Where For Art Thou, Tiki Bar?

IN THE NEWS: City Life's lasvegascitylife.com Lissa Townsend Rodgers bemoans the dwindling number of tiki bars in Vegas, but does offer several remaining options, among them Tahiti Joe's (7200 Las Vegas Blvd.), and notes that Planet Hollywood is opening its own outpost of legendary tiki hut and inventor of the Mai Tai, Trader Vic's. ... City Life's Al Mancini reviews Sweet Water Prime Seafood (9460 S. Eastern Ave.) ... Las Vegas Weekly's lasvegasweekly.com Max Jacobson reviews Nove (inside the Palms). ... The Review Journal's Heidi Knapp Rinella awards an A- to The Bistro (1312 Nevada Highway, Boulder City).

Compiled by Pat Embry, WhereTheLocalsEat.com

'Food & Wine' Taps Guy Savoy's Wine List

IN THE NEWS: In its July 2007 issue, Food & Wine magazine foodandwine.com features the Best New Wine Lists of 2007, including: San Diego's Addison, San Francisco's Perbacco, New York's Craftsteak, Wheeling, Ill.'s Osteria Di Tramonto, Las Vegas' Restaurant Guy Savoy and Boston's Bin 26 Enoteca. ... A Florida-based restaurant chain is putting out feelers that it wants to greatly expand its reach, the Denver Business Journal reports. Earl of Sandwich, founded in 2004 and based in Orlando, says it's looking for franchisees around the United States, including Denver. Other cities on the company's radar screen include Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Washington D.C., Atlanta, San Francisco (including Oakland and San Jose), Dallas/Ft. Worth, Seattle, Columbus, Nashville, San Diego, Cleveland, St. Louis and Sacramento. The company's president, Michael Grodi, said the goal is to add more than 100 locations a year. A former executive at Denver-based Quiznos, Grodi was named president and CEO of the sandwich chain in January. Quiznos sued Grodi and Earl of Sandwich in federal court in Denver in April, alleging Grodi would hurt Quiznos by disclosing their trade secrets about selling sandwiches to his new employer. Grodi left Quiznos in May 2006. He has denied Quiznos' allegations. ... Las Vegas Weekly's Max Jacobson reviews the Hunan eatery Dong Ting Spring. lasvegasweekly.com ... LasVegasLogue.com reports, "Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck is getting into the spirit of the upcoming 7/7/07 calendar date by creating a signature cocktail that will be served in his Vegas restaurants. It’s called the “Strawberry Hardway,” named after the blackjack hand known as The Hardway, in which 21 is achieved by a hand of three 7 cards, or 7-7-7. The cocktail is made with Chinaco Silver tequila, lemon juice, fresh strawberries, and balsamic creme, all served on the rocks. Can you say “Yum!”? The “Strawberry Hardway” will be available from now until August at Spago and Chinois (Forum Shops at Caesars), Trattoria del Lupo (Mandalay Bay), Postrio (Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian) and the Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill (MGM Grand)." ... blog.joonbug.com notes the June 12 opening of The Park Restaurant & Bar. ... The Review-Journal's Heidi Knapp Rinella gives a B to Isla (Treasure Island, 3300 Las Vegas Blvd. South). reviewjournal.com ... While cursing Paris Hilton, City Life's Al Mancini writes his review of Café Moda (3400 S. Jones Blvd.). lasvegascitylife.com

Compiled by Pat Embry, WhereTheLocalsEat.com

City's Largest Non-Gaming Hotel Set

IN THE NEWS: LosVegasLogue.com reports, "Miami-based real estate firm The Peebles Corp. announced June 7 it has purchased a 13-acre parcel of land on Paradise Road to use for their upcoming luxury resort and condo development. Set to become the city’s largest non-gaming luxury hotel, the Las Palmas Hotel & Residences will be erected across the street from the Wynn Golf Course, just south of the Las Vegas Convention Center. The project will consist of four 55-story high-rise towers, and will feature an 800-room “5-star” hotel and 1000 condos. Each tower will be build on top of a 9-10 story parking garage with a base dedicated to retail, dining, entertainment and a spa/exercise/pool area. The first of the towers to be built will be the hotel. It will be topped by several floors of condos and is expected to open in 2009. The remaining three condo towers have not had any dates attached to them. The architectural firm of Arquitectonica is responsible for the design." ... The Review-Journal's Heidi Knapp Rinella awards a B+ in her review of Nina (6125 S. Fort Apache Road). reviewjournal.com ... Las Vegas Weekly's Max Jacobson reviews sushi joint The Ka (2269 N. Green Valley Parkway, Henderson). lasvegasweekly.com ... City Life's Al Mancini reviews Voodoo Steak (Rio hotel-casino), while Dave Surratt's Crawl column drops by Putters Bar & Grill (5025 S. Eastern Ave.). lasvegascitylife.com

Compiled by Pat Embry, WhereTheLocalsEat.com

Craftsteak Gets Top Steakhouse Mention

Saveur magazine's saveur.com July 2007 issue includes the piece "Our 7 Favorite Steak Houses"," which include:

1. Bern's Steak House, Tampa
2. Craftsteak, Las Vegas and New York
3. Five O'Clock Steakhouse, Milwaukee
4. Gene and Georgetti, Chicago
5. Gorat's Steak House, Omaha
6. Pacific Dining Car, Los Angeles
7. Peter Luger, Brooklyn, New York

The mag also garners steak-grilling tips from Mario Navarro, a Mexico native who has been chef at Chicago's Gene and Georgetti's for more than 30 years.

The Wynn Among 'Forbes Traveler' Hotel Dining Picks
Forbes Traveler forbestraveler.com recently asked asking a panel of food and travel experts for their take on the top hotel dining in the country. The top 15 chosen include: The Peabody Memphis and its upscale restaurant, Chez Philippe; Four Seasons Hotel and L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon restaurant in New York City; Jean Georges, Trump International Hotel and Tower, New York; Gordon Ramsay, The London hotel in New York; The Carlyle Restaurant, The Carlyle Hotel in New York; Cathe St. Regis Hotel and Ame restaurant in San Francisco; Michael Mina, Westin St. Francis in San Francisco; Cortez in the Hotel Adagio, San Francisco; Studio Restaurant, Montage, Laguna Beach; the Beverly Wilshire and Cut restaurant in Los Angeles; The Inn at Little Washington in Washington, Va.; The Wynn Las Vegas; Citronelle, Latham Hotel in Washington, DC.; Azul at Mandarin Oriental hotel in Miami.

IN THE NEWS: The Review-Journal's Heidi Knapp Rinella gives a B to Rao's (Caesars Palace, 3570 Las Vegas Blvd. South). reviewjournal.com ... City Life's Al Mancini reviews Mickie Finnz Fish House & Bar (425 Fremont St.). lasvegascitylife.com ... Las Vegas Weekly's Max Jacobson stops by Carnegie Deli (inside the Mirage). lasvegasweekly.com ... Jacobson reviews Vintner Grill (10100 W. Charleston Blvd.) for Las Vegas Life magazine. ... The Detroit Free Press freep.com fires questions at Sean Griffin, the 34-year old chef at Neros steak house in Las Vegas. He's coming to Windsor, Canada at the beginning of June to help set a tone for the new Neros opening June 14 inside Casino Windsor and to train the staff. ... The San Jose Mercury News' Carolyn Jung blogs about good and not so good Vegas restaurants.

Compiled by Pat Embry, WhereTheLocalsEat.com