Sultan's Grill Gets a Drubbing from Heidi Knapp Rinella

You know a place can’t be good when Heidi Knapp Rinella gives it a B-. The Las Vegas Review-Journal food critic visited Sultan’s Grill this week and found a mixed bag of food there.

The falafel failed. “The chick-pea mixture had been formed into pellets that were about the size and shape of Tater Tots, only not as good (and trust me, I'm not a fan of Tater Tots).”

Any way she tried to eat it didn’t make it better. “Adding to the problem was that the nuggets appeared to have been rolled in something — maybe bulgur — before they were fried (actually, overfried), which gave them a hard shell. I kept going back to give them another shot, kept dipping them in the accompanying cup of sauce, but nothing helped.”

She doles out a C for the food (a C!), a B for the atmosphere and a B+ for service.

CityLife food critic Al Mancini checks out the food at Carlos’ Kitchen inside Charlie’s Saloon run by Carlos Fernandez, the former assistant executive chef for Bally’s and Paris who left for Chicago for six years before returning. “Carlos’ Kitchen is just the latest example of how you never know where you’re going to find great food these days.” He digs the Chicken Angelina with artichokes, mushrooms and Dijon cream sauce and calls the grilled vegetable tower of marinated Portobello, zucchini, red onion, red peppers and fresh mozzarella “the best vegetarian dish I’ve ever had in a casual bar setting.” [CL]

Max Jacobson at Vegas Seven says it may be too early to call Ray Nisi an empire builder. Jacobson visits Bottles & Burgers in Tivoli Village, the newest in Nisi's Double Helix family. “The concept is simple: wines by the glass or half-bottle, imaginative and well-crafted burgers, shareable plates and both a soda fountain for kids and a bar for adults.” He suggest ordering the Block Sixteen with caramelized onions, sharp cheddar and chipotle aioli. “As burgers go, this one is a must.” [VS]

Brock Radke at Las Vegas Weekly checks out Ramen Sora in Chinatown. He compares it to the well-known Monta that seems to have a packed house all the time. “Though the broth isn’t as thick and milky as Monta’s, there are greater notes of ginger and garlic amid the pork. The overall lightness is due to Sora’s focus on Sapporo-style, the northern Japanese birthplace of miso (fermented bean paste) ramen.” [LVW]
Sultan's Grill [Photo: Heather D./Yelp]