T&T's Saul Ortiz Shares Some of His Favorite Burgers in Las Vegas

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. All this week, we have a special Burger Week edition. Know a chef who wants to share some top dining spots? The tipline is open.

Born and raised in Mexico City, Saul Ortiz brings an upbringing in traditional Mexican fare and more than 20 years of experience to his position as corporate executive chef for Tacos & Tequila (T&T) at the Luxor. Ortiz came to T&T in 2008, but he started his career as a bus boy at the Iron Sword restaurant in the Atlantis Casino Resort in Reno. He moved up the ranks to become the executive chef at Atlantis’ 24-hour coffee shop and then held the same title at Café Alfresco. He moved on to Las Vegas as an assistant executive chef at Pink Taco at the Hard Rock Hotel. He worked with Richard Sandoval at Isla at Treasure Island. Here he shares three of his favorite places to order burgers in Las Vegas.

Where do you like to eat burgers when you’re not working?
When I’m not working, I like to spend time with my kids and wife, so I usually let my kids pick a burger place where I know they'll like their burgers, such as Steak n’ Shake, Hash House A Go Go and In-N-Out Burger. However, I do have a special place I take my wife for date nights if she is craving a burger: Bachi Burger on Warm Springs serves a couple of fusion burgers that are to die for!

What do you like to order there?
From Bachi Burger, I usually order the kalbi burger, which is made with a Wagyu patty (medium), kalbi marinate, kimchi and ko chu-jang mayo. All of the ingredients have been fused to fit the average burger and for people that want a bit more from a burger, this is definitely the place to go. My wife gets the Ronin burger from Bachi Burger, which is made with an Angus patty (medium), caramelized onion, Japanese cole slaw, miso goma dressing, a fried egg, katsu barbecue and citrus yuzu aioli.

On the other hand, at T&T I serve the matador burger, which is made with a achiote marinated 75/25 angus beef patty, spicy thousand island dressing, caramelized red onion, sautéed mushrooms, tomatoes, three cheese blend (oaxaca, jack and gouda), guacamole and lettuce served on a fresh Mexican bolillo roll. This burger is one of the best burgers in Las Vegas — trust me. These are my top three favorite burgers of all-time.

Do you have a favorite side dish at any of these restaurants?
At Bachi Burger, I usually get the oxtail chili cheese fries with an egg on top. We also love the parmesan black truffle French fries. They are awesome.