Raku 5030 Spring Mountain Rd Las Vegas, NV 89146 Dining date: 3/29/11 Raku is one of the off-Strip Las Vegas restaurants I hear most about. Forget off-strip, the rave reviews I’ve been hearing about this place eclipse most of the restaurants on the Strip. Raku’s charcoal-grilled robata is one of the restaurant’s specialties, but they…
Walter Manzke Biergarten LA 206 N Western Ave Los Angeles, CA 90004 Dining date: 4/10/11 The pop-up restaurant is becoming the biggest restaurant trend in LA since the food truck. While I’d like to say they’re starting to get annoying, they’re still capturing my interest like none other. There’s something about the temporary, almost urgent…
Noe Omni Hotel 251 S Olive St Los Angeles, CA 90012 Dining date: 4/5/11 Noe is a contemporary American (with distinct French and Japanese influences) restaurant located in the Omni Hotel downtown. I don’t think it’s really in the collective conscience when people think about downtown restaurants – as it’s located in a hotel, one…
China Poblano The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas 3708 Las Vegas Boulevard South Las Vegas, NV 89109 Dining date: 3/27/11 China Poblano is probably Jose Andres’ most unexpected concept. When I first heard about this place, I thought he was going to be creating Chinese-Mexican fusion. Dude. Weird. However, that’s not the case. The cuisines are kept…
Joël Robuchon MGM Grand 3799 Las Vegas Blvd South Las Vegas, NV 89109 Dining date: 3/28/11 When people ask me what my favorite restaurants are, this one always comes up. I have been here twice before, and they are two of the most memorable meals I have ever had. I’m not alone; the restaurant gets…
Wazuzu Encore Las Vegas 3121 Las Vegas Blvd South Las Vegas, NV 89109 Dining date: 3/27/11 One of the restaurants my parents always go to in Las Vegas is the pan-Asian restaurant Wazuzu at Encore. The chef is Jet Tila, an LA native, whose name I’ve seen in various places around LA (and occasionally on TV)….