A Sandwich Shop Lands a B+; Simpatico Is Not Very Nice

Apparently the readers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal were dying to know how Spicy Pickle Sandwich Company's food was. Heidi Knapp Rinella visits the sandwich shop to find good bread. “On the plus side: the bread. The operators of the Spicy Pickle seem to truly understand the art of the sandwich, and that a great sandwich starts with a foundation of great bread. Accordingly, they serve their grilled sandwiches on things such as rosemary focaccia and marble rye and the cold sandwiches on things such as ciabatta and multigrain, although they allow some switching back and forth and there also are wraps and flatbread pizzas.” She gives it a B+.

Al Mancini from CityLife says Simpatico Italian Speakeasy and Grill at the Plaza is an offer you should refuse. “My dishes went from mediocre to horrendous,” says Mancini as he describes “three golf-ball-sized rice balls were a little too dense and mushy on the inside” and “Wingy's pomodoro soup ?actually has a consistency closer to tomato sauce than tomato soup, and she didn't find a single piece of sausage in it.” It doesn’t get much better. “Our main courses, however, were a disgrace.” [CityLife]

John Curtas admits he’s a sucker for clams in linguine “especially when the linguine is big, fat-flat strands of al dente pasta swimming in a soothing white wine and butter sauce, with not too much garlic, and adorned with an array of small, sweet clams, both shelled and not.” That’s what he found at Dom DeMarco’s. [ELV]

Max Jacobson checks out what he calls “a modest newcomer,” the new Shanghai Three Villages in Chinatown. While the sign outside is in Chinese and the restaurant is difficult to find, Jacobson suggests starting with the Jin Dong meat pie. ”Picture a Frisbee of spun gold, with a thin, juicy layer of flavorful minced pork under the surface, and another layer of fried dough holding it inside. The pie has been cut into pizza shaped wedges, making it easy to manage. With a touch of chili sauce, this dish, under five dollars, is pure heaven.” More favorite dishes over on his blog. [UnicaWorld]