B&B Ristorante at The Venetian honors Italian tradition

My favorite restaurant?

That's always the first question people ask when they find out I'm the R-J's restaurant critic. My response is that I can't name just one. My favorite varies by what sort of food I'm in the mood for, who I'm with, how dressed up I want to get, how far I want to drive, how much time I have and how much I want to pay.

If money's no object and I feel like preening, it would be Jöel Robuchon at MGM Grand (which not so coincidentally is Las Vegas' only Michelin three-star winner), Alex at Wynn Las Vegas, Picasso at Bellagio or Mix at Mandalay Bay. But if it's a lazy Saturday morning, my favorite might be Omelet House or the Cracked Egg, or Bouchon at The Venetian if the weather's fine and there aren't any big conventions in town.

But the odds are good you know about all of those places. For this year's top 10, I've confined myself to restaurants I reviewed during 2007, in a wide range of genres, neighborhoods and price points. They only thing they have in common is that they're all good at doing what they do.

1. B&B RISTORANTE, THE VENETIAN, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. South -- Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich's palace of updated Italian cuisine manages to honor tradition without rolling over it.

2. PINOT BRASSERIE, THE VENETIAN -- One of the most overlooked of the upscale casino restaurants, it delivers well-prepared bistro food without pretension -- and without stratospheric prices.

3. MORTON'S THE STEAKHOUSE, 400 E. Flamingo Road -- With everybody short of Wolfgang Puck -- wait, that should be everybody including Wolfgang Puck -- jumping on the steak bandwagon, venerable Morton's still brings it, each and every time.

4. LE PROVENÇAL, PARIS LAS VEGAS, 3655 Las Vegas Blvd. South -- Paris' answer to the conundrum of putting a French spin on the Italian restaurant required in every casino, it has just enough provincial flavor to justify the name, and the great food, opera-singing servers and reasonable prices deserve more attention than Le Provençal usually gets.

5. LE BISTRO, 1312 Nevada Highway, Boulder City -- Fine food in a tiny little place with an open kitchen and super service.

6. CARMEL ROOM, RAMPART CASINO, 221 N. Rampart Blvd. -- A solid, old-fashioned steakhouse with elegant surroundings -- the sort of thing all casinos used to have.

7. SUSHIWA, 790 Coronado Center Drive -- Fusion sushi that shows real creativity, delivered by servers who know what hospitality is.

8. BUZZ BBQ, 7810 W. Ann Road -- Smoky, smoky meats, well-prepared sides and caramel-apple pie with homemade vanilla ice cream that truly is a little slice of heaven.

9. ROMA DELI, 5755 Spring Mountain Road -- The food's great. It's kind of noisy, and the service doesn't always come with a smile. Makes us feel right at home.

10. POTATO VALLEY CAFE, 801 Las Vegas Blvd. South -- Basic and nondescript spot -- although I like the art for sale on the walls -- with the best baked potatoes I've ever tasted.

Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0474.