Las Vegas Review Journal -- Best of Las Vegas 2010

Every year the LVRJ puts out its "Best of Las Vegas" list. They indicate a "reader's pick" and "our pick" for each category, but after reading the reader's picks, I'm ashamed to call myself one of them. As examples:

Best Italian food: Olive Garden
Best hot dogs: Costco
Best Mexican food: Macayo
Best Seafood: Red Lobster

So I'm not going to bother listing the reader choices. You can read the entire results at bestoflasvegas.com. Here are some of them.

Category	LVRJ Pick	Address
Bakery	Great Harvest Bread Company	Lots
Chinese Restaurant	China Mama	3420 S. Jones
Deli	Chef Marc's	7591 W. Washington
Diner	Peppermill	2985 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
Family Restaurant	Red Robin	lots
French Rest.	March Bacchus	?
Gourmet Rest.	Todd's Unique Dining	?
Indian Rest.	Origin India	?
Italian rest.	Gina's bistro	4226 S. Durango
Japanese rest.	Raku	5030 Spring Mountain Road
Mexican rest.	Dona Maria	Two
Microbrewery	Chicago Brewing Co.	2201 S. Fort Apache Rd.
Middle Eastern rest.	Ibo Turkish Rest.	9755 W. Flamingo Rd.
New rest.	Varadero Cuban Rest.	5081 N. Rainbow Blvd.
Other ethnic rest.	Via Brasil Steakhouse	1225 S. Fort Apache Rd.
Seafood rest.	Catfish Alley	2620 E. Flamingo Rd.
Soul Food rest.	Ella Em's	775 W. Craig Rd.
Steakhouse	Golden Steer	308 W. Sahara
Thai rest.	Archi's Thai Kitchen	Multiple
Bar food	Steiner's	multiple
BBQ	T.C.'s Rib Crib	8470 W. Desert Inn Rd.
Coffee	It's a Grind	multiple
Desserts	Layers Bakery	2708 N. Green Valley Pkwy, Henderon
Doughnuts	Winchell's	multiple
Hamburgers	Charlie's down under/Charlie's Lakeside	8603 W. Sahara Ave.
Hot Dogs	Chicago Hot Dogs	1078 N. Rancho Dr.
Ice Cream	U-Swirl	Multiple
Pizza	Anthony's coal-fired pizza	6569 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Subs	Capriotti's	lots
Tacos	Pepe's tacos	lots
Mel for less than $10	Wok On In	1040 E. Flamingo
Place for breakfast	Egg Works	two
Place for a power lunch	McCormick & Schmick's	335 Hughes Center Drive
Rest. With a view	Ventano Italian Grill & Seafood	191 S. Oroyo Grande Blvd., Henderson
Arizona getaway	Tuscon
California getaway	Big Sur
Nevada getaway	Great Basin National Park
Utah getaway	Bryce Canyon National Park
Art Gallery	Compeporary arts collective
Museum	Eortic Heritage Museum	3275 Industrial Road

Hey, those are good restaurants! I don't understand the chain hate. As I always say, "there is a reason they are chains." Let an independent operator take on the competition and do a superior product. Olive Garden/Red Lobster are consistently very good.

Gina's Bistro is actually more competitively priced than Olive Garden so you can't accuse the staff of choosing the expensive place.

Marche Bacchus can be very reasonable if you want it to be. Because it is a bistro with a corkage fee (which is sometimes waived) you can opt for cheese plate and wine and enjoy the lake. If you do opt for the full meal, the prices are much lower than strip prices. It is frequented by some tourists who are in the know.

Quote: teddys

Hey, those are good restaurants! I don't understand the chain hate. As I always say, "there is a reason they are chains." Let an independent operator take on the competition and do a superior product. Olive Garden/Red Lobster are consistently very good.

I had a coworker that worked at Onion Garden, she says all the entrees come frozen and are reheated. I have a hard time celebrating vacation with those two restaurants but hey if you like it go for it, I personally love Quizno's!

Quote: teddys

Hey, those are good restaurants! I don't understand the chain hate. As I always say, "there is a reason they are chains." Let an independent operator take on the competition and do a superior product. Olive Garden/Red Lobster are consistently very good.

I'm not saying that Olive Garden and Red Lobster don't taste good. However, it is easy to please when your food is loaded down with fat, sugar, and salt. Your brain becomes over-stimulated, which of course feels good, but also induces overeating. A quality restaurant will please with using fresh ingredients, new ideas, and types of fruits and vegetables other than those you eat all the time (rice, potatoes, wheat, tomatoes, iceberg lettuce). I must admit I'm not the model advocate for cause of healthy eating, but I try. In closing, the next time you're at the Olive Garden or Red Lobster, ask to the nutritional facts on their menu. It is enough to scare me away.

Quote: NicksGamingStuff

I had a coworker that worked at Onion Garden, she says all the entrees come frozen and are reheated. I have a hard time celebrating vacation with those two restaurants but hey if you like it go for it, I personally love Quizno's!

I think you mean Olive Garden and if so, your coworker is an idiot. She was probably a server or a hostess and in most cases is not at the store during prep.

Quote: Wizard

It is easy to please when your food is loaded down with fat, sugar, and salt. Your brain becomes over-stimulated, which of course feels good, but also induces overeating. A quality restaurant will please with using fresh ingredients, new ideas, and types of fruits and vegetables other than those you eat all the time (rice, potatoes, wheat, tomatoes, iceberg lettuce).

Hear, hear! This may come off as backtracking, but I actually have only been to Olive Garden twice in my life, and to Red Lobster once when I was about 11 years old. I have been to Applebee's twice (once was just for a drink). Their food is pandering (lots of cheeses, fatty meats, etc., that stimulate the pleasure receptors in the brain), but I find their service very good. I also like to seek out fresh ingredients and new preparations; as a matter of fact was just at North Pond in Chicago recently.
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Anyone who gets those "Five dollar Footlongs" at Subway should check the nutritional info on those as well. Almost anything is better than eating that for lunch (including some things at McDonald's).

For the record, it's just as easy to make fatty, sugary, starchy, salty foods with fresh ingredients as it is with processed/frozen ones. And viceversa.

Quote: Nareed

For the record, it's just as easy to make fatty, sugary, starchy, salty foods with fresh ingredients as it is with processed/frozen ones. And viceversa.

I disagree. Explain. (It's a lot harder to make unhealthy food with fresh, natural ingredients. It's not impossible, but you have to really try hard.)

The onion garden comment was a reference to an episode of Will & Grace