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Local Las Vegas

Las Vegas breaking news from Nevada's most reliable source. Read about the latest updates happening in Las Vegas at reviewjournal.com.

Omelet House has earned place as hometown favorite

Regular readers know I value restaurants with menus that change — but not too much. Seeing the same menu all the time gets boring, but we all hate to see a favorite dish vanish. Restaurants with staying power usually know how to walk that fine line.

Offbeat Urban Turban a breath of fresh air

“Are you familiar with Indian food?” asked our server at Urban Turban. Sure, it’s one of our favorite cuisines. But then again, it didn’t really matter, since Urban Turban isn’t your average Indian restaurant.

Cafe Cortez gets retro (mostly) right

Despite what you may have heard, locals do go to the Strip, and they do go downtown. I know because they email me all the time to tell me about their dining experiences in both places, good and bad (though mostly good). And one of the places I hear about most often is Cafe Cortez at the El Cortez.

THE LATEST
Lola’s has reason to celebrate with Summerlin expansion

Over the years, I’ve watched as a lot of local restaurants have met with some success and opened a second, third or even fourth location — and, in a whole lot of cases, ended up scaling back or disappearing altogether. I wondered what would be the case with Lola’s, a downtown spot that specializes in New Orleans cuisine and has more than five years under its sequined belt. And, after visiting the new(ish) Summerlin location, I have high hopes.

The Tap House far more than a neighborhood bar

I’ve been to the Tap House quite a few times over the years for newsroom departures: Tradition is that you get a dice clock and a send-off at the Tap House. What’s the attraction? That was never clear to me because there aren’t that many of us Browns fans on staff, so I guess it’s just something that nobody’s been moved to change.

Vila Algarve has much in the way of potential

Vila Algarve’s name officially ends “Portuguese Seafood and Grill,” and of course “Algarve” refers to the country’s southernmost coastal region.

Tiabi has perfected the art of waffles

I had a feeling I was going to like Tiabi Coffee & Waffle Bar from the moment I stepped through the door and caught a whiff of the place.

Lucky Foo’s hip without being hipster

Lucky Foo’s Restaurant & Bar is the kind of place that could be insufferably hip. That would kill it in the suburbs, and it appears the owners are smarter than that. What they’ve created is a fun, fusiony restaurant with an edge, without the annoying hipster elements.

At Mingo, simplicity meets complexity

The decor of Mingo Kitchen & Lounge is very simple. It’s in an older building in the downtown Arts District, and the owners took a sort of minimalist approach, cloaking what I assume are old walls, pipes and ventilation shafts with black fabric and paint.

Viva Las Arepas a bright spot near the Naked City

Twenty years in Florida, dining at some of the best Cuban restaurants in the state, and never did I have a tostone as good as the ones I had at Viva Las Arepas.

Casa Don Juan’s suburban expansion makes sense

It’s been a while since I’ve been to downtown stalwart Casa Don Juan, and hearing it had opened a second location in the ‘burbs nudged me to give the mothership another look. Turned out to be a good move: I noticed some changes, and they were positive ones.