▶ ON THE SIDE
■ Mikiya Wagyu Shabu House debuted Jan. 1 at 3930 Spring Mountain Road, in Chinatown. The restaurant is a project of Chubby Group (formerly Chubby Cattle International), a hospitality group founded in 2015 in Vegas by David Zhao and Haibin Yang, who were named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in 2022 for food and drink.
The menu is built around all-youcan-enjoy wagyu shabu hot pot priced in four sets, with diamond set showcasing Japanese A5 wagyu brisket, gold set A5 wagyu and fullblood Australian wagyu, silver set premium Australian wagyu, and basic set American wagyu. Sets also variously include a specialty dish, chicken and pork, and vegetable and seafood platters. Visit mikiyashabu. com/project/mikiya-wagyu-shabuhouse-las-vegas.
■ Noodle Nest launched at the end of last year at 4284 Spring Mountain Road, Suite 106, in Chinatown’s Shanghai Plaza (same center as Shanghai Taste and Kura sushi). About 20 rice noodle dishes (sauerkraut fish soup, cold soba with chicken, beef tomato stew) anchor the menu, joined by rice dishes like Spam fried rice, cold dishes like cucumber salad, yakisoba fried noodles, and starters like crisp shrimp rolls and fried pork chop.
Visit noodlenestlv.com.
■ Better Days has opened a second location, at 10595 W. Discovery Drive, Suite 1. Build-your-own açai bowls layer proteins, granola, chia pudding, fresh fruit, toppings, nut butter, and sweeteners and powders. Toasts include a spicy ricotta version; sandwiches include prosciutto grilled cheese. Coffee drinks and teas round out the menu. Visit atbetterdays.com.
■ Penang Hawker features foods from the hawker street stalls of Malaysia, so perhaps it’s fitting the restaurant serves from a stall of sorts in the food court of Las Vegas South Premium Outlets. Graze the menu for roti prata, nasi lemak (the Malaysian national dish), Hainanese chicken, Penang-style char kway teow, and Malaysian coffee and milk tea.
■ The Human Bean began pouring this month at a new drive-thru, 8860 S. Durango Drive, Suite 100. Human Bean serves specialty coffees, fruit smoothies, whole-leaf teas and hot breakfast items to go. The Human Bean has grown from a single location in southern Oregon to a nationwide brand over the past 25 years.
■ Hwaro Korean BBQ, 5030 Spring Mountain Road, Suites 3 to 5, has recently reopened in Seoul Plaza, the same Chinatown center that houses Raku. The all-you-can-eat menu encompasses barbecue proteins (spicy squid to teriyaki chicken to beef belly), along with sushi, salads, soups, noodles, appetizers and desserts.
■ A sign has gone up at 10508
Las Vegas Blvd. South, at East Cactus Avenue, for “Blue Orchid by Pin Kaow.” The building lies across from PT’S Tavern. Pin Kaow, a popular longtime Thai restaurant known for its curries, is at North Rainbow and West Lake Mead boulevards.
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Gaetano’s, 10271 S. Eastern Ave., Suite 111, Henderson, just launched brunch that runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Sunday. Some highlights: marsala French toast ($20), eggs in Purgatory with short ribs ($28), panini mortadella with stracciatella ($18), rigatoni alla vodka with chicken or sausage ($30), and 10-ounce Prime New York steak with two eggs and potatoes ($42). Plus: sangrias, cocktails, mocktails, wine and carafes of Aperol Spritz.
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Resolved: To Bake the World a Better Place in 2024. So says Dominique Ansel bakery in Caesars Palace. In keeping with that resolution, the bakery has introduced pastries inspired by classic desserts: chocolate-covered strawberry, lemon madeleine, blueberry muffin, cinnamon roll, key lime pie, chocolate raspberry soufflé and a Liège waffle. Each pastry is $13.99.
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Through Feb. 24, The George Sportsmen’s Lounge in the new Durango casino is hosting an aprèsski experience on its covered terrace every Saturday. The party begins at 10 p.m. and features wrap-around LED screens creating a ski lodge feel, vintage ski video clips, a live DJ, a chairlift for photos, hot toddies, winter cocktails and shot-skis. Don your Bogner, then head over. Reservations: thegeorgelv.com/reservations.
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Dom Demarco’s Pizzeria & Bar, 9785 W. Charleston Blvd., is featuring January specials. Among them are $14 daily lunches: 10-inch pizza and house salad, chicken wings or tenders and house salad, chicken marsala or piccata, and spaghetti and meatballs. Open daily from
11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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Who says the celebration has to end in January? Not RPM Italian in the Forum Shops at Caesars. During January, the restaurant is presenting a Champagne and truffles (fungi, not chocolate) menu. Look for flutes of ’15 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame Brut ($56) or ’12 La Grande Dame Brut Rosé ($98), wagyu carne crudo with white truffle ($27), and truffle risotto with white Alba truffles (3 grams $44, 5 grams $82) or black Périgord truffles (3 grams $26,
5 grams $52).