Food

Choosing this year’s standout dishes

Jim Begley focuses on five most memorable bites

Image
Yusho’s addictive garlic-sesame drumsticks.

Cracklin’ Jacks at Sporting Life Bar My favorite dish at my favorite new restaurant? The simply great Cracklin’ Jacks are a play on the nostalgic Cracker Jack, substituting pork rinds for popcorn—a trade up if you ask me—tossed with roasted peanuts and doused in honey-chipotle sauce. Salt, heat and sweet intertwine in a crazily addictive app. 7770 S. Jones Blvd., 702-331-4647.

Pozole Rojo at El Menudazo While the menudo at this weekend-only North Las Vegas nook is exemplary, it’s the rich, short rib-rife pozole that draws me back on Saturday mornings. A hearty breakfast treat, it’s the cure for whatever ails you. 3100 E. Lake Mead Blvd., 702-944-9706.

The <em>pozole</em> at El Menudazo.

The pozole at El Menudazo.

Chicken Drummies at Yusho Chicken wings in a Japanese restaurant? Oh yeah. These miniature drumsticks, decorated with garlic and sesame seeds, are accompanied by a salty red miso paste tinged with funkiness, offering a foil to the chicken’s richness. One order is never enough. Monte Carlo, 702-730-6888.

Escargot and Mushroom Pie at Comme Ça Snails, smoked bacon and trumpet mushrooms are delivered in a latticed rosemary and sea salt crust, finished with a rich foie gras and Madeira sauce that helps the pastry deliver a flurry of umami. As part of chef Brian Howard’s final menu at Comme Ça, it exemplifies the creativity for which he has been heralded. Cosmopolitan, 702-698-7910.

Crispy Foie Gras Dumplings at Stripsteak It’s easy to serve foie gras. Chef Gerald Chin doesn’t do easy. He swaddles his foie in house-made dumplings accompanied by a huckleberry-umeboshi (Japanese pickled plum) sauce, a combination as well-balanced as it is surprisingly subdued. Mandalay Bay, 702-632-7200.

Tags: Dining, Food
Share
  • It’s a different kind of Mediterranean restaurant, drawing heavily from Mina’s Egyptian heritage to repackage familiar food with robust, Middle Eastern flavors.

  • On our last visit we were lucky to try the special of the day, filet mignon wrapped in crispy pancetta with a mound of Parmesan ...

  • Experience unmatched March basketball viewing parties in Las Vegas! Join SAHARA Las Vegas, Resorts World, South Point and more from March 21-24 for large screens, ...

  • Get More Dining Stories
Top of Story