After incorrectly waiting in line at Rio's Carnival World Buffet, I was informed that the Rio had not one, but two buffets on their premises. Tonight, I was after seafood, all-you-can-eat seafood to be exact. My destination: the Village Seafood Buffet, located in the Masquerade Village. Newely re-modeled and re-opened, the Village Seafood Buffet touts itself as the freshest seafood buffet in Las Vegas.

After placing my drink order (they have a full bar within the buffet), I immediately set out to see what the buffet had to offer. It did not take long to realize I was in a place better known as "Seafood Heaven."

Continue reading "REVIEW: Rio Village Seafood Buffet" »

Posted April 7, 2008 7:50 PM by David Rosowsky | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

I always say that a great dinner is the perfect combination of great food and great company. Last night was no exception. My client, Bob, – who quickly became my friend when we worked together last year – invited me to join him for dinner at RAO’s at Caesars Palace last night. What a treat!

The wonderful hostesses seated us immediately, in spite of the fact that the reservation had gotten lost. They apologized that the only table they had was next to a group of 24 that was due to arrive in about a half-hour. Anyone who’s ever sat next to a rowdy bridal party or corporate function where the alcohol flows knows that it can get loud. We were curious about the group that unfortunately arrived early.

We braced ourselves, fearing the noise that would make conversation difficult. It never happened! This group was one of the most genteel, respectful and quiet groups. Yes, they were drinking…a lovely red that had been decanted for them. But they never got rowdy. This turned out to be treat # 3.

Continue reading "RAO’S – Five Treats in One Night!" »

Posted February 6, 2008 4:03 PM by Robin Jay | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

As with all things Internet, something was leaked.

The “Michelin Guide Las Vegas 2008” isn’t set to go on sale for a few more days, but clever URL manipulations lead some Internet users to an online listing of restaurant ratings. Although the post was initially taken down, the company has made the listing available again and has confirmed that they are official.

Between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, French Chef, Joel Robuchon earned the only three-star rating for his eponymous restaurant at the MGM Grand. Although Robuchon garnered the sole three-star rating, several restaurants in both cities received two and one-star ratings.

Continue reading "Joel Robuchon earns sole three-star ranking in Michelin Guide to Las Vegas" »

Posted November 12, 2007 2:55 PM by Kevin Chomintra | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

I know, I just wrote about a sushi joint not too long ago. Makinos is delicious and a really nice place, but I’m not always into all-you-can-eat. I expounded the advantages and disadvantages of plated vs. buffet style sushi in my other review, but this time I wanted to write about one of my favorite sushi restaurants.

On Silverado Ranch and Maryland Parkway, you’ll come across a very unassuming sushi place called Sushi Mon. It’s really small, so if you blink, you’ll miss it.

It may seem like a quaint neighborhood joint, but it developed a reputation for quality sushi and quick service pretty early on. And I do mean quality, delicious, bountiful sushi.

They serve up more than 70 different kinds of rolls. Special, fried, baked or tempura rolls are all available. Take the Royal California roll for example. Just a standard California roll – crab, avocado, rice and whatever else they put in there. After building the roll, they take it to the deep fryer and then I take it to my belly.

Continue reading "Ginsu this – Sushi Mon serves up innovative and delicious rolls" »

Posted November 8, 2007 12:06 PM by Kevin Chomintra | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

The Las Vegas Weekly, College of Southern Nevada and several other sponsors are teaming up for the 4th Annual Great Las Vegas Steakout Nov. 7.

The participating steakhouses around the valley will create exclusive, multi-course menus while DeLuca Liquor & Wine will pair wines to match each of the specially prepared dishes.

Steaks are mightily majestic food and you can bet that places like Ruth’s Chris Steak House will pull out all the stops for its menu items, which will include lamb loin, Kobe style beef, vegetable wrapped striped bass and much more.

Continue reading "Steak and wine pairings featured at Great Las Vegas Steakout" »

Posted November 1, 2007 2:02 PM by Kevin Chomintra | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

I both love and hate all-you-can-eat joints and Las Vegas is a city full of buffets. I love having the chance to throw some real damage on a line of food, but lament with great intensity that unpleasant discomfort, and let’s just say it, the shame of eating myself to the brink of capacity.

I’ve become intimately familiar with a few of the buffets around town. I know there are the higher end places like the Bellagio, but let’s not kid ourselves, buffet food doesn’t exactly represent the hallmark of culinary achievement. I’m not saying it’s bad, I’m just saying it’s not the same quality you’d be getting if you ordered a dedicated, plated version of the same food.

It’s like I told a friend this weekend, I am happier to take an unlimited amount of a lesser quality food than vice versa.

So it is with sushi as well.

This weekend, I had the pleasure, and it was a pleasure, of checking out Makino Gourmet Sushi & Seafood Buffet. It’s been around for awhile now, but I decided to check out the location on Eastern, near the 215 freeway.

Continue reading "Makino opens in southeast; offers all-you-can-eat sushi and Japanese fare" »

Posted October 29, 2007 11:31 AM by Kevin Chomintra | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

A few weeks back, my brother and I were watching a show on the Food Network that featured an entire segment on donuts. Ten minutes later, we were on our way to Krispy Kreme to satiate our donut lust. We decided on a dozen each.

About a week ago, I had the fortune of another dozen, but these were no Krispy Kreme donuts. Nope. These were the old school Dunkin’ Donuts variety.

Oh, that’s right, I said Dunkin’ Donuts.

All you East Coast and Midwest transplants know what I’m talking about, but if you’re one of the poor, unfortunate folk who doesn’t understand the glory of Dunkin’ Donuts do yourself a favor and give it a try.

Continue reading "Dunkin’ Donuts set to expand in Las Vegas" »

Posted October 29, 2007 10:26 AM by Kevin Chomintra | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

Vox Wine Lounge will be having its grand opening party next Thursday, October 18.

The wine list will feature over 200 wines selected by sommelier Patrick Pretz, who previously designed Cirque and Sensi at Bellagio and SW Steak for Steve Wynn.

Continue reading "Grand opening for Vox Wine Lounge Thursday, October 18" »

Posted October 8, 2007 5:10 PM by Kevin Chomintra | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

Alright, I know this is a little late, but I only just now read an article on the Review Journal that lists bars around the valley where football fans can watch the games with kindred spirits.

The comprehensive article lists several bars that support specific teams and drink and food specials they offer.

You’re a fan of the Cardinals? Check out Timbers Bar and Grill, 8540 S. Maryland Parkway. You can get five sliders with fries or a half-pound hot dog with fries for $5 and wash it all down with $2.50 Bud or Bud Light drafts.

Continue reading "NFL fans can support their favorite teams in Las Vegas bars" »

Posted October 8, 2007 10:09 AM by Kevin Chomintra | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

It seems to me that every place that serves fish and chips always offers an all-you-can-eat night. As a matter of fact, with so many places offering it, my brother and I once tried working out a plan to have all-you-can-eat fish and chips every night for a week. And it would be a mighty week.

Even though they wouldn’t all be of the highest caliber, they would still be fish and chips. We knew from the outset that Thursday would be our reckoning.

You see, that’s the day when McMullen’s Irish Pub serves up its fish and chips special. And it is delicious. They’re some of the best in the city and one of my personal favorite foods. Beer-battered North Atlantic cod with fries and coleslaw is a tough dish to beat.

Continue reading "McMullen’s Irish Pub offers some of the city’s best fish and chips" »

Posted September 27, 2007 12:31 PM by Kevin Chomintra | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

I’m not going to lie to you one little bit – breakfast burritos are Top 5 status in my book. It may sound low brow, but it’s a stately meal if I’ve ever seen one. If you’ve never experienced the majesty of a well-made, handcrafted breakfast burrito, you probably wonder what could drive a man to such unabashed devotion.

I mean, it’s just eggs, bacon, cheese and salsa wrapped in a tortilla. If you’re lucky, you may even have some hash browns. No, my friends, no. Like a mighty statue built of several tiny Lego blocks, a breakfast burrito is more than the sum of its parts.

Continue reading "Roberto’s Taco Shop and the breakfast burrito experience" »

Posted September 20, 2007 4:02 PM by Kevin Chomintra | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

I’ve always believed that the atmosphere of a restaurant speaks just as loud as its food, especially in Las Vegas. Tamba Indian Cuisine on the Las Vegas strip not only blends old traditions with modern aesthetics, but also takes the exotic and makes it familiar.

The space in Tamba features warm, rich colors reminiscent of India’s traditional spices. Murals, Indian-imported furniture and artwork give the restaurant an authentic feel, while plush seats, dramatic lighting and chic style in the hip lounge bring it back to contemporary times.

Giving an updated spin on tradition seems to be a philosophy applied to both design and food at Tamba.

The menu is stocked with classic Indian cuisine. But the chefs at Tamba have stretched beyond tradition and have used these recipes as inspiration to create new dishes, which help Tamba set the standard for elegant Indian cuisine.

Continue reading "Tamba Lounge offers best Indian cuisine in Las Vegas" »

Posted September 17, 2007 5:24 PM by Kevin Chomintra | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

Pairing food and wine can be a daunting challenge. Given the complexity of considering flavor, body and aroma of both food and wine, sommeliers have earned a certain distinction in upscale restaurants.

Often regarded as highly as executive chefs, sommeliers are masters of wine and are responsible for the development of wine lists, training restaurant staff and working with the culinary team on food and wine pairings.

Continue reading "Las Vegas home to 16 master sommeliers" »

Posted September 17, 2007 1:05 PM by Kevin Chomintra | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

Sundays are spectacular days for opulence and this fall, The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas will be doing it right with its new Sunday Brunch, which features unlimited pours of the highly rated Veuve Clicquot champagne. That’s right; I said unlimited pours of the good stuff.

Each brunch Executive Chef Stephen Marshall will put together a extravagant menus featuring items such as ricotta cheese ravioli with apples and truffle butter; rosemary and garlic studded leg of lamb with a whole grain mustard sauce; carving stations, which will include Aged Black Angus beef of roasted pork.

Continue reading "Sunday Brunch at The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas begins this fall" »

Posted September 13, 2007 11:44 AM by Kevin Chomintra | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This

Coffee. I know what you’re thinking: Starbucks. As reliable, ubiquitous, and consistent as Starbucks is, it’s nowhere near the bottom line when it comes to coffee. In order to expand at the nearly viral rate that they have, Starbucks needed to make a few compromises and luckily that left just enough room for a few independent coffee shops. ReJAVAnate Coffee Lounge is one such place that isn’t just hanging in there, it’s thriving.

It picks up where Starbucks left off – or maybe never really was in the first place. Community-oriented, ReJAVAnate is as concerned about the cultural experience as much as the product they serve. Work from local artists adorn the walls, space is free for people who want to perform there and, in addition to having two Internet-connected work stations, they provide a free wireless connection. Kind of puts paying for a hotspot in perspective.

Continue reading "ReJAVAnate brings coffee culture to Las Vegas" »

Posted August 30, 2007 5:01 PM by Kevin Chomintra | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This