Dinner boasts impressive array of options

Best Dinner

     Renowned New Orleans chef Paul Prudhomme chews a moment on the question, then smiles.
     "The best dinner in Las Vegas?" he asks. "Only a few years ago, that might not have been a difficult question to answer. But there's been an evolution here from sort of like real cowboyish type food and bad buffets to a wonderful variety and what I consider a great food town, period."
     During a recent trip to Las Vegas, his sixth in recent years, he was pleased with the cuisine at Caesars Palace, The Mirage and The Orleans. Pleased, but no longer surprised.
     "The last six times I've been here I've really enjoyed eating out," he says. "To me, this town can afford to put out good food. It is becoming a great training ground for cooks and chefs. You can put in a magnificent buffet that not only has good food, but also makes money by bringing people into the casino. It's really a great situation for American food to evolve in."
     Las Vegas, a restaurant capital?
     You'll get no argument from chefs and food and beverage industry insiders. And, they say, the city's booming economy and vast expansion on the Strip have fueled competition for increasingly tasty cuisine.
     Although, as Prudhomme suggests, finding the best dinner in a deliciously diverse market remains a matter of personal taste, the dozen experts interviewed for this story did their best to accommodate.
     The lists are divided into restaurants that are part of the local pantheon of perennially great dining experiences and those that have everything but the recognition. (Parenthetical material reflects a few of the experts' comments, and the insiders were polite enough not to name their own restaurants.)
     Well-known restaurants include Andre's French Restaurant downtown (³one of the great Las Vegas experiences²), the Aristocrat (³best restaurant to ever exist in a strip mall²), the Palace Court (³consistently at the top of its game²), Michaels Gourmet Restaurant (³it reminds me of San Francisco²), Fiore (³consistently the best of the Rio's excellent restaurants²), Spago (³some people say it's overpriced, but that's because they can't afford to eat there²) and Emeril's (³the hype doesn't do it justice²).
     Then there are the rising stars, including Fellini's (³so good you hope it stays a secret a little longer²), Piazza D'Angelos (³fine quality²), the Green Lips Cafe (³weird name, very good food²) and Wolfgang Puck's Chinois (³the next Spago, it will be a huge success²).
     Award-winning chef Michael Ty echoes Prudhomme's assessment of the Las Vegas dining scene. As the American Culinary Federation Chef of the Year and the executive chef at Lawry's The Prime Rib restaurant, Ty brings special credentials to the discussion.
     "I've always felt that Las Vegas offered quality food for the general public because a lot of the restaurants in the hotels were augmented by the gaming end of the business to please the palates of the high rollers," Ty says. "And there are a few fine dining restaurants outside the casinos which are excellent.
     "Andre's is very good. It has a very good atmosphere and an innovative menu that changes. The service is impeccable, but of course you pay for it, too. The Palace Court has always been a place of notoriety, and the Monte Carlo Room at the Desert Inn is very good."
     On Ty's list of personal favorites is the Diamond Bakery, Fortunato's Italian Restaurant and the Mediterranean Cafe & Market. They're not high-end gourmet rooms, but he calls the food consistently superior.
     For Fiesta food and beverage manager Denise Shirkey, Antonio's at the Rio rates as a personal favorite. Luxor chef Conrad Schaefer remains impressed by the consistent quality of The Steak House at Circus Circus. Sanborn Sourdough Bakery's Anita Moon enjoys Panini and Lindo Michoacan Mexican Restaurant, and Arlene Damele, owner of the Bay Area Biscotti Co., is fond of a lengthy list of restaurants, including Napa and Antonio's at the Rio, and Michaels Gourmet Restaurant at the Barbary Coast.
     As you can see, Prudhomme is right. Finding the best dinner in Las Vegas is no longer a simple matter.
     The best part?
     Shirkey observes, "It's getting better all the time."