Looking for somewhere to eat? We are here to help
Each week Neon spotlights a different cuisine in the Dining Guide, with casual American restaurants this week. Restaurants are rated on a letter-grade scale, from A to F. Opinions by R-J critic Heidi Knapp Rinella (H.K.R.) are indicated by initials. Price symbols are based on the cost of an average entree: $ = entrees less than $10; $$ = entrees $10 to $20; $$$ = entrees $20 to $30; and $$$$ = entrees more than $30.
AL’S BEEF
6840 W. Sahara Ave.; 702-644-2333 (BEEF)
If you know your Chicago-style Italian beef you know Al’s has been famous for it a long time. Al’s now is in Las Vegas, and since the company takes quality control very seriously, this is the real thing. Get it dry, dipped or wet, with hot or sweet peppers, and fries plain or with any manner of toppings, and chances are good that you won’t find much to beef about. (4/25/14 H.K.R.)
Overall: A-
$
BISCUITS CAFE
8465 W. Sahara Ave.; 702-242-2207
Biscuits Cafe departs a bit from the growing breakfast-and-lunch genre in that it’s not overburdened with kitsch, but the food tucks in nicely. In a place called Biscuits we had to have the biscuits and gravy with sausage, which was very good, and we also liked the Biscuits Smoked Brisket Dip, with potato salad on the side. (12/26/14 H.K.R.)
Overall: A
$
BRONZE CAFE
The Center, 401 S. Maryland Parkway; 702-202-3100
A friend’s attempt to tempt us into a vegan offering — the Tree of Life sandwich — failed but we ended up tasting it anyway, and seldom has vegan tasted so good. The Vegan Specialty Cake wasn’t as successful, but we thoroughly enjoyed the LGBTQ with its bacon and bacon jam, and the baba ghanoush with warm pita triangles. (8/23/13 H.K.R.)
Overall: B+
$
CARSON KITCHEN
124 S. Sixth St.; 702-473-9523
Carson Kitchen furthers “rock ‘n’ roll chef” Kerry Simon’s tradition of serving comfort food with a contemporary spin in such dishes as Devil’s Eggs, a fried-green-tomato sandwich, cocoa-espresso New York strip, flatbread with wild mushrooms and blue cheese and glazed-doughnut bread pudding, all of which were nearly perfect, though most weren’t quite hot enough. (9/5/14 H.K.R.)
Overall: B
$$
CREPE EXPECTATIONS
9500 S. Eastern Ave.; 702-583-4939
If you thought for a minute that crepes aren’t sufficient to sustain an entire restaurant you’d be sadly mistaken because at Crepe Expectations it’s all crepes all the time. The menu of this tiny place is well varied, and we loved our sweet and savory choices, the Avalon with buttered pears, candied walnuts and goat cheese, and the Greek, with grilled chicken fresh spinach, feta and tzatziki. (2/15/13 H.K.R.)
Overall: A
$
DU-PAR’S
Golden Gate, 1 Fremont St.; 702-366-0378
A return visit to Du-par’s revealed that the pancakes really are superlative — huge and fluffy, delicious plain and even better with butter and syrup. We also liked the New England clam chowder, roasted turkey half-sandwich and slice of apple pie a la mode we got as The Ultimate Trio, although a slab of pork sausage needed to be kicked up several notches. (8/15/14 H.K.R.)
Overall: A-
$$
THE EGG &I
4533 W. Sahara Ave.; 702-364-9686
The Egg &I — sister restaurant to the five Egg Works in the valley — was positively packed when we went late on a weekday morning. The draw, no doubt, is the simple American fare, kicked up a notch in dishes such as house-made shredded corned beef hash and eggs, a Sicilian Skillet with Italian sausage, marinara, peppers and onions and warm banana muffins rich enough to qualify as an indulgence. (6/21/13 H.K.R.)
Overall: A-
$
ELIXIR
2920 N. Green Valley Parkway, Henderson; 702-272-0000
Elixir bills itself as “a local lounge” but, following the recent practice among poker bars, its menu lists far more than bar food. Stuffed mushrooms were a good way to start, but we thought the flavors in the French onion soup, beef stroganoff and chicken roulade were a little too generic. (12/16/13 H.K.R.)
Overall: B
$$
FOX’S SMOKEHOUSE BARBECUE
1007 Elm St., Boulder City; 702-489-2211
Fox’s is both tiny and off the beaten path but well worth seeking out if you’re looking for good barbecue, the supply of which seems to wax and wane in Southern Nevada. We loved the meaty Cowboy Cheese Fries, the pulled pork and brisket and sides of coleslaw, Cowboy Beans, potato salad and macaroni and cheese. (6/27/14 (H.K.R.)
Overall: A-
$$
GUY FIERI’S VEGAS KITCHEN &BAR
The Quad, 3535 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 702-731-3311
We didn’t look at Guy Fieri’s Las Vegas restaurant through a veil of snark (though that seems to be the trend) in large part because it strikes us that Guy’s is what it should be, where it should be and when it should be. And so we enjoyed the uber-indulgent Guy-talian Fondue Dippers, Mac-n-Cheese Bacon Burger and S’mores Monte Cristo, although we thought the Drunken Fish Tacos a little bland. (8/1/14 H.K.R.)
Overall: B+
$$$
KAILYN’S DINER
3430 E. Tropicana Ave.; 702-301-6448
A chef/owner of Korean origin gives some of the dishes at this mom-and-pop a bit of Asian-fusion flavor, which makes the breakfast grind a lot more interesting. We liked the kalbi and eggs with rice, the Korean omelet with seasoned potatoes and the friendly, accommodating service. (11/14/14 H.K.R.)
Overall: A-
$$
POT LIQUOR C.A.S.
Town Square, 6587 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 702-816-4600
Pot Liquor serves tender, moist, deeply flavored barbecued meats (the “C.A.S.” stands for “contemporary American smokehouse”) but also yanks the Southern tradition out of the doldrums with dishes like deviled eggs with chicken skin cracklings, a fried-green-tomato salad with goat cheese, chili with a corn cake underneath and fries with Alabama white barbecue sauce. (11/21/14 H.K.R.)
Overall: A
$$
PRESTO NEIGHBORHOOD CAFE
4950 S. Rainbow Blvd.; 702-293-3332 (and 19 S. Stephanie St., Henderson)
That Presto is different from the average neighborhood cafe isn’t immediately noticeable but is manifested by its healthful emphasis and the Turkish flatbread pides, with a crust that’s lighter than a pizza. We loved our Italian pide and some ahi tuna sliders and were positively crazy about the very offbeat mushroom soup. (3/7/14 H.K.R.)
Overall: A-
$$
RISE &SHINE
10690 Southern Highlands Parkway; 702-202-4646
Rise &Shine is adorable, with big flower-shaped umbrellas suspended from the ceiling and servers in pajamas, but whimsy wouldn’t be enough if the food didn’t measure up. It does, in fact, in entrees such as The Ultimate Steak &Egg Breakfast and corned-beef hash and eggs, as well as the restaurant’s pot of bread and French-press coffee, which comes with a timer. (10/4/13 H.K.R.)
Overall: A
$$
SKINNYFATS
6261 Dean Martin Drive; 702-979-9797 (also at 8680 Warm Springs Road)
A lot of healthful-choices restaurants don’t survive because while Americans talk the talk, we don’t always walk the walk. SkinnyFats appeals to both the good and bad sides of our natures with healthful dishes such as Flat Chix &Greens and Slaw Chee, and with “happy” dishes like the Meltdown double-burger on toast and Happymess layered truffle fries. (12/12/14 H.K.R.)
Overall: A
$$
SOUL FOOD CAFE
7320 S. Rainbow Blvd.; 702-998-9780
Perfectly fried chicken is more of an art than a science and the artists at Soul Food Cafe have perfected it, with juicy meat that fairly spurts when the golden-brown crust is breached by knife and fork. We also loved the hot-water cornbread that was served as a starter, the fried okra, black-eyed peas, hush puppies, grilled pork chops and yams and hated that we were too full to even consider dessert. (2/22/13 H.K.R.)
Overall: A-
$$
