Our two kids went to UNLV so made a few trips there in the last 12 years. Here's where I like / love / wanna go back to (...in no particular order...):
1. The Oyster Bar in Palace Station (...off of W. Sahara..). I go there specifically for a seafood dish called "Pan Roast". Similar to a gumbo / bouillabaisse (...which they also serve...). I'm partial to the crab, shrimp and lobster combo. BTW, The Oyster Bar is really just a bar. Only 18 seats (...or was it 19?) but you get my drift - limited seating, no booths, no tables, no reservations. Must be 21 or over. They cook the dish literally right in front of you.
http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/oyster-bar-las-vegas-2?select=L_6cWisEULmKs-XIdeDCzw#L_6cWisEULmKs-XIdeDCzw
Also note that the Oyster Bar is open 24 / 7 and it's constantly busy from around 11 a.m. to 3 - 6 a.m. When I went to have dinner one night, I waited, as a single, 45 minutes. If there were more people in my party, I'm sure it would have been an hour or more. But kinda cool, you make "friends" with the people standing in line so the wait wasn't all that bad. Might be strange to have seafood for breakfast but after a long hard night and you're looking for something to settle you down, you're guaranteed to get a seat without having to wait if you go between that 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. window.
2. M & M Soul Food - on W. Charleston, in a small strip mall. Looks a little grungy (...the strip mall...) but clean place, good service, EXCELLENT fried chicken, EXCELLENT oxtail (braised - meat just falls off the bone!), EXCELLENT short ribs. Went there twice in three months and other than the meatloaf which we had the 1st time, ordered the same meats twice. Why mess up a good thing? Well, okay, I hear the pork chops are supposed to be really good too. Collard greens, mac 'n cheese and the cornbread dressing were very good but from my perspective, I'd go light on the side dishes 'cause you'll wanna fill up on the meats. Sweet tea for sure. Here's the menu from their website (...noticed that it's nicer than the last time I visited it...):
http://mmsoulfoodcafe.com/?page_id=21
3. Sammy's LA Pastrami - have yet to go to Carnegie Deli but I really like what I've eaten from this place. There are two locations but I've only been to the one off of E. Tropicana. It's on the eastern side, below UNLV (...near where my kids lived...). Looks like a little house. Their garlic fries are so good...but just get a small order, they give plenny. Sadly I've only had the garlic fries, I must remember to "expand my horizons" next time I go. I've had the pastrami (...oh baby, writing about it makes me wanna go back!) as well as the burger / pastrami creation. Yeah, you get it, I like their pastrami! But they have many other heart attack sandwiches. Trust me, you will go away full. Be sure to wear expandable shorts and a loose shirt. Let's put it this way, I once had an early lunch there and didn't eat for the rest of the day! Well, okay, I had some chips after I got back to the house we were staying at but talking past midnight by then.
http://www.sammysdoghouse.moonfruit.com/
4. Casa Fuente - pretty obvious place to go and why not? Mojitos and cigars! What's not to love? Mojito is REALLY good. Possibly the best I've ever had. Oh, and the server ain't too bad either (...huge understatement - but YMMV...). You pay a premium for the cigars but being able to smoke while having that server bring your drink is worth it! Perfect place to hang out while the wife / gf goes shopping. After a couple of mojitos and the server serving you, you won't care how much your wife spent! Have another cigar and couple more mojitos and your wife will be driving back to the hotel...maybe by herself since she'll have caught you red-handed flirting with the server :-p You can bring your own smokes so you can avoid their overpriced sticks. The only other drawback now is that you can't smoke in the outside area anymore (...so much for hanging out near the escalator...). Some d#%khead shop owner complained about the smell so you're limited to smoking inside the bar. But still, the experience is terrific. BTW, if you take your own cigars to Vegas, make sure you take along some beads or humi pak to keep them stable. Buddy of mine has experienced wrappers cracking after only 2 days there.
5. Jean-Philippe (in Bellagio) - only went there once to eat. Dessert - crepes. Incredible. Very decadent but who cares? You're on vacation, damn it! The chocolate fountain is pretty cool to look at too.
http://www.bellagio.com/restaurants/jean-philippe.aspx
http://www.jpchocolates.com/
6. Four Kegs - only went once and have been trying to get back there since 2007. Went 'cause of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Wife doesn't wanna go back, it's a local place with the BEST stromboli I ever had! Anyway, we sat in the sports bar area and ordered side stuff but can't tell you exactly what we ordered since it was so long ago but I know we had two different stroms and a bunch of other stuff. A pizza for sure. Maybe two. Looking at their menu, probably had the wings, mozzarella sticks, nachos (maybe) and, and, and, I dunno. I tell you what though, my beer was in the coldest glass I ever had! I think was $2 Coors night so broke from my norm and had those. Nothing beats cold beer in a cold glass / mug...unless it's a mojito and cigar from Casa Fuente....
http://www.yelp.com/biz/four-kegs-sports-bar-las-vegas
http://www.fourkegs.com/wst_page6.html
That's about it (...for now...). Hope that's enough to start with.
