Poll : 16 June - 29 June 2010

Analysis

This poll is one of the closest we've ever seen, and we have to admit that it was something of a surprise that ESPN Zone was the winner. With this many fans, why did it close?! Our vote went to Ruth's Chris, which had for a long time been a favorite late-night spot of Anthony Curtis' and others, with their excellent carpaccio, French onion soup, tomato/onion/blue cheese salad, and escargots. Oh, and not forgetting the shoestring fries! We still miss it. And Cafe Ba Ba Reeba, which was a convenient place for after-work cocktails with its great happy hour. Here's some of your thoughtful feedback:

• "Trader Vic's in Las Vegas was nothing close to the Trader Vic's of old (St. Louis, circa 1970s), but they had wonderful combination fried rice … We weren't surprised when they didn't make it. There wasn't much else on the menu to rave about, and high prices at that. We haven't found any comparable fried rice since they closed, though."
  
  
• "I miss the Strip Trolley. That was our only means of transportation when we flew in to Vegas."
  
  
• "I won't miss anything on the list! Maybe they died for a reason."
  
  
• "I and my friends will miss the Pullman Grille at the Main Street Station Casino. As the economy rebounds we keep hoping that it will reopen."
  
  
• "I understand why Folies is on the list, but it was a terrible show that should have been either closed or updated long ago. The music, dancing and singing were all really bad (not to mention the overly synthetic canned orchestra backing). The scenery was really showing its age, too. There is a reason that Jubilee! is still around and Folies is not."
  
  
• "I’d have to vote for the disappearance of decent food and service from the Harrah’s Diamond Lounge’s. These lounges used to offer first class food, drinks and service during a large portion of the "gaming day", but now they are poorly staffed, open on a very limited schedule and offer little more than chips and dip. "
  
  
• "Center Stage restaurant at the Plaza. I'm not really sure this is because of the economic downturn, or just a bad business decision by management … I guess I'm just not one to jump onto the huge tapas bandwagon that seems to be overtaking the area."
  
  
• "Didn't we do this before? OK here goes: Stage Deli, Stage Deli, Stage Deli, Stage Deli, Stage Deli, Stage Deli, Stage Deli, Stage Deli, Stage Deli, Stage Deli, Stage Deli, Stage Deli, Stage Deli, Stage Deli, Stage Deli, Stage Deli, Stage Deli.
  
  
• I miss the Omelet House at the Plaza. It was only there for a little while but it was a great place to eat, I didn't have to leave the hotel, and you could eat breakfast and lunch there for under $10, with tip."
  
  
• "Binion's by a mile. It was a great (if creaky) reminder of the good old days in LV. It also, in 1994, was where my wife cashed for $365,330 on a Nevada Nickles slot, thereby insuring us a comfortable life in my first year of retirement. I am going on 82 now. Unhappily, my lucky lady passed away last year." [Ed: Our condolences.]
  
  
• "The Ice House off of Charleston and Main. They had a great Saturday-night gig for locals."
  
  
• "I miss FAO Schwartz! There’s nothing like it within 90 miles of home and I always stocked up on presents for the nieces and nephews when we were in Vegas. I can’t believe that it didn’t succeed. Maybe all the people I saw in the store were just window shopping and no one was buying?" [Ed: We miss it, too. The candy section was a staple for Easter and Christmas treats!]
  
  
• "The Hawaiian Tropic Zone will be missed. They always had BOGO drink coupons and sitting outside watching folks pass by was a great way to recharge the batteries. The servers were friendly and nice to look at, also."
  
  
• "I miss Bally's Big Kitchen Buffet the most. Good selection of food, well prepared, and reasonably priced. Its absence is keenly felt -- there is no way that the buffet at Paris can possibly serve the population of two huge hotels."
  
  
• "I know this isn't a recent casualty but a casualty nonetheless. I miss the Neonopolis movie theater. We always spend some, if not all, of our Las Vegas time downtown and a nice two-hour break from gambling could be had at this theater. No rental car, bus, or taxi was needed and we weren't gone long enough to miss gambling. Thanks for putting out another thoughtful poll." [Ed: You're most welcome. Thanks for participating.]
  
  
• "Gonna miss the Dixieland jazz band at the Gold Coast. Have been visiting Vegas for several years and they were always a 'must see' for at least one afternoon."
  
  
• "Although the price continued to spiral upward, we still visited the Trop's buffet on every trip. The food was good and the variety was not so overwhelming that you had trouble deciding, or ended up over-eating."
  
  
• "Probably would choose Cafe Ba Ba Reba from your list ... However, over the past ten years that we have been making monthly visits to Las Vegas, we have seen many a change – some good, some not so good – this change is what makes for a more interesting city."
  
  
• "I voted Other. Not sure if this is a victim of the economy, or of Harrrah's -- but I will miss Pennazi restaurant, which until recently was in Harrah's. We were in Vegas a few weeks ago, stopped by the Oyster Bar for a snack one day, and went back the next night for dinner. They told us,"Oh, we closed early tonight." Sounded like no big deal. Went back the next night and it was being demolished. This was one of our must-dos for years.
  
  
• "I voted for Binion's hotel: This is a property that I have never stayed at downtown and I always was intrigued by the roof-top swimming pool. "
  
  
• "I do not care about sports. My husband is the sports nut. To my surprise, I really loved going to the ESPN Zone. It was the only place that I enjoyed watching sports. The food was great, the service was great, and my husband was able to share sports info with me and I loved it. Because of the atmosphere, it was the closest I could get to what I felt was being at a live event. We both are sad. We also enjoyed some meals at the Hawaiian Tropic Zone. We love that tropic feel. This, too, shall be missed. Folies Bergère is another one. The Folies IS Vegas. All that glitz and glamor. What a shame."