Big Paul's on Pecos-McLeod at Desert Inn (SE corner) is decent.

I've heard that Road Kill Grill at John Mull's Meats is very good, but I haven't been there.

Another bad one for Turkey Day lines is the Garden Court Buffet at Main Street Station.

The buffet at the Hilton didn't have a bad wait, but I was there a couple of years ago, back when it still was "the Hilton".

Arizona Charlie's buffet used to be not bad for lines, but their quality took a nosedive a few years ago.

Something I've been learning about that bears on this is the subject of "exorphin peptides."

There's a lot on the Internet about them, ranging from scholarly to faddish, but the gist is:

When we eat gluten (wheat, barley, rye) or casein (from dairy, though caseinates are used separately as thickeners), our bodies do not have the necessary enzymes to completely break these proteins down into individual amino acids. Clusters of amino acids remain, and some of these clusters have biological activity.

A few of these clusters take the form of peptides that resemble morphine and endorphins enough for them to have mild drug-like effects. These have been dubbed "exorphins".

Individual sensitivity to exorphins varies a great deal; however, if a person is sensitive, one of the noteworthy effects is that the person experiences withdrawal symptoms a few hours after consuming gluten or casein. This is very likely the cause of "carb cravings" experienced by a person starting a low carb diet.

It's significant to note that if the person eats a substantial meal, the withdrawal symptoms will likely appear BEFORE the person's body has used up all the calories from the meal.

Thus, that person begins to feel "hungry" before his or her body is in need of food. This leads to overeating. (This also suggests an explanation why eating several small meals is effective--you eat before your body goes into exorphin withdrawal, letting you better control your food intake).

I personally am sensitive to the effects. I have been eating a mostly gluten- and casein-free diet for the better part of a year, and I have lost close to 50 lbs. without otherwise dieting or restricting my food intake. (This can be a perfectly healthy diet. Removing gluten still allows you a variety of other starches, such as rice or potatoes, and an adult can easily replace the nutrients lost by shunning dairy.)

I've learned to tell the difference between food cravings caused by exorphin withdrawal and genuine hunger in that time. I would say that before this year, I really didn't know what hunger was, because what I thought was hunger was exorphin cravings.

Tugboat Fish & Chips, Sacramento area. I make a point of stopping there whenever I'm in Sacramento. Variety of fish & shellfish in addition to cod, and IIRC tempura-style vegetables.

TJ's Cocoa Truffles--BIG Yea.

So good, and CHEAP. I hope my local TJ isn't selling them at the wrong price!

Big red box with gold lettering, 8.8 oz (250 gm), and only $2.99!?! (Not posted as a sale price in the store.)

Similar article for 2011:

http://www.lvrj.com/view/a-la-carte-1...

Just to mention: The L&L Hawaiian Barbecue chain does the same thing--poke may or may not be on the whiteboard, depending on time and location.

I just got a menu from Big Paul's BBQ (Desert Inn at Pecos-McLeod) that has added beef ribs:

"Friday Night Rodeo"
"Meaty Smoked Beef Ribs With Your Choice of 1 Side" 12.99

They've also added hickory smoked prime rib (8 oz) with 2 sides at the same price.

I don't know if they're good, but I have enjoyed the pork ribs and beef brisket there. (I also haven't had a chance to find out if "Friday Night Rodeo" means it's available on Fridays only.)

www.bigpaulsbbq.com

I'll occasionally sit through an episode of Nadia G. I finally figured out why--the show reminds me of Beakman's World, which was one of my favorites when I was a kid.

I've channel-surfed to the baron's show on a few occasions. Never stayed longer than a few minutes. I find the content interesting, but I can't stand the act. I'd probably watch more if he'd drop that act.

Stopped at a BK for pulled pork in Las Vegas yesterday, and was told it had been discontinued. The other two sandwiches and the fries were still available.

Along with a translation, try to get the correct pronunciation of the Chinese name, and try ordering it that way.

(I'm half asian, so I can get away with it. YMMV.)

None of the local supermarkets identify the grade of their beef any more (other than the store's own label), so I assume standard.

One more person saying I really don't care for the dropdown and would rather have the site the way it was before.

Walmart has convinced me that I need to stop buying meat at my local supermarkets and give some of the specialty shops a try.

I bought some steaks at Walmart from their "USDA Choice" counter (about 4 feet of space in the meat counter, at the opposite end from the regular beef, past the pork and chicken)--a package of thin cut ribeye and a package of NY strip.

I had the ribeye last night. The meat was fine, but I had an interesting experience while cooking it. While searing the meat, I suddenly thought, "Hey, that smells GOOD!"

If choice grade beef at Walmart can stand that far above what passes for steak at the places I usually shop, obviously I need to find better places to buy meat. ;)

Good to hear. I keep meaning to visit John Mull's; now I have another reason. Maybe this will get Memphis Championship to take notice and work harder, too.

N.B. Guy Fieri is a UNLV alumnus. This isn't his first "return" visit to LV.

Every time I visit the site recently, even if I'm logged in, I get the same popup survey.

I've filled it in several times, and I'm not blocking cookies.

At first, it would go away once I filled it in, but today, even after I fill it in, it returns again and again, every few minutes.

In addition, the report problem link (marisa.rosen...) bounces email.

There are a few choices clustered around Raku:

http://www.eatinglv.com/2012/04/tokyo-plaza/

John Curtas is a Las Vegas attorney and respected food critic. His posts about Kabuto, a recently-opened sushi restaurant, would be of interest to you.

http://www.eatinglv.com/2012/04/kabuto-is-koming/
http://www.eatinglv.com/2012/04/dont-... (very much tongue in cheek)

Try looking at it from this perspective:

Whole Foods has committed to not selling *wild caught* red-rated fish. And only those.

Red-rated farmed fish may have problems that cause them to be red-rated, but (at least in theory), selling those fish does not take away from the wild population.

The WF page I looked at says "red-rated wild-caught", not "red-rated". That would make all farmed fish okay.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/seafo...

When you say "kama mashi", I think you mean "kamameshi", which isn't a single dish--it's a category of dishes, individual pots of rice with a variety of ingredients added during cooking. (See this page for examples: http://www.kappohana.com/kamameshi.html ) Having said that, I did see a Yelp poster say that Raku has an off-menu salmon kamameshi. I don't know about making requests there--it would be best to call them directly and ask.

Anyone on the board familiar with Luv-It Frozen Custard? I've heard praises for years, but haven't been there myself. Oakey just east of LV Blvd downtown would be half the distance than Henderson. luvitfrozencustard.com

While it's certainly true in theory that you should tip more when only ordering appetizers, it can be hard in practice if the server's attitude suddenly turns bad when he/she realizes your group isn't going to order entrees. (Happened to me a couple of years ago--boss decided our team should go for drinks and appetizers only after work. There were eight or nine in our group, and boss wanted to sit at a table. It was an uncomfortable experience for most of us, but not the boss, who ordered the beer sampler and had a great time. We did tip despite the server's attitude at the end.)

Yea: Soy Creamy Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert, Cherry Chocolate Chip flavor and Vanilla flavor--to me, the flavor and texture are more ice-cream-like than Soy Dream. Yea--Old Fashioned Blister Peanuts--this is a childhood rediscovery for me; never knew what "blister peanuts" were back then. Peanuts with a harder, almost crunchy texture. I love 'em. Nay: Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert (made with Coconut Milk), Strawberry flavor--had a vague, unpleasant sourness that I think came from the combination of ingredients (not the strawberries alone). Wouldn't have it again, though I might try the chocolate flavor.

I've only been to Midori once--it's a small place, but it was a pleasant experience. The Ka has closed. Yama Sushi is close to my workplace; several of my coworkers swear by their AYCE, but I haven't been there myself for some time (since they switched to a sushi-only menu). Yummy Grill is low end, and (IIRC) only has rolls. One place you haven't mentioned in the general area is Miko's Sushi, corner of Windmill & Bermuda. Mom & Pop place with homestyle dishes & sushi. Good food, and they take pride in offering fresh wasabi with their sushi. (Google & their website say "izakaya", but I wouldn't really call it an izakaya experience.)

In the summer of 2008, I went on a cross-country road trip from Nevada to West Virginia and back.

On the way back, one night I stayed in a hotel off I-70 in Greenfield, IN, and there was a Chinese buffet nearby, "Bamboo Garden Buffet".

I had dinner there, and the food was VERY good. (From what I can find online, it has since taken a nosedive).

The food wasn't any kind of authentic, though. I would have called it "Midwestern Chinese". They had a large variety of familiar dishes, fresh ingredients, and everything was well cooked and seasoned.

However, while the people preparing food there might have been competent, I doubt any of them had ever eaten at an authentic Asian restaurant. I doubt any of the seasonings were more authenic than five spice, powdered ginger, and soy sauce.

Nevertheless, it was one of the best buffet experiences, and one of the best "Chinese" food experiences, I've had in the past few years.

I've been reading the board for a couple months now, and have begun thinking of trying some of the prix fixe offerings at some of the fine dining places that have been recommended here (I'm usually a low-budget diner).

Thing is, I'll most likely be eating alone.

Are any of the fine dining establishments around town not recommended for solo diners?

Aw, now you've made me miss JitB burritos all over again. I think they were the same meat and cheeze in a flour tortilla, deep fried.

I've never been able to figure out how they could make freshly-made tacos that had all the texture of one that's been under a heat lamp for several hours.

Sorry if this post is inappropriate for this board, but I'm hoping to find a souce here in Las Vegas for Hawaiian black salt, before I turn to online source.

The only thing I've found so far is the Frontier Co-op brand at Whole Foods, which was really disappointing. It's just sea salt with a coating of activated charcoal (you can put a few grains in your mouth for a few seconds and spit them out, and they magically turn into plain sea salt). That brand has very little of the smoky flavor I'd been led to expect.

I did once find some good Hawaiian red salt at a Walgreens before most of them reduced or stopped carrying Hawaiian products.

I haven't had a chance to check out the ABC stores yet.

Thanks for your help.

I was thinking of heading out New Year's Eve for a bowl of soba. Then I read that Yokohama Kaigenro closed a few months ago.

Any suggestions? With it being New Year's Eve, I'd like to stay as far away from the Strip as possible.

Looking at online reviews, Miko's Sushi and Shuseki sound like possibilities, but neither have online menus.

The Las Vegas Review Journal site has two articles I though the board would be interested in:

This year's roundup of special Thanksgiving menu offerings around town:

http://www.lvrj.com/view/a-la-carte-133862628.html

A list of take-home thanksgiving dinner offerings:

http://www.lvrj.com/taste/thankfully-...

As for myself, I'm a long-time LV resident. I don't have family in town, and the last few years I've been going to buffets for Thanksgiving dinner (I do cook a little at home--enough to have "leftovers"--but a buffet gives me a variety of offerings I wouldn't cook for myself).

This year I'm thinking of hitting the buffet at either Main Street Station, Cannery, Cannery Eastside, or Boulder Station.

Three years ago I went to the Wild West buffet at Arizona Charlie's Decatur. It was good then, but two years ago it wasn't.

Last year, I went to the Hilton buffet which, at the price, was just okay.