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Mon Ami Gabi
Think trés charming Champs Élysées bistro. First-come, first-served outdoor patio tables in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower are almost the only Stripside alfresco dining, parfait for people-watching. There's a raw seafood bar, classic steak frites and bountiful vegetarian crepes, quiches and salads. Respectable, reasonable wine list.
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N9ne
The Palms' sizzling steakhouse skews toward twenty and thirtysomethings and is a hot spot for celeb sightings. A dramatically lit room centers on the champagne and Russian caviar bar, while at tables and booths the Chicago-style aged steaks and chops keep on coming, along with everything else from oysters Rockefeller to sashimi. Reservations recommended.
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Nobu
Chef Matasuhisa's sequel to his NYC namesake is every bite as good as the original. The beats are down-tempo, the setting pure Zen. Andean influences surface in spicy offerings like anticucho chicken skewers. The kobe beef is sublime, the cocktails creative and dessert downright decadent.
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Okada
At this sushi bar, robatayaki and teppanyaki grill overlooking the lagoon and a bonsai-sized Japanese garden, chef Masa Ishizawa exhibits masterful Eurasian twists on Japanese classics, like red miso bouillabaisse or braised short ribs with quail eggs.
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Olives
East Coast chef Todd English dishes up a homage to the ancient life-giving fruit. Flatbread pizzas, housemade pastas and flame-licked meats get top billing. The chef's table faces a bustling open kitchen while patio tables overlook Lake Como. Good wine list, flamboyant desserts. Reservations necessary.
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Origin India
A gorgeous sunset-colored dining room and epic New World and European wine list are only bonuses. What brings in eagle-eyed feasters is the inventive Indian menu ranging across the subcontinent, featuring royal recipes to modern fusion. Vegetarians will think they've reached nirvana. Lunch specials available till .
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Paymon's Mediterranean Café
A fresh find for vegetarian fare like baked eggplant with fresh garlic, baba ganoush, tabouli and hummus. Carnivores should try the kebab sandwich, gyros salad or savory rotisserie lamb. The adjacent Hookah Lounge is a tranquil spot to chill.
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Paymon's Mediterranean Café & Hookah Lounge
One of the city's few veggie spots. It serves fresh Mediterranean fare such as baked eggplant with fresh garlic, baba ganoush, tabouleh and hummus. The adjacent Hookah Lounge is a tranquil place to chill with a water pipe and fig-flavoured cocktail.
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Pho At The Coffee Shop
Around the side of TI's 24-hour coffee shop, dash inside and away from the slot machines to slurp Vietnamese noodle soups and more. It's some of the Strip's cheapest, most authentic Asian fare.
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Picasso
Featuring Julian Serrano's superb French-Mediterranean cuisine, this museum-like eatery with vaulted ceilings includes a collection of original Picasso ceramics and paintings. Original eponymous masterpieces don't overshadow entrees like sauteed fallow deer medallions and seafood boudin. Linger on the lakeside patio over a digestif.
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Ping Pang Pong
The name's fun to say, isn't it? But let's get serious for a minute. Asian package tourists vote with their feet, and it's always crowded here. Designed by chef Kevin Wu, it has a wok-tossed menu that ranges across the regions of China, from Cantonese roast chicken to Beijing seafood stew. At lunchtime the Cantonese dim sum is a pleasure. Service is fast and furious.
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Pink Taco
The comida is Californicated but extremely tasty at this Baja fish taco shack crossed with a low rider-themed Sunset Strip tequila bar. The margaritas are two-for-one and all the appetizers are half-price during the happening happy hour ( to weekdays).
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Pinot Brasserie
The architectural accents and the kitchen's copper pots are authentic French imports. Traditionally, a brasserie (Alsacean for 'brewery') was for beer and the sustenance was cheap. At this star LA import, the focus is purely gourmet. Don't miss the fresh-shucked shellfish and wine-tasting flights.
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Postrio
This offshoot of Wolfgang Puck's San Francisco original features playful signature dishes like the lobster club sandwich. Devotees can't get enough of the creative pizzas, pastas and rich desserts. The patio is designed for people-watching. Good wine list.
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Prime Steakhouse
Pay a visit to this luxurious contemporary chophouse with stylistic nods to Prohibition-era speakeasies. Fantastical dishes include ginger sweet potatoes, veal chops with kumquat-pineapple chutney and live Maine lobster with braised artichokes. Elegant bar with a robust Californian and French wine list. Jackets preferred. Reservations recommended.
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Pullman Bar & Grille
A well-kept secret, the clubby Pullman features the finest Black Angus beef and Pacific Rim seafood specialties, along with a good wine list. Dine amid gorgeous carved wood paneling and a fortune's worth of antiques. The centerpiece namesake is a 1926 Pullman train car, now a cigar lounge where suited-up patrons quaff a brandy after dinner. Reservations recommended.
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Red 8 Asian Bistro
A bustling spot just off the main casino floor, where the action never stops. People line up for satay dishes of roast chicken and beef, bowls of steaming hot curry noodles and pan-Asian barbecue, all from the vivid mind of Malaysian chef Hisham Johari.
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Red Square
How post-perestroika: a headless Lenin invites you to join your comrades for a vodka-heavy tipple in this postmodern Russian restaurant. There's a solid ice bar, a decent menu with a heavy leaning towards caviar, a huge selection of frozen vodkas and infusions - and loaner sable fur coats for when you step into the vodka locker to peruse the top shelf drops.
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Restaurant Guy Savoy
With windows overlooking the Roman Plaza outside Caesars Palace, this intimate dining room is the only US outpost of three-star Michelin chef Guy Savoy. Both the culinary concepts and the prices reach heavenly heights. Dare to cut into the spiced sea bass or ladle the artichoke black-truffle soup. Jacket and tie required. Reservations essential but difficult.
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Rm
New York chef Rick Moonen presents the catch of the day. American seafood dishes, such as cajun popcorn and Maine lobster, come with suggested beer pairings and a cornucopia of comfort-food sides like gourmet mac-and-cheese. The downstairs café offers a stripped-down menu, raw bar and 'biscuit bar' serving seafood salads.
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Rosemary's
Words fail to describe the epicurean ecstasy you'll encounter here. Yes, it's in a strip mall, and it's a long drive from the Strip. But once you bite into such divine offerings as Texas BBQ shrimp with Maytag blue-cheese slaw or grilled pork chops with creole mustard sauce, you'll forget about all that. Wine and beer pairings make each course sublime. Reservations recommended.
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Roxy's Diner
In Vegas, everyone has a gimmick. At this '50s-style diner, servers do a little song-and-dance number straight out of Grease every 15 minutes. It's hilarious fun, but it sure does slow service down. Big blue-plate specials won't leave you hungry.
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San Francisco Shrimp Bar & Deli
The best 99¢ shrimp cocktail in town (it's tiny - supersize it for around US$3 ) is the draw inside downtown's historic San Francisco-themed hotel. For the low-rollers' surf-and-turf special, veer across the street to Binion's snack bar (open to midnight on weekends) for an old-fashioned butcher-shop burger.
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Sazio
With whimsical portraits of Vegas showgirls and stand-up comics, colorful Sazio (which translates as 'to be satisfied') is a family-friendly eatery designed by chef Gustave Mahler. Traditional pastas and pizzas, as well as creative salads and focaccia sandwiches, are more than respectable.
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Seablue
For impeccably fresh seafood, don't miss Michael Mina's newest creation. Anything from Nantucket Bay scallops to Kumamoto oysters comes raw, fried, steamed and roasted out of two exhibition kitchens. Mix-and-match salads fulfill any whim. Bar seating available.
