The Downfall of Fine Dining in Vegas; HKR Gives a C

It seems the only thing John Curtas likes about Rx Boiler Room are the waitresses in their bustiers and the cocktails, but not the iPad menu.

"The only thing seafood-y thing about the 'boiler room' is the video loop of Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea playing on one of the monitors," he says.

As for the trend of chefs such as Gordon Ramsay, Bradley Ogden, Michael Mina and Rick Moonen abandoning upscale digs for less expensive gastropubs, Curtas says, "The shell-shocked American public will only respond to price points well under thirty bucks, even if the final tariff leaves them almost as sticker shocked as they used to be."

Heidi Knapp Rinella's visit to a true four-star restaurant must have changed her viewpoint of ordinary restaurants where she would ordinarily dole out an A. Case in point, her review of Cantina Laredo, which she gives a C grade. She gripes about the service, where a runner takes dishes to several tables before finding the right one, and a special that didn't seem to be red snapper. "?it was slightly fishy and mushy, almost watery. Red snapper? Maybe, if it had been frozen for a long time." [LVRJ]

Las Vegas Weekly underwent a design revamp on its Website with ALL-CAPS HEADLINES THAT SCREAM AT YOU. Brock Radke heads to Brand Steakhouse at the Monte Carlo. He prefers the Brooklyn filet over the "Ultimate Steak deal, served for two, four or six ? a sharable porterhouse that comes with a side dish and two sauces." [LVW]

Al Mancini checks out Bronze Cafe at The Center, downtown's new LGBTQ community center. "So far, I've tried three of Bronze Café's sandwiches, two sides and one dessert, and have found almost everything to be very good to extraordinary." [CityLife]

Despite recommendations from friends and foes, Erik Chudy isn't impressed with the burger at Embers in Boca Park. "There is really nothing good I can say about this burger; the toppings were all fresh, and the meat did seem to be of good quality, but with a dry bun and zero flavors it's kind of the opposite of what you're looking for in a good burger." He gives it a 60 out of 100. [Vegas Burger Blog]