The Hits and Misses at Cleo

It’s difficult to write a review when the staff recognizes you as a critic. Al Mancini visited Cleo, the new Mediterranean restaurant at SLS Las Vegas, and says on his first visit, service was perfect, although he notes, that was "no surprise since the managers knew I am a critic." On his second visit, he went "unnoticed," sitting at the counter and receiving two lukewarm dishes.

He tries the hummus, cucumber yogurt and chicken liver mousse, all of which come with laffa bread or vegetable sticks. He recommends the sweet venison sausages that come with pickled cauliflower as well as the dolmades, "the latter being among the best I’ve ever had."

His favorite dish? The lamb tagine.

On the misses end of his dishes, a duck bastilla, "a clumsy and unsuccessful attempt to blend savory with sweet." His falafel he describes as "too hard and crunchy." Spinach ricotta dumplings were "too mushy for my taste."