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