there are things you need to eat at julian serrano.

When I recorded my first impressions of Julian Serrano, just days after the restaurant and its host resort, Aria, opened, I noted the "vast majority" of the menu's offerings consisted of "small plates we have seen before at local restaurants." That may not have been so true, and it certainly isn't the case now. The menu has adjusted considerably after a year, and the Serrano kitchen is flexing mightily.

What I'm saying is, the best Spanish restaurant in the city is getting better. Okay, fine, I have not yet dined at Jaleo next door in The Cosmpolitan. But I've heard mixed reviews from trusted associates, and bottom line is Serrano is the standard bearer. Anybody, even José Andrés, has some work to do to catch this pitch-perfect tapas factory.

With its ever-widening array of deliciousness -- soups, salads, modern and classic Spanish tapas, ceviches, tiraditos, more seafood, cheese, charcuterie, richly flavored vegetarian options, paella, and larger plates featuring lobster, Iberico pork, chicken, lamb and beef -- the Serrano menu provides endless opportunities for new experience within the same restaurant. On our most recent visit, we were wowed by a few relatively simple dishes that were new to us, but not to the menu. Among them, the luscious plate of Pata Negra ham, served with grilled bread and a garden-fresh garlic tomato jam, and the utterly lovable Huevos Estrellados, perfect crispy fries topped with fried eggs and Spanish pork chorizo. It's so good it's stupid. Wifey: "This is what you're making me for breakfast every Sunday starting now." I could try forever, and never make such sublime frites, and never fry eggs to this point of rich, yolky supremacy.

Julian Serrano is one of our best restaurants, and while everyone's all jazzed up about new baby Cosmo, let's not forget Aria and CityCenter have some terrific food. The combination of the two newest resorts is probably powerful enough, food-wise, to pull me away from my former favorite Strip crawl of Wynn/Encore/Palazzo/Venetian. I'll keep you posted.