Sin City is home to a lot of restaurants and bars, but there are tons of hidden gems that the majority of Las Vegans aren't unearthing. To help guide us to these potential discoveries, we've enlisted some of our city's food players to share their recommendations for a weekly feature dubbed Dining Confidential. Know a chef who wants to share some top dining spots? The tipline is open.
Tacho Kneeland joined the rockin' Cabo Wabo Cantina in 2010, one year after it opened, "to help bolster the Mexican cuisine of Cabo San Lucas." Kneeland, who is originally from Mexico, says he helped develop "popular dishes including Sammy's tequila shrimp, made with Baja shrimp, garlic and Cabo Wabo tequila-lime sauce; and chicken sabana, a new menu item, served with chorizo, pinto beans, melted Oaxaca cheese, chimichurri sauce, pico de gallo and a roasted jalapeño pepper."
He opened El Jefe in Henderson and designed the menu and ran the kitchen for seven years. He's also overseen the kitchens at Pink Taco at the Hard Rock Hotel and Border Grill and Mandalay Bay in his 18-year career.
Here he shares three of his favorite Las Vegas restaurants, including a Japanese standby, a tapas joint with great paella and a taco cart.
Which restaurants do you turn to when you're not working?
1. Nobu
2. Julian Serrano at Aria
3. El Buen Pastor, taco cart on the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and East Bonanza Road.
What dishes are most memorable?
1. Tiradito sashimi and creamy rock shrimp tempura
2 Seafood paella
3. The "Gringa."
Why do you enjoy going there?
1. Every dish is more than just a meal, but an experience.
2. I love sharing tapas with friends and family.
3. The Gringa is served with flour quesadilla, pork al pastor and fresh avocado. The flavors transport me to my favorite taco stand in Mexico City.
· All Coverage of Cabo Wabo Cantina [~ELV~]
· All Dining Confidentials [~ELV~]
Tacho Kneeland [Photo: Cabo Wabo Cantina]
