Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
sold the chain several years back to a group of investors who started franchising
like mad and then, I suppose, some of the franchisees had second thoughts. This
branch and its sister restaurant fairly close to the Strip
(at 3965 S. Decatur Blvd.,
at Flamingo;
%
702/382-8848)
are privately owned, maintaining the concept—
one price for all the sushi you can eat, in plain, large dining halls—but restoring
the quality that I've found lacking lately at the Todai outposts. Here you'll find 50
varieties of sushi set along a 160-foot-long buffet in a dazzling and tempting array
of colors, prettier than any sweater display at nearby Tommy Hilfiger. The fish is
so fresh you want to slap it and comes in dozens of incarnations, from simple
nigiri sushi, a piece of fish fitted onto a mound of vinegar rice (I counted 14 dif-
ferent varieties when I last visited), to elaborate multi-ingredient rolls, from which
you can choose just one slice—perhaps the best sushi innovation ever! Twenty-
eight different types of rolls were on offer recently, from standard California rolls
to mackerel encased in crab with spicy mayo and eel sauce; salmon with cream
cheese and avocado; and other such fishy froufrou. For those who can't stomach
raw fish, there's also an assortment of cooked foods and salads, from do-it-your-
self noodle soups (you choose the ingredients and mix it together) to tempura,
baked prawns, snow crab legs, fried rice, noodle dishes, barbecued pork, and
much more. But let's be real; you come here because you're in a town where two
miniscule pieces of sushi can cost you $8 and a whole meal up to $100, and at
Makino you can down an entire aquarium without financial concern.
RESTAURANTS EAST OF THE STRIP
This is where the budget gourmets go. Chockablock with smaller, local haunts,
sometimes run by the local superstar chefs (who are rightly wary of getting into
bed with the all-controlling casinos), east of the Strip is where you can eat for a
third less than what you'd pay on the Strip, eat just as well (or better), and park a
minute's walk from your table (though to be fair, that half-mile trek from parking
garage to casino-based restaurant can sure help you work up an appetite).
$
And did I mention that deals in this part of town can be extraordinary? Take
the $5 steak dinner at the
Ellis Island Super 8 Casino and Brewery
5
(4178
Koval Lane;
%
702/733-8901; www.ellisislandcasino.com; daily 24 hr.; AE, DISC,
MC, V).
No, you won't be dining on horsemeat, in a room that resembles Mickey
D's. This is the real thing, aged for about a minute and a half, granted, but on my
last visit my 10-ounce hunk of meat was nicely charred, not at all stringy, tender,
and cooked to my specifications. A baked potato with a tiny carton of sour cream
and some limp veggies came with it, but for less than $5? Hey, it was money well
spent. Anthony Curtis, gambling expert par extraordinaire, is a regular and once
brought six out-of-town buddies here for a meal. “They came out and we all ate
steak and prime rib and drank beer,” he told me. “And when the check came they
all jumped up and started slapping high fives. They were stunned; it was like $42
for six of us for prime rib and beer. Getting the bill was literally more exciting
than eating the food.” The steak dinner is not on the menu, but it's an open
secret, so simply order it when you arrive, or take your choice of prime rib,
pastas, burgers, you name it—this unpretentious, coffee shop has most of the stan-
dards. You'll want to arrive early, as locals keep this place crowded day and night
