Flip Arbelaez Has Favorites for Hangovers, Dim Sum and Out-of-Town Guests

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.

Flip Arbelaez has spent 23 years in the restaurant business, working at Todd English Enterprises and Ark Restaurants Corp. Now as the director of restaurant development for Pot Liquor CAS at Town Square, he handles everything covering operations, brand development and marketing. Here he shares three of his favorite places to dine that will cure a hangover, satisfy a dim sum craving and make out-of-town guests happy.

Which restaurants do you turn to when you’re not working?
I always love a good old bowl of phô. I go to Phô Saigon 8 on Spring Mountain Road and Lindell. A #2 spring rolls with a large #18 fully loaded phô with brisket, tripe, tendon, rare tenderloin and fresh aromatics kills any hangover or under-the-weather feeling.

Dim sum is one of my absolute favorite things since childhood and in town my go-to joint is Harbor Palace. The chicken feet, tendon with papaya, the tripe with winter melon or the flat rice noodles stuffed with shrimp dressed with sweet soy makes me a happy man. Lots of other choices like wakame salad and jellyfish salad are all amazing.

For a good night out with my wife or friends from out of town, I take to the great cuisine of my dear friend Stephen Hopcraft at STK at the Cosmopolitan. The vibe is great and he and general manager Jordan Mendez take the steakhouse to another level. Music is fantastic and chef Hopcraft has maintained a menu a cut above the rest for four years and counting. Nothing like it in town. The ribeye or New York sirloin are a must. His pickled prawns with micro cilantro and jalapeños set it off. The pork chop is always a creative option with the best ingredients. Oh, never-EVER forget to order the creamed corn side — sinful.