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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.
Joseph Elevado may have loved Spam and eggs for breakfast as a kid, but this native New Yorker has since discovered some of the dining treasures of Las Vegas. The executive chef of Andrea’s at Encore Las Vegas kicked off his career at Nobu in New York City, where for nine years, he worked under chef Nobu Matsuhisa, eventually heading to the Hard Rock Hotel. Elevado went on to become the executive chef of Social House in 2006, then executive chef at L’Ermitage Beverly Hills in 2011 and 2012. Here, the chef with a Filipino heritage shares some of his favorite places to dine in Las Vegas.
Which restaurants do you turn to when you’re not working?
The Great Greek Grill in Henderson, The Noodle Man off the 215 and Rainbow, and Aburiya Raku on Spring Mountain.
What dishes are most memorable?
At the Great Greek I enjoy their signature gyro and the falafal pita. Everything is always fresh.
The Noodle Man’s vegetable pancakes are perfectly crispy and the steamed chicken and mushroom dumplings are really good. All their noodles and dumplings are handmade. You can’t go wrong there.
I really enjoy Raku’s simple poached egg with sea urchin and salmon roe and their Kobe tendon robata. It melts in your mouth.
Why do you enjoy going there?
First and foremost, the food is always outstanding at these restaurants. I find myself going to lunch and having late-night snacks more often than dinner these days and The Great Greek and Noodle Man offer fast and friendly service, which is what you look for in a good lunch spot. The vibe at Raku is great for hanging out after a busy night's service with my crew.
For when my wife and I want something a little more special we have lunch at Estiatorio Milos at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, which is top notch, and for a date night we head to Sage at Aria for sweetbreads and absinthe.
