My craving for great fish and chips is a very specific one and has been difficult to gratify in Las Vegas. It’s not a hard-to-find dish, it’s just not very good most of the time. I want the stuff I had as a kid on summer trips to the Oregon coast. It’s possible my childhood fish and chips weren’t the greatest, but there was a bright, fresh taste to the seafood and a tasty, crispy, non-greasy batter involved.
The closest thing here to those fond food memories is at Lazy Joe’s, a no-nonsense sit-down in the southwest. These fish and chips—with coleslaw and hush puppies for $7.49, $9.99 or $12.99, depending if you want one, two or three fish fillets—can be your choice of cod, haddock or catfish. I gotta go with cod. The fish is flaky and moist, and the breading is lovely and light (compliments of cooking with soybean oil). Fridays and Saturdays are all you can eat, but two pieces is plenty, especially since Lazy Joe’s offers so many other deep-fried seafood delights. I recommend the captain’s platter ($16.99), if your appetite can handle it: Choose three items from fish, shrimp, oysters, scallops and clams, grab a bottle of hot sauce and get down to business. Particularly delicious are the giant, meaty oysters and the whole belly Ipswich clams. This menu even has a decent lobster roll ($7.99). For a guy who claims to be lazy, this Joe stays pretty busy cooking up exactly what I’ve been craving.
Lazy Joe’s Fish & Chips 7835 S. Rainbow Blvd. #22, 489-6523. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.