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choices on the line, such as boiled crawfish and spicy seafood pasta. Pecan squares,
NY-style cheesecake and soft cookies up the ante in the dessert department; and
service was swift and cordial. All in all, not a bad choice.
$$-$$$
If you're hankering for something a bit more unique in the realm of
buffets—one that serves goat perhaps? (as this one does)—make a beeline for
India Oven
55
(2218 Paradise Rd., at Sahara Ave.;
%
702/366-0222; daily
11:30am-2:30pm and 5:30-10:30pm; AE, DISC, MC, V).
And don't be put off by
the address: It's just one sari's throw from the Strip. Punjabi food, specifically from
the area in and around Delhi, is the thing here, and at the daily lunch buffet
($8.95) you'll taste all the greatest hits from that region, from morsels of tandoori
chicken (marinated in yogurt and a heady spice mixture called
garamasala
to lock
in moistness) to vegetable curries thick with gravy to a perfectly balanced lamb
korma that's both creamy and nutty. The fare is even more exciting at dinner,
when diners can try the less famous foods of that region, a rewarding side-trip. I
particularly groove on the
Began Bharta
($11), which is eggplant roasted in the
tandoor oven and then pulverized, mixed with tomatoes and onions to create a
smoky, piquant stew.
Malai Kofta
($11), a veg version of meatballs, with a creamy
sauce redolent of cumin, is another top choice. Though it's not a looker, just a
simple dignified strip mall restaurant made somewhat exotic by hanging embroi-
deries and Indian sculptures, it's been voted best Indian food in Vegas year after
year by a number of the local papers. After eating here, you'll understand why.
$$-$$$$
Looking for food you want to eat at the Fashion Show Mall is a bit
like looking for a store you won't find in your own hometown mall. Despite its
size, or perhaps because of its size, the choices here are the lazy ones, so you'll do
best sticking with a chain restaurant. And as chains go,
Maggianos
5
(3200 Las
Vegas Blvd. S., in the Fashion Show Mall;
%
702/732-2550; www.maggianos.com;
Sun-Mon 11am-11pm, Fri-Sat 11am-midnight; AE, DISC, MC, V)
has mastered the
art of seeming authentic, like a family restaurant founded in the 1940s. Along the
walls are old-timey photographs of famous Italians, the table cloths are red
checked, and the plush leather booths so comfy you just stop judging the place
after a short while (especially if you've tucked into one of their signature drinks).
Following the recent fad for oversized portions (and people wonder why there's an
obesity epidemic?), meals are all family-style, which can be a good deal . . . if you
have a large family with you and you don't mind eating off each others' plates. If
not, you'll be stuck with a truckload of leftovers; even the half-sizes are excessive.
On the whole, the food is appetizing, the soups chunky and delicately spiced
($2.95 bowl), salads ever-so-green and with snazzy additions such as pine nuts
and fried prosciutto ($7.95, $12 as a meal), and meat dishes cooked to your
specifications. I find the red sauce to be too sugary, which eliminates about half
of the specialties here from contention, but the linguini with chicken and pesto
has a nice garlicky kick ($13 half-order, $16 full), and the rigatoni with chicken
and marsala is downright yummy ($13 half-order, $16 full). Desserts are diet-
busters, of course, but well done, especially the dense, creamy cheesecake ($6.05)
and the Nonna's pound cake that comes swamped in hot fudge and caramelized
bananas ($6.95). If you're dining here in the evening, request a seat on the patio for
