Lemongrass @Aria Spring 2014

Thai food has a reputation for being some of the hottest cuisine on the planet, Asian food with a kick.  The concept has always intrigued but as with most new foods, the vast collection of things featured in their dishes intimidated.

Enter Keren, Vegas, Aria and Lemongrass, the perfect storm to inspire food experimentation.  It’s also the only Thai restaurant on the Vegas strip so clearly the options are limited.  Prepare to have your senses stimulated as Thai food is an art form.  It’s dishes feature at least 3 of the 5 of taste senses; sour, sweet, salty, bitter and spicy, in each dish with a grand plan to visit them all making a harmonious finish.

Rating

Mark and Keren - 1/5

O'Shea's @LINQ Spring 2014

Never has the death of a shittier place been so lamented by so many.  When O'Shea's was closed in 2012 to make way for the Linq project, even though it was announced it would return once the Linq project was done, people bemoaned.

Maybe people were skeptical that Caesars entertainment wouldn't keep its promise. Maybe they thought it wouldn't be the same or maybe people just really like having their shoes make that suction cup sound as they attempt to traverse across the urine and vomit covered linoleum. 

Whatever the reason, people celebrated its return. Little more than an Irish bar with a casino in it, O'Shea's made sure to bring back its staples, Beer pong, karaoke, cheep booze and gambling as well as the drunken loud vibe are alive and well. In fact, it’s been so successful that Linq promised to expand O'Shea's into the space next door left vacant due to a failed deal with a potential tenant.  However that has yet to materialize.

Rating (scale of 1-5)

Mark – 3.5

Keren – 2

Alistair – 3

Tilted Kilt @the Linq Promenade Spring 2014

It should be the most embarrassing example of how simple-minded the male sex is.  Beer, simple food and scantily clad women serving you is a sure fire way to be a successful bar/restaurant.  It’s like one stop shop for the male id.

Luckily the concept has evolved over the years and improved in just about every way from the Hooters model.  Uniforms have moved on from orange spandex to plaid school girl skirts and tiny mountain gear.  But ever better than that, the food has improved and a concept as simple as offering lots of variety in the beer offerings have found their way into the tits and ass and food and booze game.

Tilted kilt is one of the later.  TheIr latest incarnation in Vegas can be found in the Linq Promenade and while they don’t offer outdoor seating, the space takes advantage of the atmosphere in Linq with open air seating and a bar located right by those windows. A more intimate experience can be had on the second floor for those who desire it.

Rating (1-5)

Keren - 3/5

Mark - 3.5/5

Pizza Rock @Downtown Grand Fall 2014

Pizza. Many people will tell you there is no such thing as bad pizza. There are clearly varying degrees of quality be even the worst pizza is still pizza. While some strive to create the best pizza you've ever had, others look to reinvent the culinary medium and blow your fuckin mind. Pizza rock is the latter.  

At first glance, the menu can be concerning, especially for the picky eaters among us.  Balsamic reduction? Sautéed Pear? Quail Hollow Farm Honey?  What the fuck are you doing to pizza!  Good things, I assure you.  Very good things.

Need some reassurance?  They also have the classic New York slice with the standards, a slice that rivals Secret Pizza at Cosmopolitan.  Pizza Rock isn’t just the best pizza place off Fremont St, it’s one of the best places to eat in Vegas.

Rating

Mark, Keren & Alistair - 5/5