Category: Nevada

NevadaRated 24SteakUnited States

Lawry’s The Prime Rib – Las Vegas, Nevada

Gil Garduno1:10 AM

“What keeps me motivated is not the food itself but all the bonds and memories the food represents.” ~Michael Chiarello Many of my most cherished memories involve the act of eating and quite often those memories don’t involve the food itself.  The memories which sweeten most over time invariably involve the people with whom those meals were shared.  The act of degustation is infinitely more satisfying and the meals so much more pleasing when shared with loved ones.  In part because of the memories it evokes, one restaurant which will always hold a special place in my heart is Lawry’s The Prime Rib.  Every visit rekindles memories of my first visit and creates new memories to be revisited and cherished…

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Yardbird Southern Table & Bar – Las Vegas, Nevada

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

Momofuki in New York City, Peter Luger Steak House in Brooklyn,  Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami, Bourbon Steak in San Francisco, Border Grill in Los Angeles, Bouchon in Yountville, Emeril’s in New Orleans, Jaleo in Washington, D.C..  These are among the many restaurants on every true gastronome’s bucket list.  In addition to being helmed by some of the culinary world’s most celebrated luminaries, these pantheons of deliciousness share another commonality.  They all have a presence in Las Vegas casinos where well-heeled guests with plenty of disposable income come to gamble and to eat well. Whether celebrity chef restaurants in Las Vegas are as good as their originals is a matter of debate.  Award-winning restaurants throughout the fruited plain are similarly…

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Peter Luger’s Steakhouse – Las Vegas, Nevada

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

As a 1995 episode of Seinfeld illustrated, steak is not just a guy thing anymore. When Jerry took a blind date to the Old Homestead Steakhouse in New York City, he admitted “I’m not really that much of a meat eater” to which his date replied “You don’t eat meat? Are you one of those…” Questions about his masculinity persisted when she ordered a porterhouse medium rare and Jerry had a salad.  Although I’ve never gone so far as to order a salad at a steakhouse, I’m “one of those“–men who don’t particularly like steak.  Give me a fully dressed baked potato any day. It’s not as though I’ve never had an outstanding steak (The Hamilton Chop House in Durango and…

2010 James Beard Foundation - "Best Chef" - SouthwestNevadaRated 27ThaiUnited States

LOTUS OF SIAM – Las Vegas, Nevada

Gil Garduno1:36 AM

In the August, 2000 issue of Gourmet Magazine, Jonathan Gold,  the only food critic to ever earn a Pulitzer Prize, called the Lotus of Siam restaurant in Las Vegas, Nevada “the single best Thai restaurant in North America.”  Not a disparaging word was heard or a dissenting opinion offered among the cognoscenti save for those who argued that the word “Thai” should be removed from from Gold’s audacious proclamation.  Lotus of Siam is THAT good! In the decade plus since Gold’s assertion, every reputable critic from every credible publication has jumped on the bandwagon, essentially echoing or adding to to the validation of the greatness that is the Lotus of Siam.  The superlatives are similar on every review you’ll read…

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Cafe Del Rio – Virginia City, Nevada

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

Some of the most treasured moments of my childhood involved visiting Grandpa Max on Sunday nights when we would tune in for a formidable line-up of westerns.  We loved Daniel Boone and The Virginian, but our favorite was Bonanza.  Concurrent with the opening notes of Bonanza’s theme song, the screen displayed a map which depicted the sheer scale of  The Ponderosa, the Cartwright family ranch.  The brobdingnagian ranch was bordered on the south by Lake Tahoe, an aquatic body the ranch dwarfed.  According to the map, The Ponderosa was bordered by Carson City, Reno and Virginia City.  Many of the show’s episodes outside the ranch seemed to be centered around Carson City.  As a precocious lad already iterested in cartography,…

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Two Chicks – Reno, Nevada

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

The history of slang records that the term “chick,” was first recorded in black slang as far back as 1927.  Along with the terms “dame” or “skirt,” the term “chick” was used informally (mostly by men) to describe young women.  It wasn’t until the 1970s during the height of the women’s liberation movement that women lashed out against that term.  Women decried the word “chick” as offensive and belittling, a demeaning diminutive depicting independent women as delicate, helpless creatures.  Even worse was the term “girl” which infantalized grown women. A generation or two later, both “girl” and “chick” have experienced a rebirth.  This time it’s women themselves who revived the previously objectionable term.  It’s become social zeitgeist for women to…

2022 James Beard Foundation - "Best Chef - Southwest" SemifinalistChineseJames Beard Foundation (JBF) Award Nominees & WinnersNevadaUnited States

Kwok’s Bistro – Reno, Nevada

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

While some foodies chase restaurants featured on Diner’s, Drive-Ins and Dives, I’m not a Fieri Fanatic (or Guy Groupie, if you prefer).  Not every restaurant featured on his Food Network program ranks very high on my list.  I am, however, an unabashed follower of restaurants which earn James Beard Foundation (JBF) honors.  Over the years the JBF judges have selected truly worthy restaurants and chefs for accolades.   Strict criteria and a diligent vetting process ensures awards are granted only to those exemplifying the JBF mission:  “to recognize exceptional talent and achievement in the culinary arts, hospitality, media, and broader food system, as well as a demonstrated commitment to racial and gender equity, community, sustainability, and a culture where all…

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Pine State Biscuits – Reno, Nevada

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

In 2020, Ted Lasso burst onto the pop culture scene.  Not long thereafter my friend Alonna Smith, the brilliant owner of My Indian Stove practically begged me to watch it.  She realized that with my penchant for British comedies, I’d love the laugh-out-loud show about an American soccer coach who assumes the help at a Premiere League soccer team in the United Kingdom despite not knowing anything about soccer.  Lasso is the master of the one-liner as well as the bringer of balm during heart-warming scenes.  He’s warm and fuzzy…and as usual, Alanna steered me in the right direction. On the second episode of season one, Ted began the practice of bringing freshly baked biscuits to the football club’s owner…

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all’Antico Vinaio – Las Vegas, Nevada

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

Whether a sandwich shop calls its bill of fare a submarine, hoagie, po’ boy, grinder, hero, bomber or just plain “sandwich,” one commonality is that most sandwich shops have an “Italian” sandwich.  Beyond that, the actual Italian sandwich varies in composition as well as in preparation.   Typical ingredients include layers upon layers (especially on the East coast) of paper-thin capicola, salami, pepperoni and ham often drenched in a vinegar, mayo or mustard and  topped with shredded lettuce, fresh tomatoes, sliced onions, and cherry peppers.  There is no one standard as to what constitutes an “Italian,” not that most of us would care much. Also falling under the purview “Italian sandwich” are panini which are constructed with grilled Italian bread,…

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Fatburger – Isleta & Espanola, New Mexico

Gil Garduno3:10 AM

To its detractors, there are a lot of things about which to criticize California, but even detractors will give the Golden State its due when it comes to a national obsession–the hamburger.  California is the state that gave America McDonald’s, In-N-Out Burger and my favorite, the Fatburger. (My Illinois in-laws will remind me with proud vehemence that the “original” McDonald’s restaurant location (launched on April 15th, 1955) was in Des Plaines, Illinois, but the “first” McDonald’s hamburger stand operated out of San Bernardino in 1954.) To some readers, my declaration of Fatburger being my favorite California burger may be seen as heretical, the schismatic raving of a mad man and proof that your humble blogger is a moron.  I’ve had…

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China Poblano – Las Vegas Nevada

Gil Garduno10:38 PM

Mexican history and folklore recount the story of a remarkable woman who would come to be venerated as a holy woman and prophetess.  Born to nobility in India and possessing remarkable beauty, she was kidnapped as a young child and brought to Mexico, an intended gift to the Viceroy of Mexico whose personal harem of gorgeous women was known far and wide.  When she arrived in Acapulco on a Chinese ship, people were in awe of her breathtaking appearance and exotic ensemble, detailed with dazzling sequins and complex embroidery.  Her stye would come to be imitated far and wide by Mexican women who called it and her China Poblana which translates literally to “Chinese Pueblan.”  At the time, China was…