enough.
11. YONAKA
Yonaka is the type of restaurant that couldn’t have existed in Las Vegas ten years ago.
Like all upscale Asian joints, it owes a debt of gratitude to 2013 Chef of the Year Mitsuo Endo for educating the minds and palates of the fledgling restaurant consumer. Without Raku paving the way six years ago, the appetite for intriguing Japanese food would remain but a tiny niche in our local food world. As it is, Yonaka took a page from Raku’s playbook, and tweaked it according to Ramir DeCastro’s own playful (and fruit-friendly) sensibilities – making Yonaka’s food even more fun and accessible than Raku’s.
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