Has anyone been to smashed pig recently? I heard they underwent some changes (possibly ownership?) and they might not have been for the best. Shame if true because it was my go to place downtown over the more popular options.

I meant smashed pig not spotted pig ofc.

I was there last night and had a cocktail and a salad. It was really slow but it was good. I sat at the bar. Hadn't been there in awhile so not sure if something has changed with the pub menu.

Also any sushi recs in Southwest to take a date to? My go to is oyshi on rainbow, it’s nothing special in terms of all you can eat but their specials board is always pretty good

Raku last night didn't disappoint. Had a 3-hour dinner with a friend in town for the weekend. Got thru a bottle of sake, most of a pitcher of beer, and tons of food. Great as always.

How much that cost you Wyman?

$0

My friend was up like $1500 from the Aria 1/3 so took care of it before we even got the check. Ballpark probably around $100pp food but we ate a bunch incl some premium things, $80 bottle of sake, and whatever they charge for a pitcher of beer, maybe the biggest pitcher I've ever had. Plus tax, tip, etc.

I just saw that Jjanga on Decatur and Twain is now called Sushi Ya...has anyone been since the name change?

Went there over the new year with my family, everyone loved it. The only drawback was the hour long wait to be seated, but the food was outstanding.

Will be in town next weekend. Wife and I have been good since first of the year and ready to enjoy some meals. BBQ sounds great right now as it's ****ing cold here in Idaho.

So, Ellis Island, Rollin Smoke or is there somewhere else that is recommended. Staying at the Orleans but we have a car so as long as it's not an hour turnaround driving I'm willing to make a trip. Welcoming recommendations.

Jessie Rae’s, then Rollin’ Smoke (Highland location only), Ellis Island is a great deal and a fine meal, but not as good as the other two. Haven’t tried the new Michael Simon place at the Palms though.

What's the best casual steakhouse these days? All I want is a medium rare steak, doesnt need to have a garlic crust or anything like that, some potato and peppercorn sauce.

A lot of places dont even have peppercorn sauce these days

FYI I'm hitting Vegas over Easter. Will have a car and non drinker so dont care about booze prices. Willing to pay for quality but dont see the point in hitting places like SW - I wouldnt be able to tell the difference with my limited palate.

What exactly is a casual steakhouse though? Outback? Or are you just looking for a cheaper/more basic version of an upscale steakhouse? Only place that comes to mind for me is Triple George.

I'm not sure I've ever seen it mentioned in this thread but I like Big B's Texas BBQ in Henderson, on St Rose Parkway. Probably a 20 minute drive from Orleans so a bit of a ride ... probably why I haven't seen it mentioned in this thread They have BBQ tri-tip which I don't see too often and the prices are right; you can get a 2 or 3 meat meal, including two sides, and a beer for ~$20.

Gallagher's at NYNY is nice enough, with the added frisson of maybe seeing a guy in a wife beater bitching out his wife for losing $20 in the penny slots on the way in.

The TI has an "Italian" steakhouse which is about as Italian as my aunt Coleen - steaks are good enough.

Both of the above have peppercorn sauce available.

MM MD

We had lunch there the other day. Portions are large so beware. We had pork belly tacos and cracklin, which were both great. There were some sweet/Asian/peanut ribs we got, and the ribs were great but the sauce was not so great. Would go traditional next time. Decent beer list. Would rate 3.5*-4* -- probably 4.5* based on how good I'm guessing their traditional ribs are.

Yelp put Jessie Rae's as the choice especially since it's not far from Orleans. If we go on the weekend this should probably be an early stop it seems from reviews right? Sounds like they run out of stuff a lot.

Yeah I would say something like Triple George downtown or Twin Creeks inside the Silverton. Both of those are better than Outback with out some of the fuss and expense of the trendy strip steakhouses. FTR I've been to both and think they're great.

Cleaver or Herbs N Rye imo-do the "happy hour" for 1/2 price on about 2/3's of the menu.....

Definitely go to Jessie Rae’s early as I’ve come in at 6 on the weekends and they’ve told me they’re out of ribs so I bounced.

This is the Symon restaurant right? How were the prices and where does it rank for BBQ places in Vegas for you now?

I don’t live far from Jessie Rae’s, and go there when in mood for some good damn BBQ.
It won’t disappoint, small place with maybe half dozen tables, they do tend to run out of a lot of stuff, if you’re going on a weekend I’d recommend go for a late lunch like 2pm and should still do okay.
After 5pm they’ll be out of a few items and they close early, like 8pm I think.

Yes, Mabel's.

I don't know. It was good. We didn't order sides other than cracklin' so can't comment there, and i think they are important. I'm not in a rush to go back, i mean it was an $80 lunch including a beer each. I very rarely crave bbq, and when you eat it pretty infrequently i think it's easy to miss a lot of the nuance, so i don't really consider myself a connoisseur.

A coworker showed up with a to-go box of ribs -- beef and pork -- from Rollin Smoke the other day. Apparently his table ordered too much. I devoured them and still think RS is very good. It is my default bbq. I went to John Mull's and my recollection is it's not worth the drive. Have not been to Jessie Rae's so can't comment. I didn't think Lucille's compared, though they offer a different experience.

If my March Madness party gets big enough maybe can do a RS vs JR side-by-side. Will keep you posted.

Well...now I just wanna go to your party...

Haha, last year it was small, definitely not 2xBBQ size