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]!
Thanks for tuning into today's episode! If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the show, & make sure you leave us a 5-star review. Visit us at Eating Las Vegas & Eat. Talk. Repeat.
Follow us on social:
Twitter: @EatTalkRepeat, @EatingLasVegas, @WhatsRightSam, & @AshTheAttorney
Instagram: @EatTalkRepeatLV, @JohnCurtas, @WhatsRightSam, & @AshTheAttorney