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The James Beard Foundation yesterday released the finalists for their 2026 chef and restaurant nominees. From a slate of 14 Las Vegas semi-finalists announced in January, three nominations made the cut. For Best New Restaurant, Tamba is Vegas' representative; this is a highly acclaimed, upscale, contemporary, Indian fusion restaurant located in Town Square known for its modern take on traditional flavors, live-fire cooking, and a dedicated raw bar. Sarah Thompson of Casa Playa is up for Best Chef Southwest; Casa Playa is an upscale coastal-Mexican restaurant at Encore. Finally, Brian Howard of Sparrow + Wolf is a finalist for Best Chef; Howard, also a semifinalist in 2024, is known for live-fire cooking, sustainable ingredients, and a "neighborhood-cookery" approach that has made Sparrow + Wolf a popular industry hangout. The winners of these awards will be honored at the James Beard Award ceremony on June 15 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
With apologies to Simon and Garfunkel for the headline, April is a gorgeous month weather-wise hereabouts. It's dry and mostly sunny, with daily high temperatures rising from around 74 degrees on April 1 to around 82 on April 30 and lows ranging from 52 to 61. However, after March, all high-temperature bets are off. A record high of 99 degrees was set on the 24th in 2012, the 27th in 2000, the 29th in 2013, and the 30th in 1981. A record low of 31 degrees was set on the 2nd in 1975 and the 3rd and 4th in 1955. Typically, April is the second driest month of the year, receiving an average .15 of an inch of precipitation; June is driest with .08.