mediterranean fisticuffs, northwest vs. southeast.

Today we pit two popular, expanding restaurants against each other, two favorites in their respective neighborhoods. In the northwest part of town, Market Grille Cafe is something of the default champion of Greek-Mediterranean cuisine. There really is no competition. When this store popped up in the Centennial Center a few years back, its healthy menu and simple, tasty food won over the neighbors and a few local critics, and earlier this year MGC opened a second location on Lake Mead Boulevard in a venue formerly known as Pei Wei. This larger, more comfortable restaurant is thriving.

The cuisine here isn't the most authentic Greek in Vegas, but it hits all the familiar notes: those ambiguously beloved dips of hummus, satziki and babaganoush; the imported saganaki cheese; the rice-stuffed grape leaves known as dolmas or dolmades; fried falafal patties in various forms; spanakopita, or spinach and feta pie in filo pastry; and a wide assortment of fresh salads. One of my favorite dishes here is the simple and hearty mousaka -- ground beef, eggplant and potato casserole. Overall, Market Grille Cafe is serving a healthy and affordable alternative to whatever you're taking home for dinner, and while the flavors won't blow you away, the food is consistent and gets the job done.

There's something similar going on way over in Henderson, only better. The Olive Mediterranean Grill and Hookah Lounge (also getting set to expand, taking over the space next door to accommodate its growing crowd of young, hookah-loving lounge lizards) is the favorite Mediterranean spot of Henderson/Green Valley residents and has been for years. The menu here is smaller and more veggie-oriented, highlighted by big, colorful salads, satisfying lentil soup, and simple sandwiches of spicy chicken or beef in pita pockets. Where MGC is a fairly slick, franchise-ready restaurant serving up Greek favorites, the Olive is more of a casual cafe where you meet friends for something light to eat, a few Lebanese beers and maybe a smoke.

But everything is better at the Olive. Hummus, that same old puree of garbanzo beans, is impossibly rich and creamy without being overly thick, and it actually tastes great, something we can't say about the hummus at most Mediterranean restaurants in town. Babaganoush somehow comes without the natural bitterness of eggplant. The grape leaves are moist and delicious, so tender and tasty that I forgot how dry my Syrian-Lebanese grandma's were. The Olive's falafel, an appealing green color and delicately crispy, is perfect in their wraps with fresh veggies and topped with a spicy jalapeno chutney.

No matter how simple the menu, the Olive is tops. Longstanding Las Vegas favorites serving this kind of cuisine can't really complete with these flavors.

INTERVIEW: Carlos Guia

Carlos Guia is executive chef at The Country Club at Wynn Las Vegas, and also known as the chef of the former Commander's Palace restaurant in the former Aladdin.

How did your path lead to Wynn Las Vegas in 2008?
Carlos Guia: I ran Commander’s Palace for seven years, opened it and closed it, and then I had the opportunity to open Louis’ Las Vegas and Louis’ Fish Camp (at Town Square). We had issues with the economy then, with opening on time. We paid a lot of money for overtime construction to make sure Louis’ would open on time, and it did, and then we sat there for five or six months until the mall picked up business. We had good reviews, good feedback from locals, but it was just time to move on. With everything going on, I knew I wanted to find a great property that appreciates food, backs their people, and just a good culinary environment where everyone appreciates what we do for a living. I was lucky to land a spot at SW Steakhouse with David Walzog, where I was chef de cuisine for eight months, and then I was very happy to move on to the Country Club.

How do the two steakhouses, Country Club and SW, coexist or work together within the same resort?
They offer very different environments, even if the cuisine is similar. David Walzog has his own style and I have my own style. The steaks may be similar and the method of cooking them, but when it comes down to appetizers, seafood and the rest of the menu, we both kind of put our own spin on things. SW is a little hipper, a little more upbeat, while we are more relaxed. Country Club has a very serene environment overlooking the golf course and the waterfall. When you walk into the room, you don’t feel like you’re in Las Vegas. It feels like some other place, just a different feeling. To have that on the Strip is something new. It’s completely relaxed.

How do you go about setting Country Club apart from so many other steakhouses on and off the Strip?
I just try to take all my past experiences, growing up in Venezuela, living in New Orleans, traveling in Europe and working in New York City, and let those experiences shine through. I have a pretty diverse background in cuisine. I have classical French training but I like to do my Southern American and Caribbean flavors. Of course, those Southern roots come through, and there are people who expect to see shrimp and grits or gumbo, so I like to work that stuff in when I can. In the summer we put a watermelon gazpacho on the menu to cool off, with the jumbo lump crab. And I think the foie gras gumbo is pretty special.

How does your experience working at Wynn compare to New York, New Orleans and other places in your background?
We all really care about what we do, and there is a good amount of freedom here to express ourselves through food. It's kind of like, here is the restaurant, what can we do with it? The mold was already here: it's a new American steakhouse. Luckily I have a diverse American cuisine background, and it's so varied and such a great palate to work with. I just came in and -- I don't want to say, did my greatest hits -- but looked at the menu to see how I could really make it my own, being nice and diverse, offering a great variety.

Commander's Palace was truly a great restaurant and a lot of people were sad to see it close. What happened, and was there a plan to re-open in Las Vegas?
I was in New Orleans working with the Brennans for about three years, I left for two, and they asked me back to open Commander's Las Vegas. This was in 1999, and I thought, I'm not sure about Las Vegas. The second or third time they asked, I looked into it more seriously. It was still very up-and-coming then. Bellagio had opened, and the Venetian was on the way in. It was developing a lot more. So how could I say no to a world class restaurant with so much trust in me? I took the opportunity. Then the whole situation with (closing) and the Aladdin's bankruptcy ... there were a lot changes in management, and it was pretty early on, about three years in, that we decided as a group to see if there was a better place to be. But it took too long, about four years, to get out of the lease. There was a plan to re-open in early 2007, but at the time a lot of the rents were astronomical. We're talking $130 per square foot. It's really hard to make money at those levels. So I have to give it to the Brennans for knowing what they could do. They eventually opened Commander's in Destin, Florida. But they had been looking for a management contract, a hotel or restaurant group that wanted to use them as a flagship restaurant and let them run it. It didn't happen. But I still talk to Brad Brennan all the time, he still lives in Las Vegas, and he's still looking. Things are not the same as when we first opened. We had a great following, but it was a 350-seat restaurant and the plans were to scale that back so we'd be packed every night. It's hard to say now. But you never know.

How has the restaurant landscape changed in your time in Vegas? Do you think the poor economy will leave a lasting effect on Vegas' dining reputation?
It's definitely a place that’s growing every day, and there are still a lot of great chefs coming in. I've always enjoyed Las Vegas. After living in New York City for eight years, there are things I miss about that. But when I came here I learned there is a lot to do if you want to do it. But if you want to live in the suburbs, that's good here, too. I probably do a little bit of both. I like to do charity events, throw some support to local students and schools. I try to get out sometimes, but I also like my peace and quiet. As for the economy, that's a topic my friends and I have talked about a lot. There are a lot of different issues and expectations. But what we've decided is to keep pushing ourselves and make sure that when our guests come in, they are fully satisfied. People may not be spending as much but we still need to make them happy and make them want to come back. I don't know if the economy can ruin the city's reputation.

What do you think Las Vegas needs to continue to grow into a great restaurant city?
It's actually been growing a lot throughout the years, and I don't want to say it has slowed with the economy. I like the way neighborhood restaurants are coming up more, and it's a little more spread out instead of being concentrated just on the Strip. It's great to have different ethnic cuisines popping up instead of just French, Italian, and the steakhouse. Honestly, I don't get out to try restaurants as much as I should. When I get some time I like to spend it at home and do a little cooking with the kids. But the way I feel about food is definitely a passion, and I like to show that on a menu. I was just doing an interview the other day and talking about signature dishes, and I was saying you can call it a signature dish if you like but if it doesn't sell, it's not truly a signature. At Country Club, we'll bend over backwards to make a guest happy. If people are in the mood for something new, this is the place to be because we'll do whatever we can. As long as we have the capability, anything's possible.

the odd burgers of blt.

We've been to eat at BLT Burger in the Mirage a few times now, and it has been pleasant each visit. But what initially seemed to set the place apart from its upscale burger shop competition -- namely the interesting blend of beef in its signature burgers and off-the-wall options like a lamb tandoori burger -- provided nothing but disappointment during a Labor Day weekend trip to the Strip.

In a fine and festive mood after a few tropical cocktails on the Rhumbar patio, we took our normal seats at BLT's bar and perused the menu, destined to experiment. Would it be that weird lamb burger, with mint-cilantro yogurt sauce? Sounded a little scary. Maybe a salmon burger with avocado and watercress? Too soft. We decided on two crazies: the Asian "banh mi" pork and shrimp burger with pickled veggies, cucumber and sriracha mayo, and the Tex-Mex, beef with jalapenos, chili, avocado, salsa, cheese, and onion sour cream.

Wrong on both. Sounds like that Tex-Mex has way too much shit on it to actually taste the burger, huh? Yup. The chili was kinda bland, there was corn in it (which is fine but a little weird spilling out of your burger) and the only definitive taste was the heat from the jalapenos. That interesting blend of beef is a combination of sirloin, chuck, brisket and short rib, a tasty concoction with enough fatty flavor and beefy goodness. But it's so lost under this pile of mush. The Asian burger (pictured) was a different problem; the firm shrimp and pork patty held up but the toppings were useless. There was no sign of sriracha in this saucy mess, the radish and carrot were only slightly pickled and there was no spice, removing any similarity to our beloved banh mi sandwiches. The consistency of the burger was problematic as well. It reminded me of a kitchen accident from long ago, when my household was given the gift of elk. A friend had shot one and had it butchered into various forms: ground elk, steaks, jerky, elk sausage, etc. One day, craving burger, I grabbed one of the unmarked meat packages in my freezer, thawed and cooked one up, and when I chomped into it I realized it was sausage, not burger. It doesn't work, nor does this Asian burger. Odd flavor, odd texture, no good. On the plus side, BLT's sweet potato fries and onion rings are tasty.

Now, the fancy burger joint rankings look like this: 1-Burger Bar, 2-BLT, 3-LBS, 4-StripBurger.

vintner grill.

Vintner Grill resides in an unfortunate location. Sure, it's in Summerlin, a nice part of town, but more specifically it's hiding among tall buildings in a quiet office park. This must have helped the restaurant build its reputation as a West side professional power luncheon, but it's really too nice of a place with too fascinating of a menu to be hiding out anywhere. Summerlin boasts the best dining options of any Vegas suburban area, and Vintner Grill is at or near the top of the list.

Executive chef Matthew Silverman -- also the guy behind the cuisine at the local Roadrunner bar chain and Agave Mexican restaurant -- shines at Vintner with a Americanized bistro menu accented by Mediterranean flair. Dining here on New Year's Eve, our party feasted on delicately seared diver scallops with sweet corn risotto, a stunning, crispy half-chicken with mac and cheese, and a wood-fired smoked mozzarella flatbread. The restaurant, decked out in modern whites and greens, complete with a multi-canopied patio and feeling quite San Francisco-ish, was packed on this special occasion and the service was up for the challenge. They knew the menu backwards and forwards, including the expansive selection of fine cheese and charcuterie that many choose to start their meal with. This feature is rare in Vegas, especially off-Strip, and we took advantage of it at a more recent dinner at the bar.

Accompanying our cocktails were small portions of aged Wisconsin cheddar, creamy yet full Colorado goat cheese and slices of smoked duck breast, cured to a ham-like consistency. The halibut with couscous was simply prepared and delicious if one of the least exciting dishes on the menu. Sweet, firm pumpkin gnocchi, on the other hand, proved truly unique. A butter lettuce salad with warm brie and orange balsamic dressing is another favorite.

Some dessert options are furnished by the luxury chocolate store Vosges. Vintner Grill has a great bar and a great wine list to complement the interesting cuisine. It might be hard to find, but many jewels of Vegas dining are. The neighbors are lucky, and for everyone else, it's worth a trip.

memphis championship barbecue.

This is a plate of tender, crazy-smokey baby back ribs, burnt ends and beef brisket, with some fries and slaw. It was pretty good. The leftovers will be pretty good for lunch tomorrow. And I'm sorry, but we ate all the deep fried pickles so there's no picture of those.

There are certain restaurants that are standard bearers. You try a new place, decide it's great, and it makes you want to go back to your favorite to see if the new joint is better. Memphis Championship Barbecue is such a benchmark. There are bountiful little 'cue pits around Vegas (Harry-O's BBQ, Buzz BBQ, CJ's Texas Barbeque, Longhorn BBQ), reliable franchise faves (Lucille's, Famous Dave's) and even a fancy hotel-casino restaurant (RUB at Rio), and most serve great food. How can you screw up barbecue? Most of these menus are similar, as well, even if some of these guys are from Texas and some are from the South and some are from the Midwest.

Memphis stands out from the pack. Mike Mills is from the Midwest, and yes, he's pretty famous as far as barbecue guys go. But that doesn't make these restaurants (there are three) any less Vegas. The original location on Las Vegas Boulevard North near Nellis Air Force Base has been there longer than you have. The service and high quality food is consistent, which accounts for why it's one of the most popular event catering restaurants around the valley. And there's just a ton of great stuff on the menu, like that three-meat combo dinner up there, terrific, meaty chili, a spicy vinegar-based sauce for you to slather on your ribs, overstuffed hot link sandwiches, slightly smokey turkey that'll hold you over until Thanksgiving, and soulful sides like mac'n cheese, collard greens and fried okra. They do everything well, and that's really what puts Memphis ahead of the competition.

china mama. bosa 1.

Two of the more interesting recent discoveries in Chinatown happen to be right next door to each other, on Jones Boulevard just north of Spring Mountain Road: the Vietnamese Bosa 1 and the Taiwanese China Mama. I've been to lunch, alone, at both in the last month, and had some great food and kinda funny service. Not funny bad, just ... interesting.

China Mama is not the most English-friendly Chinese restaurant, but it's not too tough to figure things out here. The place is pretty big and the walls are a bright green color. This is not an Americanized Chinese restaurant, so there's no lunch special with an egg roll and egg flower soup on the side; why would you want another joint like that? Unfortunately, the menu is not built for the solo diner who wants to try different things, so I had a big dish of shredded pork and dried tofu for lunch. It was a bit salty and quite tasty, not spicy at all but very satisfying with rice.

Other notable dishes on the menu include green onion pancakes, cucumber salad, cold salted duck and pork soup dumplings. Those dumplings were what I really wanted to try, so once my lunch was brought out, I asked for the juicy dumplings, too. And then things got weird. They shot me down. The server told me I'd never be able to eat it all, this heaping plate of pork and tofu plus 8 rather large soup dumplings. He seriously talked me out of it. That hasn't happened before. Almost out of spite, I devoured my food, all of it, and I will be back for those dumplings. Be ready, China Mama.

Something very different happened to me when I visited Bosa 1, just a few steps away. I walked into the much smaller but clean and comfortable Vietnamese restaurant and immediately noticed a sign that read "Cash Only." Crestfallen, I started to ask the lady behind the counter where the nearest ATM could be found. "Well, if you want you can pay next time."

Um, what?

"Have you been here before?" No. "Well everybody always comes back, so you can pay next time you come in." Seriously? "Sure."

That's never happened. I wasn't sure if it was an act of supreme culinary confidence or just good faith, but I was impressed. Turned out Bosa 1 has every right to be confident, but they shouldn't be giving this stuff away. Las Vegas' top two restaurant critics both love this place, and now so do I. They stuffed me with fresh shrimp spring rolls that I could have eaten all day and a broken rice combo plate with a skewer of grilled shrimp, barbecued pork, a peppery quiche-like egg cake with more pork inside, shredded pork skin, a fried shrimp cake and a pickled vegetable salad. This was all on one plate, everything was delicious and had I paid, I would have cleared the place for $15. The best parts were the homemade fish sauce, which I mixed with a little scorching chili paste and dumped on everything, and the also homemade chicken soup, a clear, clean broth that I used to soak some of those vegetables and pork skin. At any price, this is one of the best lunches in Vegas.

joe's in the forum shops.

It's been ten years since I came back home to Vegas, and I've been thinking a lot about things (and restaurants) that have shaped my experience here. For better or worse, Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab fits into that category.

When MenuVegas went up in the summer of '06, Joe's was the very first featured restaurant on the site. It was chosen not just because the food was good, but because it seemed like the epitome of what I then thought of as the Vegas restaurant experience. It's expensive. It's inside the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. It's not really ours; it's an extension of an iconic Miami restaurant and operated by the Lettuce Entertain You company, which opened Joe's Chicago in 2000 and Joe's Vegas in 2004. So, like so much of this Vegas Experience, this restaurant is meant to re-create an entirely different, faraway destination. Also, it's nice. It's a classic dining room, all dark wood and white tablecloth. And the menu: seafood and steak, simple and timeless.

And still, five years later, pretty damn good. In my early visits to Joe's I was impressed with the sweetness of the namesake stone crab claws and the creamy crab bisque, and quite surprised by the steady steaks. The perfectly charred, bone-in, 16-ounce filet mignon I had on my first visit years ago remains one of the best steaks I've ever tasted. And maybe I was just in the right mood, sitting by myself at the bar, the first person in the restaurant, but today might have been the perfect lunch:
1. Hendrick's and tonic.
2. A wealthy bread basket.
3. A lot of chilled king crab legs. (The menu said 12 ounces but it had to be closer to 16.)
4. Potatoes lyonnaise, crispy and good.5. Sweet corn, pan-roasted.6. Strawberry pie and strong coffee.It was about $40 before the tip. Typically, I feel remorse after dropping this kinda money on lunch for one. Not today. The esteemed Max Jacobson recently reviewed the lunchtime offerings at RM Seafood, naming it one of the best places on the Strip for your mid-day meal. I wouldn't put Joe's at the level of Rick Moonen's place, but the lunch specials are very reasonable and, as you have just read, quite a bit of tasty food for twenty to thirty bucks.

Joe's is the type of restaurant I don't want to like. It's for tourists, sure, but so is everything else on the Strip. It's make-believe, yes. There is fresher seafood and richer beef to be found in this town. It isn't even close to being the best restaurant in Caesars. My skeptical side wants to slam this place, find something absolutely wrong with it. But I don't think that part of my brain got the message when I was fork-shoveling chunks of tender, butter-drenched king crab into my face at 11:30 this morning. I can't deny you, Joe's Stone Crab. You are good.

agave.

When it comes to Mexican food in Vegas, there are two types of restaurants: places worth going back to and places that aren't. Even though I've had lots of food and drink at Agave in Summerlin over the last few years, I'm afraid it falls into the latter category.

Despite what any critic writes or what any foodie snob will tell you, there is plenty of worthwhile Mexican food to be found in Las Vegas. Some of the most convenient, affordable, fun and interesting food on the Strip is being served at Border Grill, Dos Caminos, Diego, Isla and other restaurants, and there is no shortage of awesome hole-in-the-wall taquerias scattered about the valley. Of course, there is a powerful presence of run-of-the-mill, beans-and-rice, please-the-gringos restaurants as well. But it's pretty easy to cut through the boring (Macayo's) and discover the fantastic (Frank & Fina's).

Agave is somewhere in between. It's hard to believe this restaurant is run by the same company behind the splendid Vintner Grill just a short distance east on West Charleston Boulevard. Vintner's menu is playful continental with a Mediterranean flair; Agave's menu seems to grow less impressive every time I visit. A recent lunch on the patio started unfortunately with too-sweet, no-heat salsas, but the braised beef taquito appetizer made up for it. A gigantic machaca tostada was a massive salad atop a mound of beans and tender shredded beef, and the chicken torta also was too big to finish, a well-spiced grilled chicken breast swimming in plenty of guacamole and braced by a decent, baguette-like sandwich roll. It was filling, but far from satisfying.

I've eaten just about everything here, from fajitas to carnitas to tiny tacos to seafood, but still, the best thing one could order is a drink. All cocktails are made fresh (and a little too slow, if you ask me) and I've never sampled one I didn't like. The Tlaquepaque, with its fresh raspberries and Casa Noble tequila, remains the only blended margarita I've ever enjoyed. The house margarita is made with Herradura El Jimador and Patron Citronge, and the Jalisco Martini, which we just tried recently, blends honeydew melon and Midori with tequila for a smooth, crisp treat. Agave serves over 100 different tequilas, and you can taste by flight if you like. With its festive vibe and splashy pinkness, Agave could be a great party bar. Could be. But for now, it remains a fine place for a summer margarita with mediocre-at-best food.

home again: bagel cafe, grape street.

So I moved. It'd be easy to see, if you keep track of which restaurants I write or rave about, that I've been partial to the west side of Las Vegas. That's because it's been my home for the better part of the last 22 years. I think I get down to eat on the Strip as much as any other local, and I'm up for a jaunt out to Henderson, the south end or any other distance if there's great food to be found. But like any other suburban eater, I'm more likely to be found in my neighborhood. For the last three-plus years, that's been the northwest suburb of Centennial Hills, where I discovered some great places to eat: Indian Curry Bowl, Vega's Cafe, Retro Bakery, Sushi Loca, and the Charcoal Room, to name a handful. There really is outstanding dining to be found in every corner of the Las Vegas Valley.

But now I'm back home again, the neighborhood I more or less grew up in: the very tip of Summerlin, right along the Pueblo Park. Sure, it's not far from my previous location, just a few minutes on U.S. Highway 95. But it offers a certain comfort to me, a familiarity, and there are even more delicious restaurants nearby. Probably the best closest joint is the beloved French bistro Marche Bacchus, and I have to admit I have not been there recently. It won't be long before I return. But I have already paid a visit to two other long-popular destinations.

Bagel Cafe is quite simply the best deli-style restaurant in Vegas. This is the place for huge, homemade bagels, in every flavor variety you could think of and topped with every flavor of cream cheese imaginable; terrific, soul-satisfying matzoh ball soup; super-stacked deli sandwiches; gigantic fresh salads; and my personal favorite, monstrous fish platters with fresh, colorful vegetables. This morning I went overboard (pictured) with a plate stocked with dill shrimp salad, baked smoked salmon salad, coleslaw and potato salad, and an array of juicy red tomatoes, cucumbers, homemade pickles, olives and red onion to top my toasted sesame bagel with scallion cream cheese. It's easy to see (and taste) why the Bagel Cafe is packed for lunch during the week and all morning long on the weekends; it's truly a Vegas favorite. I also like to drool over the fresh pastries and cookies in the case up front.

Grape Street Cafe is almost as popular, a friendly neighborhood wine bar serving a lot of salads, some steak and seafood, pasta and pizza to a very Summerlin crowd. (What I mean by this: middle aged white people.) The wine selection is extensive and there's usually a seat at the bar if you're looking to do some sampling, but they stay pretty busy for dinner. A light dinner last night consisted of crostini, crisp toast with gorgonzola, goat cheese and roasted peppers; a pizza margherita and a tasty flank steak salad that could have been vastly improved by using any lettuce other than iceberg. I've never had a bad appetizer or dessert at Grape Street, and the kitchen handles fish well, too. The prices could be a bit lower, but it's not a bad deal for a reliably good meal from a diverse menu and a great bunch of bottles to choose from.

simon at palms place.

Despite the fact that celebrity chef Kerry Simon is a real easygoing guy and he's been happy to talk to us on several occasions, our much delayed debut at his eponymous Palms Place restaurant was a little flat. Don't get me wrong; he's a very busy dude and we are far from the tourist diner who expects to see every famous chef in the kitchen. It wasn't that. And it wasn't the menu, which looks to be a tasty hodgepodge of steakhouse/sushi/Californian cuisine. And it certainly isn't the decor, since the restaurant is wrapped by a swanky, cabana-laden pool, accented by a neat sushi bar, a fireplace, and a super-mod wooden and white, space lounge. It's a cool room.

It was the underwhelming combination of all those things, and some downright bland food and drink. A spicy yellowtail roll was fresh and energizing, but you can't really fuck up fresh fish with jalapeno. A southwestern-style turkey chopped salad had no taste whatsoever, basically lettuce with very few tiny bits of meat, cheese, black beans and corn. And the signature cocktails we sampled -- a mojito with squished grapes and a citrus martini spinoff -- were mediocre at best. The cocktail menu is uninspired, leaning heavily on vodka and fruit that doesn't taste so fresh.

I haven't yet attended Simon's newly infamous Sunday Brunch, and I can see how that would work well in this not-so-Vegasy space, which feels like a resort rooftop in some fast-paced metropolitan destination. But after this quick snack and booze sampling, I wasn't left with an impression that will bring me back for dinner anytime soon. In fact, the mild disappointment sent us searching for satisfaction elsewhere. We found better booze at the Rojo Lounge, the lobby bar of Palms Place, and then better food and dinner atmosphere at Summerlin's Vintner Grill.