From our research, we have found only two Las Vegas restaurants that have rendang on the menu (it's traditionally made with beef, as it is in both these instances, although lamb is also sometimes used). We haven't tried the dish at either venue, so can't vouch to the quality or authenticity, but we're intrigued now and have to go give them both a try.
We saw the same CNNGo article that you did and were impressed both by its eclecticism and by the fact that both Heinz Tomato Ketchup and Marmite on toast (the current writer is a Brit.) made the list. We do have to admit that beef rendang is a lot more sophisticated than the latter (basically an almost-black yeasty spread made from rotting vegetables, if my late grandmother's tour of the factory is to be believed), although less versatile than the former (what doesn't go with ketchup?)
For those who aren't familiar with it, beef rendang is a rich slow-cooked dish that originates from Padang, capital of Western Sumatra, in Indonesia, from whence it spread to Malaysia. Today versions of rendang are also eaten in Singapore, the southern Philippines, and southern Thailand, although it remains a staple of Indonesian and Malaysian menus and we've never seen it served at a classically Thai or Singaporean eatery.
An authentic rendang takes around four hours or more to cook, and consists of beef chunks seasoned with a paste of signature south-east Asian spices, including ginger, garlic, lemon grass, galangal, turmeric, shallots, and chilies, which are first simmered and then gradually stir-fried in coconut milk, until pretty much all of the liquid has been absorbed by the meat, which can be driend out and preserved for weeks, or even months. The complexity and the time-consuming nature of the dish have helped it to become a traditional treat that's primarily reserved for ceremonial occasions and for honoring special guests.
While Las Vegas used to have one lone Indonesian restaurant, A Taste of Indonesia, formerly located in the plaza at Lindell and Spring Mountain (opposite Roma Deli), has been closed for at least a couple of years now. That leaves Satay, a Thai-Malaysian restaurant that used to be located around the corner from our office but has since relocated to 3900 Paradise Rd. (at E. Flamingo), as one of the two restaurants we're aware of in Las Vegas that serve beef rendang. The second is Island Malaysian Cuisine in China Town Plaza (5115 Spring Mountain Rd., Ste 217).
We found Satay to be above average when we tried the original location, but it wasn't spectacular, and there's too much competition from Lotus, Komol, et al., to waste time on less-than-stellar Thai food in Las Vegas. It's been awhile since we ate at the original, however, and the menu seems to have grown more extensive following the venue change, so we'll put Satay on our list of places to revisit.
Anthony Curtis ate at Island Malaysian Cuisine in its previous incarnation as Penang, and wasn't overly impressed. We haven't been back since it reopened as Island (we understand with the same ownership), but we read glowing reviews on Yelp, so we'll be checking it out for sure and will pass on our findings.
In the meantime, if anyone makes it to either restaurant before we do to try the beef rendang, please let us know how it is -- or if you know of of anywhere else in Las Vegas that serves this highly esteemed dish.
As an aside, the second-most delicious food on the CNN list is also Indonensian, namely nasi goreng (fried rice with egg, chicken, and prawns), while four of the top ten picks were from Thailand.
