Terrace Pointe, Desert Inn, 3145 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Country Inn Restaurant, 1401 S. Rainbow Blvd. Marie Callender's Restaurant and Bakery, 4800 S. Eastern Ave.
Best of the Rest
Carrows Restaurant, 4680 S. Maryland Parkway; Carson Street Cafe, Golden Nugget, 129 Fremont St.; The Coffee Shop, Binion's Horseshoe, 128 Fremont St.; The Courtyard Cafe, The Orleans, 4500 W. Tropicana Ave.; The Feast buffet, Sunset Station, 1301 W. Sunset Road; The Great Buffet, Sam's Town, 5111 Boulder Highway; The Monterrey Room, Gold Coast, 4000 W. Flamingo Road; Omelet House, 2160 W. Charleston Blvd.; Original Pancake House, 4833 W. Charleston Blvd.; Poppa Gar's, 1624 W. Oakey Blvd.; Shoney's Restaurant, 310 N. Nellis Blvd.
By Joe Hawk
Review-Journal Contrary to what the U.S. Constitution may claim, all men are not created equal. And neither are the breakfasts they relish.
Bacon and eggs may be sufficient for some. Others may prefer pancakes, or waffles or French toast.
Biscuits and gravy may win some over. Or, perhaps the choice is corned beef and hash.
For all of Las Vegas' disparate tastes, there are a few things any panel of breakfast-lovers will agree are important: fast service, a cheery server and hot coffee. Hot, hot coffee.
The recipe for a fast-food breakfast, perhaps? Did somebody say McDonald's?
Well, no.
Our panel of experts almost unanimously said "hotel coffee shop." And the winner, in close balloting, was Terrace Pointe at the Desert Inn.
"I like the service, the ambience and the food is always cooked to perfection at the Desert Inn," said Joan Cioffi, a spokeswoman for a company that has a little experience with breakfast: Hans Olsen Egg Co. Inc., a local egg distributor. "If I order eggs over medium, the eggs always come out over medium; if I ask for them scrambled soft, they come out scrambled soft.
"I've never sent anything back there."
Walt Elliot, for 15 years the secretary-treasurer of Bartenders & Beverage Local No. 165, agreed. Bartenders who work graveyard shifts, he said, can become as loyal to one breakfast spot as bar patrons can to their neighborhood watering hole. For Elliot, the Desert Inn coffee shop was an easy choice.
"It's a quiet place with good food, especially the corned beef and hash," he explained. "Not too many people know about it. ... But I guess they will now."
For many locals, such as Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority president Manny Cortez, "the days of the heavy breakfast are gone." But on those occasions when Cortez' work requires a breakfast meeting, you'll find him at Country Inn Restaurant on South Rainbow Boulevard.
"It's convenient for me to get to and convenient once I'm there. They have nice little booths in the back where I can conduct business," he said. "And their food is always good."
Cortez may prefer to stay away from bacon and eggs and many of the richer, high-cholesterol foods. Like many Las Vegans, he's turned health-conscious.
Patty Zedek gives the civic leader a thumbs-up for his concern. And the registered dietitian and co-owner of Medical Diet Clinic, also gives a thumbs-up to Marie Callender's Restaurant on South Eastern Avenue for its varied breakfast menu.
"They have a wide selection of fruits, which is something all of us need to eat more of," she said.
As for having a traditional country-style breakfast, "It's OK to have that once in a while," Zedek said. "If your cholesterol is good, you can have it once or twice a week. But if you have problems with your cholesterol, you're better off avoiding it altogether."
Bummer.
But if you don't mind a little extra caloric intake, you simply can't beat the hotel coffee shops. Our panelists invariably returned to them, including the ones in Binion's Horseshoe, Gold Coast, Golden Nugget and The Orleans.
Mildred Willard, Nevada information center coordinator for the American Association of Retired Persons, had two in her top three selections: Gold Coast and Golden Nugget. Their atmosphere, cleanliness and friendly service earned her votes.
But for Ronald Despenza, who as director of transportation for the Clark County School District supervises all of those crack-of-dawn school-bus drivers, The Orleans was his pick. Why?
"I like the coffee," he said. "It's good and strong."
Sometimes, it's the simplest things.
