Max Jacobson says some of the dishes at Rx Boiler Room, Rick Moonen's new restaurant at Mandalay Place, work, while others are works in progress.
He calls the bacon-wrapped bacon 'n' egg, "one of the Strip's greatest bar dishes," while the chicken pot pie bites would "really work better with a short crust." Creative dishes include Squid-E-Os with their Moroccan-style minced lamb meatballs in a black sauce and braised oxtail croquettes Dijonnaise that "literally melt in the mouth."
But for those who think a more casual approach to dining means cheaper prices, think again. "The one caveat about this place is that if you get out cheap, you may also leave hungry."
Jim Begley weoghs in on the so-called gastropub trend hitting the Strip. "[T]he Valley appears to be in the midst of a gastropub onslaught. (They're popping up so often, you'd think Oprah was giving them away: "? and you get a gastropub, and you get a gastropub!") Only problem is, these are less adventurous than the gastropub title suggests, safer versions built to succeed on the Strip." Of Michael Mina's new Pub 1842 at the MGM Grand, he says that if the food was as good as the cocktail program, it might pass for a gastropub. [LVW]
Al Mancini heads to the new SkinnyFats on Dean Martin Drive to check out the healthy and happy sides of the menu. "Most items on one side have at least a rough counterpart on the other." He preferred dishes on the healthy side of menu. [CL]
Sigh. So much for Heidi Knapp Rinella discovering true fine dining a few weeks ago with her review of Wing Lei. Yes, she gave Firefly Tapas Kitchen & Bar an A-. "I still recommend any of the three locations of Firefly because the food is good and I love the flexibility of this way of eating." [LVRJ]