Via Brasil's Jimmy Garibay Shares Three Favorite Strip Restaurants

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.

Chef Jimmy Garibay worked at Via Brasil Steakhouse on the west side since 2014, starting as a sous chef. Before coming to the churrascaria, he worked at Eiffel Tower Restaurant at Paris Las Vegas for five year. Here he shares three of his favorite places to dine on the Strip.

Which restaurants do you turn to when you’re not working?
There are a number of restaurants I like to go to on the days when I’m not working in my kitchen. At the top of my list is Mastro’s Ocean Club at the Shops at Crystals. Second for me is Olives at the Bellagio, and I also enjoy Mon Ami Gabi in Paris Las Vegas.

What dishes are most memorable?
My favorite dish at Mastro’s Ocean Club would have be their seafood platter with crab legs, oysters, shrimp and more. The platter includes a dry ice effect cascading down the tower, which adds to the experience.

Olives at Bellagio also impressed me with an amazing Chilean sea bass with fingerling potatoes, fava beans, yellow corn and a spicy tomato saffron nage. Maybe one of my favorite plates presentation-wise, beautifully executed and delicious. Two thumbs way up for this.

And last but not least, Mon Ami Gabi. Not only is the seating perfect in front of the Bellagio with the fantastic view of the fountains, but the food matches the setting. The dish I can always count on to always make my meal are the caramelized sea scallops with shaved fennel and tomato with an olive oil emulsion. It’s the perfect dish to order while you’re watching the fountains with a few friends and loved ones.