The Other Half Speaks

First, my dear friend Judy has been amazing in setting up Vegas Food Finds, herein called VFF, not to be like a certain other blog but rather, to save my fingers from overtyping.

Exploring the ins and outs of the culinary scene in Las Vegas is much like searching for a diamond. You sift through miles of dirt, pilfering through things that might have a little shine but no substance, gleam but no glow, and a lot of pesky debris that gets in the way of finding a true gem.

VFF might or might not help you sort through the rough and get to the diamond. In either case, it will sure to be an exciting journey into the Las Vegas culinary world.

-- By Nikki Neu

Breakfast at Paris

After many years of grabbing pastries at JJ's Boulangerie, I am somewhat sad to report that I'd rather go to Freed's. My Austrian friend Marcel from Vienna was in town last week, and as good Austrians, we were craving an Austrian Mehlspeise (loosely translated, a pastry) mid-morning on a Sunday. For some reason, I thought Freed's was too far, so we headed to Paris.

JJ's Boulangerie, which shares my initials, is, of course, a charming place; as charming as it can be in a semi-food court inside a casino with fake cobblestone. Still, nice enough. However, I could have sworn that they have less variety these days, and they were out of chocolate croissants, to my huge disappointment. We tried the napoleon and a nice fruit tart instead. The napoleon was a little more dense than I like it (I really enjoy the Mexican version, milhojas, which is always very flaky and light), so perhaps it didn't just come out of the oven. Eating delightful pastries off plastic plates with plastic forks is always a bit of a disappointment (which is why we like The Chocolate Swan at Mandalay Place), but they were still quite good. In spite of its high prices for pastries and coffee (our total: $26) JJ's was completely packed, and it was difficult to score an "outdoor" table, which we finally did. We had a fantastic view of the hungry crowds waiting in line at the buffet. It beats people-watching in St. Germain.

Next time, however, we are supporting one of our favorite local family-owned businesses, which makes the best cakes in Vegas: Freed's. Their new location on Eastern and Richmar even has a few tables.

JJ's Boulangerie
Inside Paris Hotel-Casino

--By Judy Jenner

Lunch of the Week: Vintner Grill

Ah, the warm Vegas weather in November: it doesn't get any better than this. Now that I am blissfully self-employed, my boss doesn't mind me taking an occasional two-hour lunch with a bottle of Pinot Grigio. One of my favorite lunch places is a few blocks from my house in Summerlin: Vintner Grill.

Tucked away in a very improbably location (W. Charleston Boulevard at Hualapai) in a large, nondescript office complex that is home to the Howard Hughes Corporation (with Vintner Grill serving as their unofficial cafeteria), Vintner Grill would be hard to find except that everyone, from John Curtas to Max Jacobsen, has been talking about it for more than a year.

Vintner Grill achieves the feat that many restaurant attempt but manage not to get right most of the time: outdoor dining. Where I am from (Austria), food is consumed mostly outside, even when it's less than summery, on charming plazas or small side streets. In Vegas, for some reason, many off-Strip restaurants insist on offering al fresco dining in a parking lot, which isn't exactly charming. Guilty: Lindo Michoacán on Flamingo. Guilty: Grape Street Café. Guilty: the now-defunct adorable Bonjour Bistro, which had a patio right next to the 215. Not guilty: Marché Bacchus, Olives at Bellagio and Vintner Grill.

VG's charming patio, although only a stone's throw away from busy Charleston , creates an almost-Mediterranean ambiance, with white gazebos, comfy green and white benches, wicker chairs, and plenty of oversize umbrellas, which are still in use in November, while the fireplace is patiently waiting for its turn. The gorgeous setting is outdone only by the quality of the food.

VG's menu, presented in a low-tech fashion on a simple clip board, changes every day, but the Morrocan ahi tuna salad has remained one of my favorites. The halibut with couscous -- just light enough -- is also a great choice. The crab ravioli with mushrooms and peas was a bit on the heavy side, but still a good fall dish.

Although VG's espresso machine was broken, we chose to linger over regular coffee and a softball-sized serving of tiramisu, which was denser than I usually like, but still quite tasty. Between the two of us, we barely made a dent in it. VG slightly transports me to one of my hometowns, Vienna, but then I remember that in Vienna it wouldn't be sunny, the service would be less than spectacular and the portions would be half the size. While it's certainly not the most inexpensive lunch in Summerlin, VG is cheaper than a trip to Europe. And the service is outstanding.

Vintner Grill
10100 West Charleston Boulveard Suite 150
Las Vegas, NV 89135
214-5590

Another Vegas Blog?

Yes, we need another Vegas blog. Specifically, a Vegas food blog. There are several fantastic food writers in town, and one of our favorites, John Curtas, also has a blog, Eating Las Vegas, but that's about it as far as we know. In all the years we have spent here, we have noticed that there really aren't many non-commerce driven Vegas food site that is not associated with a newspaper or a magazine. To find new restaurants, we are constantly looking, searching, talking to people, reading other reviews, driving aimlessly through Chinatown -- you get the idea. We have decided to create a blog with short, easy-to-read, succinct, user-friendly reviews in normal English and vow to limit words in foreign languages. We speak a few foreign languages too, but really, green beans is just fine for haricot vert. We take our food seriously, but it's also supposed to be fun.

This is not e-commerce in any way, shape, or form. We have no obligation to write positive reviews: this will be truth, not fiction. However, we will most likely choose to write about places we really like rather than restaurants that aren't worth the visit. If you have something to contribute or want to suggest a restaurant that we could grace with our visit, please let us know by dropping us a line.