Find Delicious, Out-Of-The-Way Food In Vegas
Mary Herczog Offers Some Top Picks
POSTED: 11:20 a.m. EST November 30, 2001
UPDATED: 9:25 a.m. EST December 3, 2001
LAS VEGAS -- For those of you who don't know her -- and your life is a little less rich because of it -- Mary Herczog is not only a wonderful human being but a Vegas cohort and author of the "Frommer's Las Vegas" and "Las Vegas for Dummies" guide books. Her specialty is restaurants, and she graciously shared her notes of a gigantic eating tour of Vegas that she took a couple of weeks ago.
By the way, the 2002 edition of "Frommer's Las Vegas" is new in stores right now. If you want to buy a copy through Amazon.com, click here.
On to those restaurants. I hope you're hungry.
Rosemary's Restaurant, 8125 W. Sahara Ave. (about five miles west of the Strip), (702) 869-2251.
Rosemary's has been getting a lot of attention in the local reader's and critic's polls, and for good reason. The chef worked at Emeril's and NOLA in New Orleans and actually moved to Vegas to open Emeril's at the MGM Grand, so his pedigree is top notch.
This friendly, family-owned and -operated restaurant serves some fancy twists on regional American dishes, with a lot of New Orleans, Texas, and California influences in the seasonal cuisine, all brought to you fresh from local farmers.
Try Hugo's BBQ Shrimp with Maytag Bleu Cheese Slaw for appetizers, and maybe the Chicken 3-Ways (one of which is a Tabasco fried wing) served with truffle creamed potatoes. Mary notes that their hush puppies are "to die for" and, if you're feeling adventurous, to go for the "Dessert Storm" -? a sampling of every dessert on the menu, all of which are eyes-rolling-back-in-your-head delicious.
It's not cheap. Entrees average around $24, so with appetizers, salad, wine, tax, and tip you'll probably be looking at $50 per person -? but that's a lot cheaper than the really fancy restaurants on the Strip, and the food at Rosemary's is a lot better. Definitely worth the drive.
Capriotti's Sandwich Shop, 324 W. Sahara (just west of the Strip), (702) 474-0229.
Mary says that every future Vegas trip for her will budget time and stomach space to stop at Capriotti's for one of the amazing sub sandwiches. They're huge. A small is 9 inches and a large is a gut-busting 20 inches -? and probably the best she has ever tasted. They even get there early and roast all their meats in the morning before they open.
The standard fare is fantastic (think roast turkey, ham, etc.) but it's the slightly wacky special subs that really get the attention here. There's a turkey, cranberry, and stuffing sub that is Thanksgiving on a bun, and a roast beef, cole slaw, provolone cheese, and Russian dressing sub that I could actually hear Mary drooling over.
There are eight other locations around Las Vegas and they're definitely worth finding.
Lotus of Siam, 953 E. Sahara (about one mile east of the Strip in the Commercial Center shopping plaza), (702) 735-3033.
There are people who claim that Lotus of Siam is the best Thai restaurant in North America. Mary isn't prepared to go quite that far, but it is awfully good, especially when you factor in that the owner drives from Vegas to Los Angeles two or three times a week just to get the freshest herbs and ingredients. That's a major commitment to quality worth noting.
They serve traditional Thai food and northern Thai specialties, which are very rare outside northern Thailand.
Certainly the basics (ie: Tom Kah Kai soup) are hard to beat, but don't forget to ask for the separate menu on the northern specials. They're worth a look also.
Add in the fact that it's all incredibly affordable (note the $5.99 lunch buffet), and you have a great dining experience in the making.
Goulash Pot, 6135 W. Sahara (about three miles west of the Strip), (702) 253-7378.
Mary has been to Hungary several times, so it's not easy to pull one over on her in terms of authentic Hungarian food, but the Goulash Pot scores in that category. Owned by Hungarian immigrants, this is a great place to check out if you're looking for something different from the buffets and over-processed "ethnic" food you'll find on the Strip.
In the same shopping center is the International Crown Mart. Owned by the same family, the thing worth noting here is the deli, which offers some fantastic and inexpensive Hungarian sandwiches.
This Week's Trivia Question
Q. December marks the 8th anniversary of what major Strip hotel? (ANSWER) The Weekly Trivia Question is sponsored by the Online Memorabilia Museum at Vegas4Visitors.comThe Full Story
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