On Today’s Menu:

• Post–4th of July recovery and burger crawl reflections

• Ingredient Wars: Caviar vs. Truffle — which fancy ingredient overstayed its welcome?

• Texture Excuses: Are they childish or valid? (Spoiler: John wants to fork people in the eye)

• Vegas summer dining deals and why now’s the time to eat like a local

• Full reviews of 9 restaurants, including a heated conversation of…

• Carbone Riviera is opening at Bellagio — expect boat, bros, and cargo shorts

• Simple food is eternal. Excess is exhausting. Eat what tastes good, not what photographs well.

• Next crawl contenders: Fried chicken or Caesar salads. Let the cholesterol games begin

  
  

Restaurant Rundown:

1. Xiang Wei Xuan (Hunan)

Standouts: Boiled fish in chili sauce, Mapo tofu, stir-fried chicken with jalapeños

Tip: Go with a group and start with “medium” spice

2. Spicy Zest - Restaurant & Bar (Sichuan)

Clean space, hot and sour soup is a cold remedy

Dish to try: Stir-fried cucumbers, chili chicken appetizers

3. Old School Pizzeria (Gio Mauro)Monster slice alert — affordable, sourdough-based, super satisfying

4. Holsteins

Lollipop wings, good variety of burgers, great group hang

5. Wineaux

Warm, cozy, killer croissant-wrapped pigs in a blanket

John smuggled in foie gras. They let him. No corkage, no shame.

6. Rare Society

Tri-tip & filet — impressive associate steak board

Service and pricing get a thumbs-up

Caesar salad is a parmesan blizzard

7. Moia Las Vegas (Peruvian)

Try the ceviche and lomo saltado

Sketchy parking lot, but lovely and welcoming inside

8. Casa Playa (Wynn)

$200 for 4 apps + 1 drink + parking

John calls it a “casino ripoff restaurant” and poster child for corporate Vegas greed

9. Monzù – Italian Oven + Bar & The Pepper ClubShout-outs for summer menus, 25% local deals, and happy hours

Listener Shout-Outs:

• ETR fan vs. foodie complexity: Joy Behar sex jokes, Beyonce explosions, and Caprese simplicity

• Mike L. requests a Caesar Salad Quest (spoiler: it’s happening)

• Chris Albu praises Pepper Club’s wood-fired grill and Thursday locals deal

• Jed B. suggests a fried chicken crawl… our arteries are already sweating

  
  

Questions, comments, hate mail? Email us at [email protected]!

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