walking through the new.

It may be amazing to consider Vegas is still opening billion dollar hotel casino resorts in the midst of this recession, but we are. And there may be no one in them, but they are really, really nice.

On the Strip, Steve Wynn opened Encore days ago. Like the Palazzo is the connected, sister property to Venetian, so is Encore to Wynn Las Vegas. The two towers are identical, and although Vegas architecture haters don't have many positives to expel about the exteriors ("A UPS truck turned on its side"), I kinda like the shiny bronze curves. They're simple and they stand out.

Inside, compared to Wynn, Encore is a little more alive and alert. Reds and golds dominate, but somehow things are more relaxed. Energizing instead of energized. Perhaps this is because a large portion of the casino is made to look, sound and feel like a secluded tropical garden, with the actual gaming areas and restaurants hiding under big white gazebos. I particularly like the crimson, spidery fixtures of the casino. The place might be overdone, but that's what Steve Wynn does best. And no one's walking in here and thinking, "Eh, it's just like Bellagio." Or any other Strip joint. It's fresh.

The hotel's restaurants look exciting. Grabbing the first headlines probably are Sinatra, helmed by L.A. chef Theo Schoenegger and featuring a swanky Italian menu the chairman would likely be proud of; and Switch, from chef Marc Poidevin, which plates lots of seafood and steak and has a dining room that allegedly changes its own atmosphere every 20 minutes. Not sure how that works. I'm more excited by Wazuzu, an Asian restaurant from chef Jet Tila, whose family owns L.A.'s Bangkok Market. His flavors come from all over, and he even stated that Thai food has been misrepresented and so he wants to bust that out. I noticed a few interesting dishes on the menu, Thai and otherwise, and this is probably the first Encore restaurant I'll try.

But you know what? This is Steve Wynn, and this is the Strip, so of course the place is amazing. Maybe more surprising is the niceness of Aliante Station, the newest Station Casino sprinkled around the valley's suburbs. And this one's way out, way way out in North Las Vegas. The Fertittas could have cut back and gone old-school neighborhood grind joint out here, and maybe they wish they had considering their company's current flirtations with bankruptcy. But they didn't. They set a new standard in off-Strip resorts with Red Rock in Summerlin, and Aliante is merely a smaller, slightly rectangular version of the big, round Red Rock. The modern desert decor serves the place well. The subdued pool area is lovely. Even the lobby is cool, although it lacks a bar like the dramatic one at Red Rock. The rooms are peerless, for miles, although also a bit smaller.

In addition to what is surely another great steakhouse concept from Station in MRKT, two outside operators bring Pip's, Italian, and Camacho's, Mexican, to the dining options. (For my first preview of Aliante's restaurants, look at this.) And the family friendly TGI Friday's and Original Pancake House should do well by the neighbors out here.

So how do we keep building big, beautiful casinos when no one's playing? Easy. These two joints were financed before things went poopy. (It should be noted that Wynn is doing much better than Station.) I need things in Vegas to pick up again, too, but I'm looking at the bright side. I'm happy to pillage Aliante and Encore while other locals and tourists stay away.

settebello = best pie.

You could make a case, without even tasting it, that Settebello makes the best pizza in Las Vegas. It is, after all, the only restaurant in Nevada to be officially certified by the Vera Pizza Napoletana, a real organization with the sole purpose of protecting the integrity and origins of pizza-making as it began in Naples a long, long time ago. Certified eateries have to use specific ingredients to make the dough, which also must be worked only with the hands and cooked directly on the surface of a bell-shaped oven fueled only by wood. Only certain toppings are acceptable, too.

Sure, you can make that case, but all that stuff wouldn't mean much if the pizza wasn't absolutely delicious: A thin, crisp and chewy crust with a flavor profile of its own, topped in minimalist fashion with crushed tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, parmigiano reggiano and extra virgin olive oil, served unsliced, and torn up and devoured by you, someone who simply cannot stop eating it once you get a taste.

And that's just the margherita, the original, traditional pizza. Add your own toppings to that template, including peppered salami, Italian bacon, olive, pine nuts, arugola or roasted bell peppers. Not too many though; you don't want to overwhelm perfection. Or go the spicy route with the Diavola (crushed tomatoes, salami, roasted red peppers and crushed red peppers, garlic, mozzarella). Or sample a little of everything with the Quattro Stagioni, a pie divided into four sections topped separately with wood oven roasted sausage, salami, roasted mushrooms and calamata olives.

Settebello is the best because it's so different from Vegas pizza. It's truly in a class of its own.
Heed this warning from the menu: "A note about take-out: Pizza in the U.S. has become synonymous with take out and delivery. In Italy pizza is enjoyed directly out of the oven in a pizzeria, not from a box. We strongly recommend (especially if you have never experienced our pizza) that our pizza be eaten in our pizzeria immediately after coming out of the oven." And since they're plating your pizza straight from that fancy oven, we suggest you take their word for it.

charcoal room.

EatingLV recently blogged about the impending closing of A.J.'s Steakhouse at the Hard Rock, even managing to get a little emotional in his farewell to one of the few remaining venues in the city to capture that cool, Old Vegas, Rat Pack vibe. Regrettably, I've never eaten at A.J.'s but always wanted to. I've hit the bar a few times for a martini and it's true about the vibe there.

But I've had to say goodbye to my own comfy steakhouse experience recently. Few people take my recommendation seriously when I tell them I really like the Charcoal Room at the Santa Fe Station, and I admit that a big part of why I like it is because it's a few miles from home. But the proximity and the urge to stray from the Station Casinos neighborhood entertainment center template don't change the facts: the menu is classic steakhouse, the food is outstanding, the room is cool, the bar is red (pictured) and has nice TVs, and the service has been great every time. I don't know how many perfect meals I've had at the bar here, how many icy martinis. Giant shrimp cocktails. Filet mignon-stuffed mushrooms. Caesar salads, or spinach salad with balsamic and a cake of goat cheese, or chopped salad with everything good in it. Ribeye burgers. Three peppercorn filets cooked perfectly. Lobster mac and cheese. Potatoes au gratin. I am fucking starving right now.

But the Charcoal Room is not closing, oh no. You can go there and have the same great experience. My Charcoal Room experience is over because our bartender, Christy, has relocated to the Texas Station and I don't think I could ever rebuild that kind of relationship. She knew to make the Sapphire martinis unless otherwise instructed. She knew to bring a bit of spicy mustard for the bread basket's soft, warm pretzel bread. She'd even change the TV to a shitty NBA game. We can't go back now. It's not the same.

treasure island.

Another big sign of shit times in Vegas: MGM Mirage is selling Treasure Island to the dude who used to own the Frontier. Here's the RJ story. Here's the Movable Buffet's take. This is not a huge disaster, it's just another odd thing to see for those who thought Vegas indestructible.

I have always had mixed feelings about Treasure Island. Steve Wynn opened the pirate-themed joint in 1993 and MGM Mirage has owned it since 2000. In 2003 things were changed quite a bit when they took down the skull and crossbones marquee, tried to hip it up by calling it TI and sexifying the pirate battle show, and painted the hotel a weird brownish red color. Bad moves, all.

I remember the place being one of the few hotel casinos on the Strip I wandered around as a high school kid. The tacky and useless Kahunaville restaurant used to be an arcade with carnival games that served as a funny little nerd date destination. Today, outside of the Mexican restaurant Isla and the once-hipster Social House, there is no good reason to eat here and really never has been. I've already expressed my disappointment with Canter's Deli. What was once a semi-interesting club, Tangerine, has been replaced with the pinnacle of Vegas douchebaggery, Christian Audigier The Nightclub. (Just typing the name of this place inspires throw-up-in-the-mouth.) And the only notable lounge at Treasure Island is the utterly unremarkable Mist. The hotel rooms, also, are nothing special.

No food, no cool boozing spots, no reason to be here. But, because the Strip and Spring Mountain intersection is where most of my Vegas action happens lately (Treasure Island, Fashion Show mall, Wynn Las Vegas, Palazzo, Venetian), I have spent too much time at this hotel. I don't know if a change in ownership will translate into any changes at the property; certainly not soon.