When Luxor first opened, the Backstage Deli was a full-scale restaurant with a kosher-style menu and we tried the pastrami, matzo ball soup, and latke. It was 30 years ago and we still remember it. It wasn’t New York caliber, but good enough for an Egyptian-themed casino that seemed to be making some kind of statement about the Passover story.
We certainly had no intention of ever revisiting the skeletal remains of that deli. But a day earlier, a Sunday, we’d eyeballed the Luxor and Excalibur brunch buffets and Luxor looked so good that we returned the next day to try it, only to find it closed (open Wed.-Sun.). Meanwhile, we were famished, so we really had no choice but to grab a quick lunch at the nearby Backstage.
Not that we’re implying that kitchens in Las Vegas bars are better than kitchens in the bars of other cities, but they just might be. The key is factoring in price. Las Vegas bars have gambling machines, which allows them to comp drinks to gamblers. That dynamic also affects pricing on food, as a good dining deal attracts and reattracts customers who play the games. Two prime examples are the burger at Jackpot Bar and Grill and breakfast at Kopper Keg West. Note that both of these bars are known for their good kitchens and rank high on our list of places for best bar food in general.
Jackpot Burger, Jackpot Bar and Grill (4485 S. Jones)
Served around the clock, the Jackpot burger ($13.99) is one of our favorites in town. No, it’s not tricked out with bleu cheese crumbles or strips of bacon (although, those versions are available for the same price), it’s just an old-fashioned half-pounder with the mixin’s of fixin’s that belong on an old-fashioned half-pounder—tomato, lettuce, onion, and pickle. Jackpot’s owner confirms, “It’s a full half-pound, that’s for sure.” As such, it can be cooked to order better than most. It’s served with choice of fries or onion rings. The one negative is the bun has a hard time containing its cargo—tread lightly, or be prepared to finish with a fork. An interesting side note: When we first wrote about this burger in 2017, it was $7.77 and came with a beer.
If you go on Mon., Wed., or Friday, Jackpot runs a play-$500-get-$50 promo. Designated a Kansas City Chiefs bar, the TVs are always tuned to sports, maybe because manager and swing-shift bartender Susan usually has a 3- to 10-teamer in play. Be alert and you might spot one of the Runnin’ Rebels from the ’90 NCAA Championship basketball team; a few of them hang out here.
Breakfast Special, Kopper Keg West (2257. S. Rainbow)
A bit farther north and west, Kopper Keg West checks in with one of the best breakfast specials in town. It’s the standard two eggs, choice of meat, potatoes, and toast, but this one’s a cut above. Get it with the thick-cut bacon and breakfast potatoes that are prepped in-house, not cracked out of a frozen bag. The best part, going back to the gambling/bargain dynamic, is it’s just $6—about as low as you’ll find anywhere for a full breakfast these days. And here’s a breakfast bonus. When we went in to try the special, KK’s resident Bloody Mary master, Shelly, said, “The special is fantastic, but Marco also makes the best omelets.” We had to try. Omelets, in general, are about as unremarkable as scrambled eggs, but not this one. As fluffy as an omelet can be and packed with your choice of three ingredients, it comes with toast and tots for $13. Kopper Keg gets it, the difference is in the details. The one negative is availability, the kitchen doesn’t open till 9 am.
Standard Bloody MaryWith hot picklesWith hot Cheetos
Kopper Keg was for years one of Vegas’ top Cleveland Browns bars. They no longer have the NFL feed, so not all the Browns games are shown. But if the game is on network, the place will be full of “Dawgs.” If Shelly is behind the bar, be sure to get one of her famous Bloody Marys; they’re comped if you’re gambling (Kayla makes a pretty good one, too).
We’ve been intrigued by the Caviar Bar, recently renamed Aqua Seafood and Caviar, since it opened at Resorts World. Not that we’d pay the freight for the regular menu: $6 per oyster ($15 each with caviar), $22 for a Caesars salad, $29 for a crab-cake or foie-gras appetizer, $28 for spaghetti and tomato sauce, $34 for fried chicken, $89 for Dover sole, $110 for eight ounces of king crab, $175-$850 for caviar, let alone $16 for mashed potatoes or French fries.
Like No Pants at Caesars, Luke’s Lobster Shack is in a small shipping container. This one is right at the corner of the Strip and Park Avenue, which runs between Park MGM and New York-New York; it’s kitty-corner from another shack called Shake.
Also like No Pants, it has an extremely limited menu: two-, four-, and six-ounce shrimp, crab, and lobster rolls ($12-$35), with New England clam chowder ($7/$10), poppy-seed slaw ($3), chips ($2), and soda ($4). That’s it.
Wolfgang Puck’s Fine Dining Group, as overseen by a long-time Las Vegan and Puck executive, has brought a bakery, bar, and casual restaurant to downtown and it’s an interesting concept that fits perfectly into the heart of the Arts District on Main Street near the corner of Colorado.
This neighborhood is a mix of industrial and trendy. A defunct auto-repair shop is right next door …
Cosmopolitan – Wicked Spoon: No longer serving breakfast or lunch. All-day weekday brunch is now offered Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-3 p.m. for $45. All-day weekend brunch is now Sat. and Sun. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. for $52 instead of $49.
In July, we ran a list of the most expensive steakhouses in the U.S., five of which are in Las Vegas. One of those is Jean Georges Steakhouse at Aria, which was fifth on the list at $140 per person. So what’s it like? We got a chance to find out last month when a well-healed friend from New York City came to town and invited us out.
For our review of the Palms lobster buffet, we arrived a little after 1 p.m. ahead of the 2 o’clock opening, walked right up to the cash register, and paid to get in. Once we had our receipt, we didn’t need to hang around; we could’ve been last on line and we still would’ve gotten in for the first seating.
Crossroads (“Where vegans, flexitarians, meat eaters, and omnivores cross paths”) opened in L.A. in 2013. In May 2022, Crossroads launched its third location at Resorts World to much fanfare, being the first and only vegan fine-dining restaurant on the Strip.
On Mondays at El Dorado Cantina (8349 W. Sunset), there’s a play-$20-get-$20 at the bar. Why is that unlikely? Because El Dorado is a restaurant, part of a trio of El Dorados; its predecessors are located adjacent to the Sapphire gentlemen’s club and in the Tivoli shopping district. The Sunset El Dorado is different, however, as it was formerly a bar called No Regrets and the bar area has been retained with the restaurant added on.
