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.
Rebecca Bills [Photo: Chelsea McManus]
You can blame Rebecca Bills for the desserts at Block 16 Hospitality's Holsteins Shakes and Buns, The Barrymore, Public House and LBS. The dining group's executive pastry chef creates everything from custom wedding cakes to the desserts that were featured on the Cooking Channel's Unique Eats. She apprenticed at Pâtisserie Grandin in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France, and over the years held positions at Woo, Nobu, Lutéce, Rover's and Switch. She even worked as the general manager of the former Chef Rubber. Here Bills shares her favorite places to dine when she's not baking.
Which restaurants do you turn to when you're not working?
Samosa Factory, Settebello and Pin Kaow
What dishes are most memorable?
At the Samosa Factory, the vegetable samosa chat appetizer is the perfect balance of spicy, sweet and tangy flavors: spicy chick peas, tamarind chutney, cilantro chutney, and yogurt. My favorite entrée is the Malai Kofta Korma, which is a dish of vegetable and cheese fritters with a creamy coconut sauce. The food is so flavorful, you don't even miss the meat!
At Settebello, the Diavola pizza is my favorite. The crust is always nice and thin with toasty charred spots from the wood-burning oven. The crushed tomatoes have a much fresher flavor than standard pizza sauce and the peppered salami, roasted bell pepper, garlic and mozzarella is a classic combination.
At Pin Kaow, I always get the mango salad. It's a delicious mix of ripe mango, red onion, toasted cashews, fried tofu and cilantro tossed with a sauce of lime juice, fish sauce and palm sugar and sprinkled with Thai chili flakes.
Why do you enjoy going there?
Samosa Factory: The owner often serves all of the tables. It's a very intimate and relaxing atmosphere and there are always new specials being offered.
Settebello: The pizza is consistently great and I can't duplicate it at home since I do not have a 900°F wood-burning oven!
Pin Kaow: The staff always recognizes me as a regular customer and remembers what I like to eat and drink.
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