Monthly Archives: August 2012

Lotus of Siam

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***** (5 stars)

This is the greatest wine list in Las Vegas, and the best Thai restaurant I’ve ever been to by a wide margin. Located in a dumpy strip mall off of Sahara Boulevard, it serve astonishingly good Thai food; in fact, the chef won the James Beard award last year! Best of all is an award winning wine list where many of the wines are priced below retail. We put our group in the waiter’s hands, and he delivered eight or ten terrific appetizers and shared entrees, each better than the last. I took the opportunity to pillage the wine list, and although some of my selections couldn’t be found, we ended up with some stunners. Where else can you find an affordable Clos de Tart from a great year? That bottle alone was over $1000 on the list at Picasso, a fifth that here.

Lotus of Siam
953 E Sahara Ave
Las Vegas, NV 89104
(702) 735-3033
http://www.yelp.com/biz/lotus-of-siam-las-vegas

Jean Georges Steakhouse

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**** (4 stars)

Jean Georges is a favorite restaurant in New York, but I was dubious about yet another top name chef doing a Vegas steakhouse. But everything was great, and as it turned out no one had steak. The highlight was the teriyaki short ribs, which were like candy on the outside. The wine list is expensive, but there are a few hidden gems.

Jean Georges Steakhouse
3734 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(877) 230-2742
http://www.yelp.com/biz/jean-georges-steakhouse-las-vegas

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon

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***** (5 stars)

We’ve been to l’Atelier in New York, London and Las Vegas, and it’s one of our favorite restaurants. Designed a bit like a sushi bar, the best tables place you at a counter facing into the kitchen, where a half dozen chef’s efficiently and quietly prepare your meal as you watch. Across the counter from you, your dedicate server acts as a friendly and knowledgeable host. We had the tasting menu, ten or so small plates with a half dozen matching wines. Everything was superb, but the knockouts for me were: all the breads, the little pizza-like thing with a quail egg and bacon on it, and the partially smoked salmon. We loved the foie gras parfait amuse bouche. We’ve also been to the more formal Joel Robuchon next door, but it is stuffy and the food seems less interesting than at l’Atelier.

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon
3799 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 891-7358
http://www.yelp.com/biz/l-atelier-de-joel-robuchon-las-vegas-4

Triple George Grill

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*** (3 stars)

After a tour of the Mob Museum, a couple of blocks north of Fremont Street in the somewhat seedy downtown area of Vegas, we walked to the nearby Triple George Grill. It’s a popular lunch stop, and was quite busy. The interior is old school, but the place was built in 2005. The food was fairly typical bar and grill fair, nothing special.

Triple George Grill
201 N 3rd St
Las Vegas, NV 89101
(702) 384-2761
http://www.yelp.com/biz/triple-george-grill-las-vegas

Guy Savoy

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** (2 stars)

This three star Michelin chef’s restaurant cemented my opinion of Michelin ratings: that they’re a good indicator of price, but not quality. This meal cost more than double the comparable meal at the best restaurant in the US, 11 Madison Park. Quality: variable. The first three courses (of 13) were solid 9s, but after that they all, categorically, devolved into less than 5 on a scale of 10. It’s not really worth reporting them here, because they change frequently. But why would you ruin a piece of nice salmon by freezing it on dry ice? The wine paring was top notch, though. This would be a distant last of all the fine dining experiences during our week in Vegas. It pales in comparison to l’Atelier.

Guy Savoy
3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 731-7286
http://www.yelp.com/biz/guy-savoy-las-vegas-2

Cozy Noodles & Rice

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*** (3 stars)

Cozy Noodles is a funky little cafe near Ace hardware, on Davis, but on the other side of the tracks from the business district. The striking thing about the place is the collections of tin toys, Pez dispensers, license plates, canned good, and other oddities that line the walls. Despite its name, it doesn’t serve comfort food (unless you’re from Southeast Asia), but rather Chinese and Thai food. Our food was good — “spicy” definitely means spicy — and the prices are very reasonable.

Cozy Noodles & Rice
1018 Davis St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 733-0101
http://www.yelp.com/biz/cozy-noodles-and-rice-evanston

Joy Yee’s Noodle Kitchen

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*** (3 stars)

This place has a massive menu, with all types of Asian food. It’s big and busy and loud, and probably the best reason to go is for their huge assortment of beverages and ice cream drinks. 527 Cafe, right next door, offers better Korean and Thai food in a quieter environment.

Joy Yee’s Noodle Kitchen
521 Davis St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 733-1900
http://www.yelp.com/biz/joy-yees-noodle-kitchen-evanston