Brian Howard Dishes on His Favorite Dining Spots

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.

Brian Howard spent the past 10 years working in Vegas restaurants including Bouchon, Nu Sanctuary, CatHouse, Lutece and more under chefs such as Thomas Keller, Kerry Simon and Andre Rochat. Now he's the executive chef at Comme Ça, David Myers' French brasserie at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Just this week he got married to his longtime love Wendy Yu. Here he shares some of his favorite places to dine when he's not in the kitchen.

Where do you enjoy eating when you're not working?
China Mama, B&B Ristorante at the Venetian and Krung Siam Thai.

What dishes are most memorable?
China Mama — This is one of my go-to restaurants when I am looking for a great, authentic Chinese meal. Located in the heart of Chinatown, China Mama has a large selection of menu items to choose from. They keep the table full of food and the prices are perfect. You can have a great meal for under $15! My favorite dishes are the Xao Long Bao, which is a plate of juicy steamed pork dumplings filled with molten pork juice, and a braised pork and onion meatball that just explodes with flavor in your mouth.

B&B Ristorante — I love the Grilled Octopus with preserved lemon and olive oil at B&B Ristorante at the Venetian. It's one of my top 10 all-time favorite dishes. The dish so simple — there are only three ingredients — but perfectly executed. The great selection of Italian wines and flawless service throughout the meal just takes B&B to the next level.

Krung Siam Thai — This is my late-night go to in Las Vegas. The Pork Jerky and Sticky Rice and an ice cold beer poured perfectly with just the right amount of creamy foam are just perfect after a long day in the kitchen. The dish consists of pork that has been marinated in sweet Thai flavor's then dried out and deep fried. My favorite part of this meal is taking some of the sticky rice and packing it into the palm of your hands, pressing the pork inside of the rice and dipping it in fish sauce made with spicy Thai chilies. This place is one of the only restaurants in Vegas where I can eat with my hands!
· All Coverage of Comme Ça [~ELV~]
· All Dining Confidentials [~ELV~]