Sin City is home to a lot of restaurants and bars, but there are tons of hidden gems that the majority of Las Vegans aren't unearthing. To help guide us to these potential discoveries, we've enlisted some of our city's food players to share their recommendations for a weekly feature dubbed Dining Confidential. Know a chef who wants to share some top dining spots? The tipline is open.
Eric Suniga has worked in some of the best kitchens in the United States including Michael Mina's former Seablue at the MGM Grand and Thomas Keller's Bouchon in Yountville, Calif. Now he heads up Culinary Dropout, the new gastropub at the Hard Rock Hotel. Here he shares his favorite places to eat when he's not in the kitchen.
Where do you enjoy eating when you're not working?
When I'm not working, I enjoy eating at home and cooking with my children. They have taken a strong curiosity as to what's going on in the kitchen. Ichiza has quickly become a family favorite, and we also enjoy eating at Hot N Juicy Crawfish.
What dishes are most memorable?
We always finish with the honey toast at Ichiza. It's a large piece of toasted Japanese bread that is drizzled with honey and finished with vanilla ice cream. It has some hidden notes of Asian spice that really make it special. Another dish there is the Ramen DX, this is another must have. It's topped with a poached egg and has tender pieces of pork belly, an array of vegetables and seaweed. My children devour this every time.
Why do you enjoy going there?
We enjoy going to Ichiza because the food is consistently delicious and the menu has a lot of variety to choose from. We let our children choose a new dish every time we go and they love it. It's also great sitting at the large low table toward the back of the restaurant. We always get so relaxed and end up spending more time eating than planned because of the great atmosphere.
Hot n' Juicy is great as well, the whole menu is just straight comfort. Being able to dig in with your hands and get a little dirty can be very soothing.
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Eric Suniga [Photo: Erik Kabik]
