Frommer's Las Vegas 2004

150
CHAPTER 6 . WHERE TO DINE
and flattened out) is huge and tasty. For only $3.50, the latter makes a fine
change-of-pace meal.
1145 Las Vegas Blvd. S. & 702/388-1906. Reservations not accepted. Main courses $6.50–$10, paella (for
3) $20. AE, DISC, MC, V. Tues–Sun 11am–9:30pm.
5 East of the Strip
In this section, we cover restaurants close to the Convention Center, along with
those farther south on Paradise Road, Flamingo Road, and Tropicana Avenue.
VERY EXPENSIVE
Lawry’s The Prime Rib STEAK/SEAFOOD If you love prime rib,
come here. If you could take or leave prime rib, Lawry’s will turn you into a
believer. Lawry’s does one thing, and it does it better than anyone else. Lawry’s
first opened in Los Angeles in 1938 and remains a popular tradition. Over the
years, they have added three branches; the most recent landed in Las Vegas at the
beginning of 1997. Yes, you can get prime rib all over town for under $5. But, to
mix a food metaphor, that’s a tuna sandwich when you can have caviar at Lawry’s.
Eating at Lawry’s is a ceremony, with all the parts played the same way for the
last 60 years. Waitresses in brown-and-white English-maid uniforms, complete
with starched white cap, take your order—for side dishes, that is. The real decision,
what cut of rib you are going to have, comes later. Actually, that’s the only
part of the tradition that has changed. Originally, all Lawry’s offered was prime
rib, which they did perfectly and with tremendous style. Now they have added
fresh fish (halibut, salmon, or swordfish, depending on the evening) to the
menu. Anyway, you tell the waitress what side dishes you might want (sublime
creamed spinach, baked potato, and so on) for an extra price. Later, she returns
with a spinning salad bowl (think of salad preparation as a Busby Berkeley musical
number). The bowl, resting on crushed ice, spins as she pours Lawry’s special
dressing in a stream from high over her head. Tomatoes garnish. Applause
follows. Eventually, giant metal carving carts come to your table, bearing the
meat. You name your cut (the regular Lawry’s, the extra-large Diamond Jim
Brady for serious carnivores, and the wimpy thin English cut) and specify how
you’d like it cooked. It comes with terrific Yorkshire pudding, nicely browned
and not soggy, and some creamed horseradish that is combined with fluffy
whipped cream, simultaneously sweet and tart.
Flavorful, tender, perfectly cooked, and lightly seasoned, this will be the best
prime rib you will ever have. Okay, maybe that’s going too far, but the rest is
accurate, honest. It just has to be tasted to be believed. You can finish off with a
rich dessert (English trifle is highly recommended), but it almost seems pointless.
Incidentally, the other Lawry’s are decorated English-manor style, but the
Vegas branch has instead tried to re-create a 1930s restaurant, with Art Deco
touches all around and big-band music on the sound system.
4043 Howard Hughes Pkwy. (at Flamingo Rd., between Paradise Rd. and Koval Lane). & 702/893-2223.
Reservations recommended. Main courses $20–$30. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Sun–Thurs 5–10pm; Fri–Sat
5–11pm.
Morton’s of Chicago STEAK/SEAFOOD A venerable steakhouse with
branches throughout the U.S.—in fact, Mr. Morton is the proud papa of Peter
Morton, he of the Hard Rock Hotel over yonder. Like The Palm (p. 139), this
place serves “boy food”—steaks, really good steaks—and we are not prepared to
say which (The Palm or Morton’s) has the better hunk o’ red meat because frankly,
after a while, these subtle distinctions elude us. Anyway, this is an old-time Vegas