Breakfast
The Coffee Pub
Coffee and intimate conversation are the main draws at this winsome coffee bar, where Gov. Guinn and Mayor Goodman have been known to stop in to imbibe. But the food is good, too—breakfasts like the Josephina omelet, made with jack cheese and Ortega chilies, or homemade muffins like pumpkin with cream cheese or milk chocolate chip. Don't get too excited about ditching Starbucks, though. They will be "proudly serving Starbucks coffee," from mid-March. 2800 W. Sahara Ave. 367-1913.
Lunch
Sammy's Woodfire
The secret to a great pizza is a great crust, and Sammy's makes a great crust. The toppings are terrific, too, as evidenced by the house favorite, the barbecued chicken pizza. (Take that, California Pizza Kitchen!) And the hot crab, shrimp and artichoke dip is to die for. Oy, we're kvelling! 3900 Paradise Road, 836-1999; 6500 W. Sahara Ave., 227-6000; 4620 E. Sunset Road, Henderson, 450-6664.
Late-Night Snack
Mr. Lucky's at Hard Rock
Most hotel-casinos have a similar 24-hour no-frills café, but the Hard Rock's just has that extra sense of cool. There's all the standard offerings, from burgers to breakfast, plus some of the best damn milk shakes in town. Inside the Hard Rock Hotel, 693-5000.
Appetizers
Memphis Championship Barbeque
Too bad Elvis didn't leave the real Memphis for Memphis Championship Barbeque. Maybe Mike Mills' excellent cooking wouldn't have been better for the Kingly heart than peanut-butter-and-bacon sandwiches, or cured his drug habit, but it would have made his last years delicious.
We took in some of Memphis' appetizers at its Santa Fe casino outlet. Fried pickle slices. Fried onion straws. Smoked chicken wings. Chicken fingers. Memphis skins. All dribbled with plenty of the chef's sauce. Fit for the King, all right. Yes, Elvis would have loved this Memphis. Inside the Santa Fe, 369-6223;2250 E. Warm Springs Road, 260-6909; 4379 Las Vegas Blvd. N., 644-0000.
Hamburgers
In-N-Out
Inevitable. Unquestionable.
Yes, we'll have fries with that.
Numerous locations; call 800-786-1000 for more info.
Burrito
Zaba's
Yum, burritos. The tasty, juicy chicken, steak and shredded beef, cooked fresh over an open flame. The seasoned, fried potatoes in the papas burrito. The tangy cilantro-lime rice and savory black or pinto beans. The sauted fajita veggies don't hurt, the freshly prepared salsas are fantastic, and all the little extras, like cheese, gaucamole, sour cream and lettuce ... all delicious. Ummm, you're hungry for burritos, and you must have Zaba's. You just better hope you get there before we do. 3318 E. Flamingo Rd., 435-9222.
Pizza
Metro Pizza
Making superb pizza isn't rocket science—hell, even NASA can do rocket science. No, making superb pizza is more exacting. Landing a rover on Mars is like flying a kite compared to getting a crust just right—firm and chewy but just short of crackery—or calibrating the proper cheese-to-toppings ratio. This is pizza engineering at its finest. 1395 E. Tropicana Ave., 736-1955. 4001 S. Decatur Blvd., 362-7896; Ellis Island casino, 312-5888.
Pasta
Jazzed Café & Vinoteca
Pasta maven Kirk Offerle worked for years in Italy, and it shows. His made-to-order risottos, which are creamy and finely grained, beat anyone's in town, and ditto for his baked ziti and lasagna, a dense, rich square of pure calories. It doesn't hurt that the place is as comfy as your living room, either. Just don't come if you are rushing off to an event after dinner. Offerle is one of those slow food guys. 8615 W. Sahara Ave., 233-2859.
Asian
P.F. Chang's China Bistro
There seems to be no limit to the love locals have for this upscale chain, where lettuce wraps with minced chicken, and various and sundry stir-frys rule the day. The atmo is pretty cool, too, and so are the drinks. Aladdin Casino, 836-0955, and three other locations.
Seafood
Seablue, in the MGM Grand
Michael Mina, the brilliant chef who gave us Aqua in the Bellagio, has effectively won a competition with himself in winning this award. But the two places couldn't be more different. Where Aqua has a traditional design, Seablue has a gaudy, goofy one (both by Adam Tihany, one of America's premier designers). And where Aqua relies on tricked-up fare like foie gras with tuna and black mussel soufflé, Seablue plays it straight, with a do-it-yourself salad checklist and fabulous whole fish, grilled on wood embers. Inside MGM Grand 891-1111.
Deli
Jason's
If Woody Allen's ever inclined to fashion a sequel to one of his best-loved films, this is the perfect central locale for Broadway Danny Rose: West.
It's easy to imagine a gaggle of Borscht-Belt holdovers reminiscing and kvetching over pastrami and salami at this homey deli/restaurant—not far-fetched when you consider that the Confetti Cowboy himself—Rip Taylor!—chows down here.
Though Big Apple delis are virtually impossible to duplicate anywhere else—the city's surly energy is uniquely its own—Jason's approximates it in Vegas with admirable style.
With an impressive menu of subs, spuds, salads and ('natch) sandwiches, the sprawling, boisterous eatery is dotted with hanging plants and rows of whirring ceiling fans, like synchronized birds furiously flapping in place.
"How's your lunch today?" a perky hostess inquires of diners as she zigzags deftly through a maze of red-vinyl booths and tabletops—comfortably downscale, as befits the best delis—somehow piercing the pleasing din of hail-fellow-well-met camaraderie.
Customers are processed quickly and amiably, cafeteria-style, through an order counter, with a to-go service booth tucked into a corner, the counter chief barking out order numbers and combos, pushing red trays of sliced meats straining between slabs of bread toward the hungry hordes.
And the clientele? Exceedingly democratic. Just skim the heads around you: everything from cowboy hats to dreadlocks to bandannas to the gel-and-mousse set to the proudly, perfectly bald.
Ditto for the men. 3910 S. Maryland Pkwy., 893-9799. 1000 S. Rampart Blvd., 967-9008. 1281 W. Warm Springs Road, 898-0474.
Vegetarian Restaurant:
Paymon's Mediterranean Café
Thank goodness for Mediterranean Café in this city otherwise full of chain restaurants. The Mediterranean is the kind of place where you'll run into the people you know, chitchat with the friendly staff and dive into reliably tasty Mediterranean food—much of it animal-flesh-free: baba ganoush, hummus, taboulleh, greek salads, the works. For lunch or dinner, for a bite with friends, a business lunch or a date, the Mediterranean is a longtime favorite choice for the meat-free. Better still, it also offers the Hookah Lounge for indulging in flavored tobaccos, sipping drinks and lounging about in Mediterranean/Maryland Parkway decadence. 4147 S. Maryland Parkway, 731-6030.
Soul Food
Big Mama's
The exterior looks eerily like ... McDonalds? For years it was. And for years since, the house that Ronald built has served great Cajun-style chow, from everything-but-the-kitchen-sink gumbo to flaky, made-for-hot-sauce Southern catfish to fried chicken that'd turn Colonel Sanders into a convert. 2230 W. Bonanza Road, 597-1616.
Service
Ruth's Chris
Service at Ruth's Chris tends to be quick and efficient, since the restaurant caters to a large percentage of business types, people on expense accounts and conventioneers. Drinks come quickly from the bar, while the food servers are polite and solicitous, almost to the point of obsequiousness. But that's what the customers here like. 4651 W. Flamingo Road, 248-7011; 3900 Paradise Road, 791-7011.
New Restaurant
Hot Rod Grille
Why wait for your number to be called at the adjacent DMV? Instead, repair to this '50s café, a cross between a sports bar and a NASCAR museum. Breakfast is reliable and the portions are huge, and the burgers, like a Patty Melt big enough to choke a horse, are just fine, thank you. Fish and chips are made with Atlantic cod, there is a kid menu and the place is open 24 hours. Too bad we can't say that about the DMV. 1231 American Pacific Road, Henderson, 567-5659.
Steak
Ruth's Chris Steak House
Given that practically every casino in town has a high-end steak house, and also that a large number of independent steak chains have busy outposts here, winning this award has to be considered a high honor. Our two RC steak houses are both masculine and clubby, and both serve amazing dry-aged beef on sizzling iron platters, with enormous hunks of butter on top, melting into the meat. 4651 W. Flamingo Road, 248-7011; 3900 Paradise Road 791-7011