Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
perfumed you'll be tempted to dab it behind your ears (though you'll want all of
it to go into your mouth, of course); and for light eaters, there's a buttery, but not
too filling, Croque Madame sandwich ($16, the classic ham and cheese with a sin-
ful Mornay sauce and fried egg) among the many other choices. Starters are just
as good, from the onion soup with its silken cheese lid ($8.50) to the ever-so-ten-
der mâche lettuce and baby beet salad ($11). The only way that Bouchon strays
from the Parisian formula is in the service, which isn't the brusque somewhat for-
mal treatment you usually get in Paris. Instead, the genuinely warm waiters wel-
come you as if you were a long lost cousin, cooing over small children (as they
recently did with my daughter), making sure you're comfortable, and just making
you feel like a special guest. Because of that, I'd pick this in a heartbeat for a classy
bachelorette party (if there's such a thing), or a less formal wedding reception. To
make the evening or afternoon really special, try and score one of the seats on the
terrace. Bouchon is also a great place for breakfast (p. 71).
NORTH STRIP RESTAURANTS
In several years, when all of the new condos being built in this area are swarming
with multi-millionaires, the North Strip will be
the
place to dine and stay. Right
now, with the exception of Wynn Las Vegas and the Fashion Show Mall, the area's
two pioneers, it represents the last vestiges of the “classic” strip ambience. Which
is a nice way of saying dowdy, old fashioned, and far more of a meat-and-potatoes
aesthetic when it comes to cuisine. The upside: You'll find the cheapest eats on the
Strip here, and in some cases the choices are just as tasty as their higher-priced
counterparts to the South.
$
Consider, for instance,
Capriotti's
555
(near the Sahara Casino at 322 W.
Sahara Ave., and at the Red Rock Casino, among other locations;
%
702/474-
0229; www.capriottis.com; daily 10am-5pm; AE, DISC, MC, V),
an ever-expanding
chain of sub shops started in Delaware, which now has 17 shops in the Las Vegas
valley. I know it sounds pretentious to refer to a submarine sandwich as “gour-
met,” but these truly are: oozing with flavor (and sometimes dripping dressings)
and top-of-the-line ingredients, they redefine the genre. Were Quiznos or Subway
executives ever to visit, they'd have to commit hara-kiri right on the spot in
penance for their product! Here, the turkey and roast beef are roasted on a daily
basis, the smallest subs on 9-inch rolls (costing $5-$7) are big enough for a meal
and a half (leave the leftovers in your fridge for your next day's breakfast), and the
“larges” could feed the proverbial family of four. Most famous on the menu is the
Bobbie ($6.50), basically Thanksgiving dinner—-turkey, cranberry stuffing and
mayo—on a roll, and it's delish, though I sometimes prefer the Capastrami ($7),
a hot sandwich of pastrami, coleslaw, melted Swiss and thick Russian dressing.
Meatballs, cheesesteak, Capacolla, roast beef, Eggplant parmigiana, and Genoa
salami (great with sweet peppers and oil and mustard) and various combinations
of all the above, round out the menu. For vegetarians, there's a wide selection of
faux meats—turkey, baloney, salami, and hamburger—cunningly created from
soy, and pretty darn good. Be thinking of where to eat your sub before you buy,
as there's rarely a free table in this crowded shop; worst comes to worst, you can
squat with your food in front of the polished brass butts of the “Crazy Girls”
statue at the nearby Riviera casino.
