Elixir’s food is pretty good, but while the website promises “fresh food prepared by our chef daily,” and I don’t doubt that some of it is, there’s a straight-from-the-purveyor feel to much of it.
Heidi Knapp Rinella
RJ food critic Heidi Rinella takes you inside your favorite Vegas eateries and let's you know what's worth the bite. Hungry for more? Head to bestoflasvegas.com for all of your foodie needs
There are, it seems, a gazillion pasta cuts out there, but aficionados know that certain sauces and other ingredients are perfect with some shapes but don’t work so well with others. So it was completely understandable to me when Fred Bilello wrote in looking for long fusilli, a corkscrew pasta, and mafalda, which looks like narrow lasagna noodles — and it appears it was, as well, to his fellow Taste of the Town readers, who supplied sources.
Stewart + Ogden tries to fulfill a dual role, morphing from a breakfast/lunch spot to a “sophisticated bistro.”
Oh, how we love those nostalgic tastes of our youth. I can remember Mrs. Grass’ Chicken Noodle Soup — in a box — from when I was a kid.
There’s been a trend around here lately in which eminent chefs generally known for their high-end restaurants open casual, sports-barry, middle-of-the-road places, either in addition to their more posh spots or to replace one or more of them.
Gotta love that Kona coffee, which has a rich, full-bodied flavor stemming from its growing conditions on the Big Island of Hawaii. Unfortunately, Kona’s pretty pricey — among the most expensive coffees in the world — so I wasn’t surprised when Taste of the Town regular Jim Guynup emailed in search of a source for it “at a reasonable price.” I’m not sure what’s reasonable — that’s open to wide interpretation — but readers have a few local sources.
Thai restaurants have become so numerous in the valley that they have to figure out how to stand out in the crowd. Naga Thai has found a number of ways to do it.
Ah, the vagaries of the corporate world and the still-struggling economy. It appears, as reader Rob Lindley pointed out, that the Home Pride bread that Dennis Hughes was seeking had temporarily disappeared from supermarket shelves because of the financial problems of parent company Hostess, but has since been bought by Flowers Foods.
As a critic and as a writer in general, I’ve always thought that proclaiming anything “America’s best” or “Nevada’s best” or “Las Vegas’ best” is just wrong.
When Edith F. Gurdzynski contacted me in search of a good pasticchio served locally, I had to resist the temptation to point out that the Greek Food Festival is always a good source, because the good people of St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church prepare and serve a stellar version there. But since the festival is held only once a year, in the early fall, I figured Gurdzynski wouldn’t want to wait that long. Luckily, three of her fellow Taste of the Town readers came to the rescue.
One of the coolest things about my job is who might be on the other end of the line when the phone rings.
Wow. Talk about a regional favorite. After I posted a query from Tony Thurber, looking for New Jersey-style pork roll, his fellow Taste of the Town readers responded en masse.
Whether you like Novecento comes down to this: What do you see in your mind and anticipate on your tastebuds when you hear the word “pizza”? Novecento serves the real thing, Neapolitan-style pizza in the style of the place the pie was born.
Tender Steak &Seafood at the Luxor, 3900 Las Vegas Blvd. South, is featuring specialty items in honor of the PBR World Finals through Sunday. A 30-ounce Angus beef rib-eye Tomahawk Chop paired with a Crown Royal flight is $95; they’re available separately for $75 and $30. Tender also is featuring a game meat tasting platter, $55 per person. …
Sometimes, although it may seem difficult to believe, a food item may not be available in this melting pot of a city of ours.