saturday at society.

My new favorite cocktail garnish: a large, plump shrimp, seasoned with spicy Cajun flavor dust, hanging on the side of the glass.

That's what comes on the Ragin' Cajun Bloody Mary at Society Cafe Encore, and it's a fine breakfast all by itself. It uses Absolut Peppar and has pretty traditional bloody mary flavors, except it substitutes Bayou seasoning for the typical Tabasco tang. It's special. It also goes nicely with the slightly charred tuna sliders with wasabi, shiso and cucumber (pictured). Our Saturday brunch at Kim Canteenwalla's already beloved restaurant (Society Cafe seemed the least significant of five new restaurants when Encore opened a little over a year ago, and yet it was the only Las Vegas representative in Esquire's Best New Restaurants 2009) also involved a bright chopped salad with havarti cheese and white balsamic-tarragon vinaigrette and some fried mac 'n cheese bites with a truffle oil dipping sauce. Overall, delightful. And it was hard to choose with a light egg white frittata, trio of quiche, and lobster roll club sandwich also on the lunch menu. Even more impressive, Society is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, it's nestled into a cozy corner of Encore's casino, and the handsome bar and dining room decor made me feel wealthy. It's the perfect weekend restaurant.

Our Saturday on the Strip also provided a sighting of that new Vegas wildlife species, the pizza boxer. Sure, I'd read about this beast in newspapers and magazines, heard it used over and over as an example of the kind of tourist the city should be getting used to. But to see one in person, in all its glory ... it's exciting. There were two of them, actually, both wearing NFL jerseys (it was a playoff day), holding hands walking past the Hermes store (seriously!), and the male was proudly floating three pizza boxes on his right hand. No sight of a wheeled Igloo cooler full of Miller High Life, though. Still, it was a zoo-like experience. Sorry I didn't take pictures.

All joking aside, I love Encore. It is hard to imagine a more perfectly designed resort. It is an easily navigated square, punctuated on the east by the serene pool and the adjacent Botero restaurant and wide, beautiful Eastside Lounge. (The west end is somewhat blocked off these days for construction of a new venue.) You get a glimpse inside each of the restaurants just by walking by, and there is always a brilliant bar/outstanding cocktail within reach. If Wynn Las Vegas is the culmination of Steve Wynn's casino-creating history, then Encore is the concentration of these lessons into a tighter package, one that melds a casual hipness with the ultra-lux details that make all the difference. I don't care if there's a bunch of bozos watching football in here. It's still great.

your friendly neighborhood mexican cafe.

Update: Vega's Cafe has closed.

The reason I don't like writing traditional restaurant reviews is the obligatory ranking system. If I put a few stars next to this picture of spicy, long-simmered red chile beef, would that make you more or less hungry for it? You just can't summarize the taste of food or the service and atmosphere of a restaurant with a 1-t0-5 or A-to-F rating.

And sometimes I get it wrong. For example, I wrote a review of Vega's Cafe and dropped 3.5 stars on it, out of 5. In retrospect, I wish I would have gone with a good solid 3 stars, which to me would designate a restaurant worth repeated visits. It may not be the best Mexican food in town (the simple menu certainly is not the most innovative) but it's reliable, well-spiced, home-style food, and the restaurant is affordably priced, family-operated and doing good business in a neighborhood that needs all the help it can get. In fact, Vega's and another cozy ethnic eatery, Indian Curry Bowl, are two of the few non-franchise restaurants in the northwest suburb known as Centennial Hills. They're also two of the tastiest joints in the neighborhood.

Vega's makes homemade flour tortillas every day, and pairs them with a fresh take on rellenos, this zesty, slightly sour red chile and a spicy, vegetable laden chile verde. The tacos are simple, crispy perfection, especially if you order them packed with cool guacamole or tender potatoes mixed in with the meat. The family behind the business has been serving Vegas its style of Mexican food for over 30 years, always in some little hole-in-the-wall, but Vega's Cafe is comfortable, casual and inviting. There's even a little bar where you can watch the game with an icy Dos Equis and a couple fish tacos. It's pretty much everything you'd want in  your friendly neighborhood Mexican cafe, and somehow we keep coming back, even if it's not just down the street.