Reviews of Aces & Ales, Vila Algarve and More

If you're not reading Michael Uzmann's Endo Edibles, do be sure to add it to your regular stops for food criticism in Vegas. He reviews the new Aces & Ales this week, giving it three out of five stars. He recommends the macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese and cheese curds but says the pizza "could have used more time in the oven" and the onion rings were oily. [EE]

Jim Begley heads to the Vila Algarve, the new Portuguese restaurant, where pig is a specialty. He recommends the half chorizo, "a wine-marinated sausage link served in a flaming pig," and the "cozido Portuguesa" aka pig ears as well as the dobrada Portuguesa, tripe layered with a mixture of cream and cheese, "its texture not the least bit off-putting." [LVW]

Jason Harris says to go to Sweets Raku now and "immediately eat everything." The dessert spot serves up a $20 three-course lunch with one dessert on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. "Now if they'd only do breakfast." [LVW]

HKR gives MOzen Bistro at Mandarin Oriental A grades across the board. For those keeping tally, that's what she gives pretty much every restaurant on the Strip. [LVRJ]

Kind of an older review, but Al Mancini says "even if the food here sucked, this would be one of my favorite openings of the past 12 months" of the gourmet comfort food at Brooklyn Bowl in The Linq. The fried chicken here uses the same recipe found a Blue Ribbon restaurants in New York. Mancini also enjoyed the pulled pork and the knish appetizer, calling it "brilliant." On the "needs improvement" list, the catfish ("bland"), the smoked fish spread ("too mild") and the smoked barbecue wings, which "drown… out a barbecue dish's smoky flavor by slathering it in sauce. [VS]
· All Week in Reviews [~ELV~]
Aces & Ales [Photo: Endo Edibles]