How La Comida Ups the Dining Ante for Downtown

"The newly minted La Comida — Michael and Jenna Morton's upscale Mexican joint ? ups the ante for quality and, some would say, price point," says Max Jacobson of Vegas Seven of the burgeoning dining scene in Downtown Vegas.

While he says the food here isn't quite authentic, "The food is terrific, even if the Mortons and their chefs, Pablo Sanchez-Ortiz and Billy DeMarco (who mans the stoves at La Cave), consciously softened some of the funkier dishes Mexico has to offer, tempering the heat and leaving the organ meats at the butcher."

Look for romana a la parilla, which Jacobson says features grilled romaine lettuce with "the genius addition of smoked chorizo sausage, cotija cheese and roasted pepper vinaigrette." Wear a bib for the elotes asados, Mexican-style street corn.

He says the best entree on the menu is the puerco ahumado, smoked pork marinated in four chilis, "like diner food in New Mexico but minus the heat."

Erik Chudy at Vegas Burger Blog checks out the Hamburguesa Mexicana at La Comida, "a surprising success." He liked the unexpected flavor of chorizo and ancho chiles in the meat, the flavor the guacamole brought out and the Oaxaca cheese. He gives it an 89 out of 100. [VBB]

John Curtas of Eating Las Vegas likes everything about Park on Fremont except the food. He offers up some ideas to improve the fare there: "1) Lose the stuffed burger idea. They're cumbersome, stupid, difficult to cook and without any taste pay-off. 2) Ditto the mac and cheese topping on the Philly cheese steak. It's like wearing a belt with suspenders. 3) Teach someone how to hand make a decent, f*cking waffle that looks and tastes like a fresh made, decent, f*cking waffle. 4) If you're going to serve pre-packaged salad greens, quit overselling them as something unique. Charge four bucks and save the strawberries. 5) Make a better burger — no gimmicks, just good ground beef, properly seasoned and grilled, on a soft, squishy bun — and the world will beat a path to your door." [EatingLV]

Al Mancini at CityLife heads to the new Stir Krazy Mongolian Grill with its cross between stir fry and teppanyaki served at a buffet. The staff even suggests which types of sauces to use to bring out the flavors on the protein selected. "The result is pretty similar to any good stir-fry you could make at home in a wok. But the variety, convenience and price make it worth leaving the house." [CL]

Jim Begley at Las Vegas Weekly visits the obscure Juarez Border Food. While the menu features the usual suspects of Mexican fare, Begley recommends expanding to the turkey tails and frijole con winnie, a small hot dog with an unnatural, fiery-red tint. [LVW]

Yes, she did. Heidi Knapp Rinella at the Las Vegas Review-Journal went to Wing Stop. "I'd recommend Wing Stop Sports for not-overly-hot hot wings and a cold beer or two. But expect to do some of the schlepping yourself," she says after she had to return to the counter to ask for beers and napkins. To her credit, she gives the place a C+ with a B- for the food, B for the atmosphere and C for the service. [LVRJ]