ANIMA by Edo is a New American chef driven restaurant located in the Gramercy that is not too far from Summerlin. They happen to offer an amazing two course (Mon-Fri 11-2) $25. Lunch Special that is well worth trying.

A few of the first course items are things like –

30 day strip loin carpaccio – on crisp hollow puri breads, stuffed with cheese foam, and topped with truffle vinaigrette

Green Tartare – zucchini, avocado, green bell peppers, pistachio vinaigrette, and fried rice paper crisp

Wedge Salad – guanciale, blue cheese, onion, pippara pepper

Salad of the day

You also have the opportunity to add a few things on if you care to. On one visit we added on the Cacio E Pepe Croquetas (pecorino Romano, tellicherry black pepper, yolk cream)

On another visit we took home the add on that my husband enjoyed latter as a snack. Pressed sandwich made with sobrasada, mutton cheese called a Bikini.

The entrees we tried so far were –

Rigatoni Amatriciana – bacon belly ends, sun-dried tomato pomodoro

Salmon A La Plancha – confit potato, pimenton aioli, stewed cabbage

Paccheri Puttanesca – eggplant, zucchini, piquillo pepper, olives

Picanha & Frites – Koji marinated steak, frites, chimichurri, brava sauce

So far we haven’t had the room to try dessert.

The 2 course $25. Lunch from ANIMA by Edo is Certainly Worth a Fork!

Anima by Edo

9205 W Russel Rd Las Vegas NV

702-202-4291

www.ANIMAbyEdo.com

Every THING is subject to change.

Butcher & Thief is a Steakhouse that opened around mid-December 2025. They are located in a center called, “The Bend.” That is right across the street from Ikea and near to the Durango. They are a sister restaurant to Carson’s Kitchen in Downtown Las Vegas. Butcher & Thief offers an attractive moderne atmosphere. They have a large wrap around patio, an indoor-outdoor bar, counter seating, and a few dining areas.

We shared the hamachi crudo with jicama, jalapeño, and yuzu soy.

I don’t really get the yuzu soy but it is ok.

For my main I tried the Steak (not a Cobb) Cobb salad.

The filet ends are tender and moist. In the salad are LOTS of pickled onions, chopped egg, blue cheese, diced avocado, and it’s dressed with balsamic vinaigrette.

My husband tried the Cheeseburger with fries.

Today this burger came with LOTS of spicy pickle chips. The burger came out a little dry today but the fries that came with it are amazing! The fries have that perfect crisp and very fluffy interiors. Might be the best fries in Las Vegas.

Butcher & Thief Newly Opened.

8670 W Sunset Rd Las Vegas NV

702-665-6315

www.ButcherandThief.com

Every THING is subject to change.

Hot Noods is an Asian Restaurant and Bar located in the El Cortez Casino/Hotel on Fremont Street and also near to the strip. Hot Noods menu consist of several appetizers, a variety of ramen dishes, add ons to ramen, rice, and noodle dishes, and more. The decor is kinda Vegas with lots of neon, modern light fixtures, and clear pink table tops.

We started with the chicken Poh Poh’s Dumplings because we had them before at their last restaurant Chinglish. However it seems that the recipe has changed some since Chinglish. These dumplings are still very good but taste different to both of us.

Both the ramens just BLEW US AWAY!

BOTH were levels much better than the ramen from most ramen restaurants.

My husband enjoyed the Tonkotsu Ramen with added Pork Belly.

I enjoyed the Veggie Ramen with added Crispy Chicken and Spicy Chili Paste.

WOW! so flavorful! Even the corn is really great and taste like real corn. The marinated soy egg is perfect. Even the chili paste is special.

Both ramens are many levels better than what most places serve.

Hot Noods is Worth a Fork!

Hot Noods (in the El Cortez Casino/Hotel with free parking) 600 E Fremont Street Las Vegas NV

702-659-6800

www.HotNoodsLV.com

Every THING is subject to change.

Grape Vine Cafe is an Italian – Mediterranean Restaurant and Wine Bar located in the North/West part of Las Vegas Nevada. They offer a mostly Italian menu that is embellished with some Greek offerings and lots of wine. They have a partially covered dog friendly patio with fans and heaters for various temperatures.

Below is the patio.

Below is part of the dining area.

Whatever you decide on they start you off with fresh baked bread and creamy butter.

My husband decided on trying the soup of the day called Toscana. It was a creamy soup with sausage, kale, and potatoes.

He said that this soup was very good.

We also shared half of the baked brie appetizer platter. (the other half we brought home so we’d have room to eat lunch)

This was baked brie embellished with caramelized onions, apricot jam, and hazelnuts, that is baked in a crispy puff pastry. To the sides are buttered toasted baguette slices, sweet crisp pear slices, and grapes. It’s all tasty together.

For my lunch I tried the Beet with Grilled Salmon Salad.

The salmon is a good large portion and has been prepared reasonably well. It’s well done but is still moist and doesn’t taste over cooked so it’s good. The salad is garnished with candied walnuts, roasted red bell peppers and is dressed with a balsamic dressing. To the side is a generous amount of beets topped with creamy goat cheese.

My husband enjoyed the chicken parmesan.

Prices are reasonable.

Portions are large.

Worth a Try!

Grape Vine Cafe

7501 W Lake Mead Blvd Las Vegas NV

702-228-9463

www.GrapeVineVegas.com

Every THING is subject to change.

Oh La La French Bistro is located in the Summerlin Part of Las Vegas Nevada. This might be the only French Restaurant (and bar) that you can find here that is owned by an actual French Man that usually greets you during your stay. We’ve been here several times for lunch, dinner, and restaurant week. and other various specials.

For your first time here you might want to try one of the reasonably priced lunch specials.

Here is the rest of the lunch menu –

We haven’t tried every plate here but we sure tried a bunch.

Whatever you order they start you off with complimentary baguette and butter. Then the rest is up to you!

Below are various plates from our lunch and dinner visits.

Everything was at least good.

Not all but some things did stand out.

French Onion Soup – because it was a delicious onion base

Warm Goat Cheese with pistachios and onion jam – Just delicious and hard to pass up

I didn’t eat any of the duck or beef dishes here. My husband did and he liked them all.

I think he liked the Hachis Parmentier (French Shepard’s Pie) a lot and the Croque Madame.

Several times I got the Sole Meunière here because it seems like what to order.

Oh La La French Bistro is Always Worth a Try! and also is –

Worth a Fork!

Oh La La French Bistro

2120 N Rampart Blvd Las Vegas NV

702-222-3522

www.OhLaLaFrenchBistro.com

Every THING is subject to change.

Wok Republic is a Casual American/Chinese Take out or eat in kind of place located in North Las Vegas Nevada, You order and pay at the counter. (for locals this is in the spot where Jasmin Express was and at this time the Jasmin Express sign was still up.)

They just opened last week and had lots of specials and coupons going on so we got to try a bunch of things.

First they gave us complimentary fried noodles to munch on.

Next were vegetable egg rolls.

The egg rolls were full of oil inside and got my hands very oily. I took a bite and was done.

My main meal came out next. I tried the Szechuan Hot Garlic Chicken.

The chicken is masterfully tender but it is in sauce that tastes like spicy orange jam. It’s ok at first but the sweetness builds up and gets to be too much sweetness for me.

Next is the steamed rice.

The rice is good.

My husband’s Kung Pao Beef comes out next.

They do get points for serving tender beef but it tastes like salty soy sauce. I can’t eat it. My husband can tolerate more salt than me and it is salty for him so it indeed is too salty with cold peanuts on top. This has so much salt in it that I won’t bring it home for my dogs.

Lastly the chicken potstickers arrive.

They look hand made and probably are. The dough is very thick and inside tastes like unseasoned ground chicken.

That was my trip to Wok Republic. I will not Wok this way again.

5546 Camino Al Norte North Las Vegas NV

702-982-0633

www.WokRepublicVegas.com

Every THING is subject to change.

Taste of Gujarat is a fine dining Indian Restaurant located in Las Vegas Nevada not too far from Henderson. The minute you step in the atmosphere transports you to a land very far away.

There are multiple dining areas and a bar.

Below is only some of what I saw.

Ordering here might be challenging for some. You need to use your cellphone with a QR code.

We started out by sharing the pani puri – crispy hollow pastry shells that you fill with DELICIOUS potatoes and chick peas curry, onions, and spiced waters.

We also shared the Street Style Bhel. (puffed rice that’s sweet, spicy, tangy with chutneys)

It seems as light as air but also is strongly aromatic.

For our mains we shared the Gujarat Style Chicken and Rice. (delicious and mighty flavorful)

Ringan Bhartha (spicy eggplant)

This was more like a dip to me but also was delicious with the garlic naan bread.

We ordered more than we could eat and brought leftovers home.

I’ve been to many Indian Restaurants but this is the first one that gave us refreshing seeds to eat after the meal.

Everything was superb!

Taste of Gujarat is Worth a Fork!

Taste of Gujarat

9890 S Maryland Pkwy Las Vegas NV

702-291-8011

www.TasteOfGujaratLV.com

Every THING is subject to change.

Cooper’s Kitchen & Tap is located in the Centennial Part of Las Vegas Nevada. The restaurant and Bar is located in a gated Community called Trilogy. You need to show your license to the guard at the gate and let them take a picture of your license plate to get in. I read about this restaurant on Yelp and it was in a good location for us to try. I also liked the New American Menu. At the time of finding out about it they had an impressive 4.5 star average on Yelp so I thought I couldn’t go wrong trying this place……….

Anyways – It looks nice inside but is kinda empty at lunch time.

We waited a very long time for our order.

After at least 30 minutes someone in a suit jacket comes out and says that their rice cooker wasn’t turned on and I could either change my order or wait another 20-30 minutes. I asked if they could substitute something for the rice. The person in a jacket suggest quinoa and I said that is great and even better.

In about ten minutes more our meals arrive.

The better of the two meals was my husband’s bucatini.

The pasta is over cooked and this is very bland and seems to be missing the seasoning and fresh herbs. I do note that there are other pictures on Yelp of this dish and this looks very different than what other people received. Other people had 4 dollops of cheese and herbs and fresh herbs that you can clearly see.

My plate was AWFUL.

I was suppose to get a stir fry with bok choy,and broccolini not a FORKING BIG BOWL OF RAW DRY KALE. The salmon is ok but the sauce is also awful. I think Panda Express and some frozen dinners might taste better. This is HORRIBLE. Since they weren’t able to serve me the rice that normally comes with the stir fry they agreed that they would give me quinoa. Look at my plate. They did give me a total of like one tablespoon of quinoa but it isn’t even fresh. It is in tiny cold hard lumps. This is one of the WORST PLATES OF THE YEAR.

I used to serve people. If I was a wait person here I would not have even served either plate.

I can not recommend Cooper’s Kitchen & Tap (I considered moving to this neighborhood because I thought it would be nice to live by a restaurant………I am so glad I didn’t move here now)

BLECH!

Cooper’s Kitchen & Tap

9560 Lapis Lane Las Vegas NV

725-258-6308

www.MyTrilogyLife.com

Every THING is subject to change.

Americana is an American Restaurant and Bar with lakeside views that is located in the Summerlin part of Las Vegas Nevada. You might want to come here for lunch so you can see the attractive lakeside views.

Even at Lunch Time they start you off with tasty warm bread with soft butter. (we both thought that this was the best part of lunch)

We watched the birds that flew or swam by while we waited for our lunches to be prepared.

Then our lunches arrive.

I tried a Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich with upgraded truffle fries. The chicken breast is plump and moist. But this seems to be a non-traditional Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich. It was served on a soft sweet bun. It also is spicy but the spicy isn’t a paste or sauce. Instead it is a powder on top of the chicken. It is spicy. The other issue is that the breading is soft and not crispy. The sandwich is topped with a dill type pickle and creamy slaw is under the chicken in the sandwich. Fries are fresh and well prepared and are topped with a shredded Italian type cheese and some sort of truffle dust.

My husband ordered a medium-rare cheese burger with fries.

It was prepared past the requested medium/rare to around medium. It comes with their house sauce that is similar to fry sauce. The burger comes with caramelized onions and cheddar cheese and some lettuce and tomato slices. It’s kinda your average burger. Not the most flavor but ok.

I was hoping dessert would be the sweet spot here so I took home 1/2 my lunch so we’d have room to try dessert.

The Lemon Italian Cream Cake sounded good so we gave it a try.

To me it tastes like pound cake.

I think the cinnamon cream (not mentioned on menu) is very strange tasting with this cake.

There are also strawberry flavored candy curls and strawberry-ish lemon dots on the plate and the cake is topped with a large un-ripe strawberry.

Americana – beautiful lakeside atmosphere but pretty average food served at lunch time. Hopefully dinners could be a sweet spot here?

Americana

2620 Regatta Drive Las Vegas NV

702-331-5565

www.AmericanaLasVegas.com

Every THING is subject to change.