The Henry

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Breakfast burrito

Tomato soup and grilled cheese

Interior

**** (4 stars)

This is a good place for 24 hour comfort food. Even though it’s right off the casino floor, it’s not smoky and not noisy.

The portions are large. The tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich was listed under “snacks” but my companion could only finish half of it! I had the breakfast burrito (substituting bacon for chorizo) and couldn’t finish it, either. Both were quite good.

Service is good, and our server was vigilant about keeping the coffee cups–which are the size of salad bowls–topped off.

The Henry
3708 Las Vegas Blvd SLevel 1, The Boulevard Tower
Las Vegas, NV
89109
(702) 698-7980
https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-henry-las-vegas

é by José Andrés

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Cream Catalana custard

Fluke

Caviar

Freezing sangria

Four gras

Cheeses

Spanish pizza

Preparation of cava sangria dew drops

Interior

**** (4.5 stars)

This is one of the more unique dining experiences in Las Vegas, with only nine seats at a counter in an intimate room. The experience is as much or more about the presentation as the actual food. Twenty or so courses are meticulously assembled in front of you. And unlike, say, l’Atelier, where there is a server between you and the chefs, here the chefs do that interaction as they work. It requires great talent and personality to fill that role.

Several levels of wine pairing are available here, and the wines are masterfully chosen to match the food. While it is expensive, I must say that the highest level wine pairing offered the best wines Ive encountered on a paring menu, with selections such as Unico and Chateau d’Yquem.

While none of the courses contained that home run of flavors that would stick with me in memory, I think the experience is well worth it, because of its unique intimacy.

é by José Andrés
3708 Las Vegas Blvd SLevel 2, Boulevard Tower
Las Vegas, NV
89109
(702) 698-7950
https://www.yelp.com/biz/%C3%A9-by-jos%C3%A9-andr%C3%A9s-las-vegas-4

Michael’s Gourmet Room

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Exterior

Interior

Scampi fra Diavolo

Mixed green salad

Petite filet mignon

Bone in filet mignon

Bananas Foster for one

Fruit and chocolates parting gifts

**** (4.5 stars)

If you are over a certain age, you will remember what fine dining restaurants used to be like, before they were, bright, loud and trendy. Visiting Michael’s is like stepping back into that era. The decor and the menu are exactly what we would have encountered in the 60s or 70s at the finest places in town. Well, except for the prices, anyway.

That said, while the menu prices might seem high, it’s important to note that there is a LOT included that isn’t on the menu. You start a basket of parmesan toast, a basket of lavash, and a generous relish tray with everything from pickled vegetables to quail eggs. And the meal ends with an enormous fruit bowl and an array of hand-dipped chocolate fruit slices. Of course, no one can eat all that, so you end up with a five pound to-go bag–snacks for a week.

In between all that free stuff are some great starters and steaks. Mixed green salad was simple, fresh, and enough for two. Scampi fra Diavolo had perhaps the best marinara sauce I’ve tasted (although it wasn’t spicy at all).

My bone-in filet was a superb piece of meat, and came with a lovely mushroom and red wine reduction. My companion’s petit filet seemed a bit mealy and flavorless in comparison, but the accompanying Bernaise sauces was wonderful.

For dessert we shared Bananas Foster for one (not on the menu, but nice of them to suggest the smaller serving). There was also a very tempting array of pastries on the cart.

I would have finished with an espresso, but at $16 that just seemed over the top, price wise.

The wines list focuses on many well-chosen California selections at reasonable prices.

Service was friendly, but also offered with the high degree of professionalism one would expect in a restaurant that so perfectly recreates the golden age of fine dining.

Michael’s Gourmet Room
9777 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV
89183
(702) 796-7111
https://www.yelp.com/biz/michaels-gourmet-room-las-vegas

Estiatorio Milos

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Chicken

Sea breem

Octopus

Greek spreads

Exterior

Kitchen

Patio

**** (4 stars)

This place offer classic and authentic Greek cuisine in a gorgeous room. The space is divided into several smaller areas, and we really liked our table on the patio. Lunch is a good deal for Vegas, since it is essentially a reduced price version of the dinner menu, with three courses for $29.

Charred octopus was the most tender I’ve encountered, and a delightful presentation. The Greek spreads appetizer is also a great way to explore different flavors.

I also enjoyed the bright light flavors of my main course, the whole sea breem.

Desserts are in the Greek style, which is to say very, very sweet.

A comprehensive wine list offers many hard to find Greek selections, but hundreds of other lovely choices from around the world.

Estiatorio Milos
3708 Las Vegas Blvd SLevel 3
Las Vegas, NV
89109
(702) 698-7930
https://www.yelp.com/biz/estiatorio-milos-las-vegas

China Poblano

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Tuna ceviche

Chilaquiles

Interior

*** (3.5 stars)

This interesting concept mixes Chinese and Mexican food, but not on the same plate. That is, it’s not fusion cuisine, just two cuisines in the same room.

We like the Mexican items we tried better than the Chinese. Tableside guacamole was very good, and although pricey it was a generous serving. The chilaquiles appetizer was also good and quite authentic.

Tuna tartare was just okay; it suffered from too many ingredients, and ended up a bit muddled. Dan Dan Mien tasted okay, but the noodles were unusually large and sticky.

My favorite item was the four cocktail sampler, which featured four different cocktails in reduced portions for the reasonable price of $32. All four were interesting, and several were quite good.

The room is fairly high energy, but we has a table in the back corner which had much more reasonable noise levels.

China Poblano
3708 Las Vegas Blvd SLevel 2Boulevard Tower
Las Vegas, NV
89109
(702) 698-7900
https://www.yelp.com/biz/china-poblano-las-vegas-2

SUSHISAMBA – Las Vegas

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El Topo

Peruvian sea scallops

Kanpachi, yellowtail and yellowtail ceviche

Pumpkin spice old fashioned for Thanksgiving!

Interior

**** (4 stars)

Very good sushi with a slight Peruvian spin, such as the sauces used for the sashimi preparations. Fish quality was good, and service was friendly. Chill vibe.

SUSHISAMBA – Las Vegas
3327 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV
89109
(702) 607-0700
https://www.yelp.com/biz/sushisamba-las-vegas-las-vegas

SUSHISAMBA – Las Vegas

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El Topo

Peruvian sea scallops

Kanpachi, yellowtail and yellowtail ceviche

Pumpkin spice old fashioned for Thanksgiving!

Interior

**** (4 stars)

Very good sushi with a slight Peruvian spin, such as the sauces used for the sashimi preparations. Fish quality was good, and service was friendly. Chill vibe.

SUSHISAMBA – Las Vegas
3327 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV
89109
(702) 607-0700
https://www.yelp.com/biz/sushisamba-las-vegas-las-vegas

Chinois On Main

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Pad Thai

Scallops

Tuna tempura

Interior

**** (4 stars)

Chinois on Main has an interesting and eclectic decor, although the lack of any soft surfaces and its popularity make it very loud. All the food we had was good, but the emphasis on deep frying and stir frying with lots of oil tends to make it heavy. Somehow the menu seems like it is stuck in the 1990s. The wine list, however, is exceptional.

Chinois On Main
2709 Main St
Santa Monica, CA
90405
(310) 392-9025
https://www.yelp.com/biz/chinois-on-main-santa-monica

Urban Tide

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*** (3.5 stars)

This is the third iteration of this space I’ve dined in, and is easily the least inspired. Considering it is in a Grand Hyatt, it’s shockingly mediocre.

Perhaps our experience was colored by our server, who was absent during most of a two-hour lunch, even after the restaurant cleared out. Ordering was problematical, refills were non-existent, and it tool 15 minutes just to order espressos at the end of the meal, then another 15 minutes to ask for a check.

As we were leaving, an entire duplicate set of entrees for our table arrived from the kitchen, so some inexperience was clearly evident here.

The food was only mediocre, too. The Asian salad was good, but the optional seared tuna had been coated in an overpowering seasoning that rendered the tuna completely flavorless.

This place fills up with business people during conventions at lunchtime, but you’d be far better off to walk up the street to Capital Grille.

Urban Tide
9801 International Dr
Orlando, FL
32819
(407) 345-4570
https://www.yelp.com/biz/urban-tide-orlando

SIRTAJ Hotel Beverly Hills

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**** (4 stars)

This is both a hotel review and a restaurant review.

HOTEL

This boutique hotel bills itself as posh. It’s not quite that, but it is a great choice. The location is absolutely perfect, just south of Wilshire on a quiet residential street within easy walking distance of all of downtown Beverly Hills.

The rooms are clean, modern, with interesting fairly techy amenities. They’re not Four Seasons level luxurious, but for a third the price, they are a great deal. Even the minibar, populated with half bottles of booze, is reasonably priced. Parking, at $38 per night less so.

We were initially given room 102 (you do not want this room!) and it overlooked the interior of the bar, and was immediately adjacent to the kitchen, where you could hear every pot and pan, and every word the cooks said. When we asked to be moved, we were, but somewhat begrudgingly. Really, this room should not be used for guests.

RESTAURANT

The hotel’s restaurant serves three meals a day, and the evening focuses on Indian cuisine, although pizza and some other items are available. The Indian food was very good.

There are only a handful of tables, and early on a friday night we were the only diners, so it was easy for the bartender to also act as server, and he did an excellent job.

SIRTAJ Hotel Beverly Hills
120 S Reeves Dr
Beverly Hills, CA
90212
(310) 248-2402
https://www.yelp.com/biz/sirtaj-hotel-beverly-hills-beverly-hills