EATING LAS VEGAS: THE 50 ESSENTIAL RESTAURANTS 2013
FEATURES 11 NEW ENTRIES “ PLUS THREE NEW IN THE TOP 10
In recent years Las Vegas has experienced a meteoric rise to become, arguably, the best restaurant city in the world. The names attached to the eateries on the famed Las Vegas Strip represent a veritable Whos Who of the culinary universe, now home to James Beard Foundation award-winning names pulled from the industry’s top food magazines, blogs and television shows. The 2013 edition of Eating Las Vegas: The 50 Essential Restaurants (Huntington Press, December, 2012) accomplishes what no other restaurant guide has, compiling the opinions of the citys three most respected critics (John Curtas, Max Jacobson and Al Mancini) to create a reference book that lists their agreed-upon Essential 50 restaurants in Sin City.
But its much more than just a list of restaurants, as each entry receives a thoughtful and candid description from all three authors. The guide also includes a 44-page specialty guide dedicated to Additional Recommendations from beer to buffets and from Sunday brunch to sushi “ plus everything else in between. The contentious (and ever-popular) Vetoes section pits author-against-author, a literary version of a free-for-all food fight.
When we green-lit this project three years ago, I wasn’t sure its realization was even a possibility, as we were dealing with three highly knowledgeable but incredibly strong-willed personalities, said publisher Anthony Curtis. But John (Curtas), Max (Jacobson) and Al (Mancini) have continued to deliver on their promise to seek out, and agree upon, Las Vegas 50 Essential Restaurants.
The 2013 edition of Eating Las Vegas with its foreword written by 14-times James Beard Foundation award-winning food journalist, Alan Richman, adds three newcomers to the vaunted Top Ten list “ including two off-strip restaurants “ a first for the book “ in March Bacchus French Bistro and Raku Japanese Charcoal Grill. The other newcomer is Piero Selvaggios Valentino at The Venetian. Rounding out the Top Ten, and repeating from 2012, are Estiatorio Milos at The Cosmopolitan, Jol Robuchon and L’Atelier de Jol Robuchon at MGM Grand, Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace, CUT at Palazzo and Le Cirque and Picasso at Bellagio.
In addition to the Top 10, 11 new restaurants made the Essential 50,including Bread & Butter, Comme a at The Cosmopolitan, Due Forni, Fleur at Mandalay Bay, Gordon Ramsay Steak at Paris, Kabuto, Le Thai, Mint Indian Bistro, miX at Mandalay Bay,
Public House at The Venetian and Sirio at Aria. Of course, when restaurants are added, casualties are inevitable. Eleven previously listed restaurants didnt make the cut this year. Some may be easier to swallow than others, but the authors refuse to place celebrity above credibility, as one notable inclusion in the Vetoes section amply demonstrates.
About Eating Las Vegas: The Essential 50 Restaurants
The 2013 edition of Eating Las Vegas: The 50 Essential Restaurants features all the elements — fully updated — that have made the ELV brand such a success, including the Top Ten and 40 best-of-the-rest picks from the city’s top-three (and ever-feisty) food critics, to make up the list of the “50 Essential” restaurants in Las Vegas. With each year this unique guide keeps getting bigger and better. While still in handy pocket-sized format, its expanded the popular Vetoes section, and for the first time added Best Buffets to the Additional Recommendations. The authors have also embellished many of the other “Best of” lists, to reflect the city’s ever-increasing array of enticing eateries, from bakeries to sushi restaurants. There are some big changes at the top, too, including three all-new entries in the Top Ten, so this restaurant roadmap truly never gets stale. From the Michelin-starred gastronomic temples to ethnic hole-in-the-walls you’ve never heard of, Eating Las Vegas now features close to 200 restaurants and bars, with tempting options for every taste and wallet, plus mouth-watering full-color photographs throughout. It’s a must-have pocket companion for anyone planning to eat a meal in Las Vegas — whether you’re in the market for a quick snack or a 10-course chef’s tasting menu — and makes a great stocking-filler for the gambling foodie in your life. This handy full-color pocket guide is available in paperback ($12.95) and e-book formats ($7.77) from Amazon and Barnes & Noble, as well as directly from the publisher at ShopLVA.com. In 2013 authors John Curtas and Al Mancini will co-host a show on Travel Channel that will document them eating, and arguing, their way through the top food cities in America.
