A friend of mine who’s an excellent cook told me recently that she’d just made pasta for the first time. To which I wanted to say, “What were you waiting for, woman?”
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
Well, I sure like what they’ve done with the place.
“Good” and “gluten-free” usually don’t end up in the same sentence as “bread,” but the conventional wisdom has it that Udi’s is the exception. So it’s no wonder I received several responses from readers after Roberta Shulman emailed that she’s looking for Udi’s, from a source other than Trader Joe’s.
“Oooh,” my friend said, as we perused the list of sandwiches at the Bronze Cafe. “You have to try the Tree of Life.”
Gerri Frederick is looking for super-sized ice-cream sundaes like the former Leatherby’s used to serve, and I’m guessing she’s going to have a lot of fun checking out the suggestions from her fellow readers.
Hot dogs of one brand or another are without doubt one of the most popular items sought by Taste of the Town readers over the years. It’s either a case of the things we eat during the early part of our lives influencing our tastes, a yearning for the tastes of happier times or a combination of both. (Although I have to say I never get a craving for Kahn’s, “the wiener the world awaited.” The company, now owned by Sara Lee Corp., uses “The taste you’ve always loved,” and I think they’re on to something.)
Taste of the Town readers have come to the rescue of Leslie Hall, who is looking for a North Carolina-style vinegar-based barbecue sauce, despairing of the sweet ketchupy sauces she’s been finding.
I’m far from an elitist; some of my favorite restaurants are among the least expensive, least ostentatious places you could find, mom-and-pop spots that may be tiny and almost unknown but serve flavor-filled food that conveys the passion of the people who prepare it.
Seafood Nights at The Feast Buffet at Green Valley Ranch, 2300 Paseo Verde Parkway in Henderson, and Red Rock Resort, 11011 W. Charleston Blvd., will continue through August. Every station includes seafood items, including crispy head-on prawns, oyster shooters, fried shrimp po’ boys, stuffed blue crab, blackened redfish and white clam pizza. It’s available from 4 to 9 p.m. Fridays for $29.99 for adults, $24.99 for children 2-9. …
As I’ve found myself saying many times over the years, Italian restaurants are so numerous — and, on some levels, so similar — that it’s tough for one to stand out from the crowd.
I have a tip this week on something frequently requested by readers of this column.
Does it take a village to deliver a flawless dining experience? Not necessarily, but thanks to the interdepartmental teamwork we experienced at Wynn Las Vegas, our dinner at Wing Lei was … well, let’s just say we think this is what Steve Wynn has in mind.
Thanks to his fellow readers, Harvey Brown won’t have to render his own chickens to obtain the chicken fat that’s so wonderful in soups and lots of other things. Naomi Plisky said chicken fat in jars can be found in the kosher department at Albertsons at 2550 S. Fort Apache Road, and Lois Ripes said she gets it at the deli counter at Bagelmania, 855 E. Twain Ave. …