Poll : 17 November - 30 November 2010

Analysis

In case you haven't already picked up a copy (and if not, why not?!) of our new restaurant guide, Eating Las Vegas, we need to explain that, in addition to picking unanimously the "50 Essential Restaurants" at which to dine in this city, the three authors also compiled lists in the back of the book of their recommendations for more humble but no less worthy eateries, divided up by genre, e.g., Best PIzza, Best Burger, Best Sushi, Best Dessert, Best Beer, and so on.

In the next edition, we plan to expand this section to cover other types of food, including Mexican, so we figured we'd canvas our readers for your recommendations among the better known restaurants in town, and to see what hidden gems you've discovered that we hadn't heard about or totally forgot to include. You'll find your feedback listed below.

Just one more comment before we get to that, however. Bizarrely enough, this was one of the first polls we've run where we've been very conscious of vote rigging. In our experience, the voting pattern at the end of the first hour or so of any poll gives an excellent approximation of the final line-up. If it's a close one, there might be a little jostling at the top, with several options vying for the #1 spot right up until the end. Never, however, have we seen an item that wasn't even in the running suddenly catapulted into the lead position. That happened this time, however, and we smelled a rat, dug in deeper, and deleted a lot of obviously fake votes. The restaurant in question is still ranking far higher than we'd have anticipated, but we're going to give it the benefit of the doubt until we've had a chance to taste for ourselves -- something that's been on our list for a long while now -- and put it down to the power of Facebook to mobilize genuine fans. Anyhow, for future reference, please don't stuff the ballot. We'll almost certainly notice, if you do it enough to make any difference, and we WILL delete you -- over and over again, if necessary. These polls are designed to give useful and honest independent information to us and your fellow readers, so please, let nature take its proper course. Thank you.

• "La Cabana, 526 South Martin L King Boulevard."
  
• "Tacos Mexico; also Roberto's tacos is good. I am Mexican, so my family is very particular on where to go to get Mexican food. The majority of the restaurants you have listed are way too high-priced for a typical family to go out to eat."
• "Tacos Mexico: Great food and great prices. On Wednesday you can get a taco for 60 cents. No limit."
  
• "Unfortunately, Chapala's new Tropicana location has as much ambiance as a Mexican Denny's. The previous restaurant space with its courtyard fountain was much more appealing. Of course, we all go for the food, which is still awesome."
  
• "Viva Zapata's in North Las Vegas! It's the best traditional, authentic Mexican food in the area, and they have FANTASTIC margaritas, too!"
  
• "Diablo’s: We had three dishes. The plate of nachos, as an appetizer, was the size of a small hill. Two famished guys could only finish half of it. The remainder made a great snack at 3:00 am, in the hotel room. Most important was the taste, especially the guacamole, which deserves a spot in the 'Gourmet Gallery of Great Grub.' Then there were the tremendously tasteful tender ribs, which would have tempted a hog to cannibalism. There were enough to serve as a breakfast snack. But the real treasure was the fish tacos, in soft shells, splendidly spiced and served with superb sauces, including the guacamole. Perhaps they were too messy, but probably too delicious, since they did not make it back to the room.(The three dishes and four beer came to about $75.00)."
  
• "For aquick bite, don't forget Chipotle next to Harrah's.
  
• "Macayo's." [Ed: Doh! Yes, how did we miss that one? Just checking, to make sure you were all paying attention out there which, from your emails, a number of you evidently were.]
  
• "Frank & Fina's Cocina, 4175 S. Grand Canyon Dr., Suite 100, Las Vegas. Food always fresh, good service, and reasonably priced."
  
• "More Southwestern than Mexican I guess, but the Mexican-spice-rubbed tenderloin at Mesa Grill, Caesars Palace, is one of my favorite dishes of all time …and the margaritas hit the spot, too."
  
• "Mamacita's downtown. We make a point to eat there every trip to Vegas."
  
• "I have to say I haven't eaten Mexican in Las Vegas. I don't know why I don't think 'Mexican food' when I'm there. I'm looking forward to the results of this poll though, so I can use it as my guide." [Ed: We hope it's given you some ideas! Let us know if you try any of these places, and don't forget to post your comments and rating on our site.]