The Big Picture - March 2013 - (Page 12)
inside output
inside output
Make This Year’s ISA Expo
A Food Adventure
By Craig Miller
S
o you’re coming to Vegas for the ISA Expo in early April
(see this issue’s special ISA Expo Preview, page 24). The
show is at Mandalay Bay, which is a great venue. It’s one of
the newer hotels, is nicely decorated, has a great convention
space, and – unlike the Las Vegas Convention Center –
there’s plenty of free parking.
Mandalay is the last hotel/casino at the far south end of
“the Strip.” From here, it’s simply too far to walk to many
of the other points of interest on Las Vegas Boulevard. So,
given the hike and the abundant free parking, you now
have two good reasons to rent a car this trip.
There’s another reason as well: Renting a car will provide
you with the opportunity to do something different. Forget
the overpriced celebrity-chef Strip restaurants. Let’s get you
out of those casinos, away from the flashing lights, and into
that rental car for a Vegas dining experience.
Remarkable eateries
I’m going to focus on making this trip an epicurean adventure for you. If you’re staying in Las Vegas for the duration
of the expo, you’ll have the opportunity to eat more than a
dozen meals. With that in mind, I’ve put together my notes
on seven neighborhood restaurants you must try. My wife
Sue and I have lived in Vegas for more than 30 years and
are self-proclaimed “foodies” – we only frequent restaurants
that have remarkable food, friendly wait staff, and prices
that won’t break the bank. The longest drive to get to one
of the following remarkable eateries is 20 minutes from
Mandalay Bay, and most are in the 10- to 12-minute range;
all close enough to take a break from the convention floor
for lunch.
CRAIG MILLER is a principal shareholder in
Las Vegas-based Pictographics, (pictographics.net) where he is also director of military
and law-enforcement projects, the company’s defense-contracting division.
12
THE BIG PICTURE MARCH 2013
My top recommendation is lunch or dinner at the
Samosa Factory (samosafactory.net) for Indian cuisine. I
don’t care if you don’t think you like Indian food; just try
it. If you only go to one off-strip restaurant, go here. (They
are closed Sundays, by the way.) Samosa Factory is very
small, quaint, and may be one of the best restaurants in Las
Vegas, bar none.
Here is the drill, however: Wave off the menus. Rick
is the proprietor and chef and also waits tables. Tell him,
“Craig says we don’t need a menu.” Simply ask Rick to feed
you. The only thing he needs to know is how hungry you
are; if you happen to be vegan, vegetarian, or pescetarian;
and if you are sensitive to hot spicy. For me it’s simple:
“Feed me Rick, I’m hungry.” Two to eight people make
a nice group for this intimate spot. You eat family style,
which gives you a better sampling of the food. Depending
on how many people read this, you might want to make reservations. Samosa Factory is an eating adventure you won’t
forget; just don’t blow it by ordering off the menu.
Lunch or dinner at Rincon De Buenos Aires (rinconbsas.com) takes you away to Argentina, but you only have
to drive five miles from the expo floor. Every meal begins
with a complementary mini-loaf of Italian bread and chimichurri, a condiment that is addictive (it’s worth the trip just
for the chimichurri). Argentina is famous for its beef, so
if you’re in a carnivorous mood you can order the excellent
and affordable skirt steak. If you’re more inclined to indulge in a meat orgy, I recommend one of the three Argentine BBQ grills. The most conventional one has a couple of
beef short ribs; two fi let mignons, a flap, and a skirt steak
on a grill they bring to the table. Wash this all down with
Cerveza Quilmes, a wonderful Argentinean beer.
For dinner at a great Japanese restaurant and Sushi bar,
you can’t go wrong with Sen of Japan (senofjapan.com),
which has fish flown in daily. To eat at a comparable Sushi
bar at a Strip hotel you’ll need to take out a second mortgage on your house.
There are two ways to eat at Sen. One is to sit down at
a table and order off the extensive dinner menu. If you
choose this, I recommend the Omakase Special. >32
http://www.samosafactory.net
http://www.rinconbsas.com
http://www.rinconbsas.com
http://www.senofjapan.com
http://www.pictographics.net
http://www.pictographics.net
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Big Picture - March 2013
The Big Picture - March 2013
Table of Contents
InSight
Wide Angle
UpFront
Inside Output
Buying a Printer: Financial Incentives
Pushing the Size Envelope
Digital Discovery: ISA Expo 2013
R+D
Explorer
The Big Picture - March 2013
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