Question of the Day - 17 January 2021

We'd like to help, but the truth is, we don't keep track of the bad ones.

Our mothers always taught us that if you don't have something nice to say about someone or something, it's better not to say anything at all. Over the years and decades, especially writing a consumer newsletter, we've found this to be true. And it's the way we tend to view our responsibility to our Las Vegas Advisor members, who get our dining reports every month.

Certainly before the pandemic and to some degree since, we try dining option after dining option after dining option after dining option, tons and tons of meal deals, loss-leader specials, buffets, breakfasts, steaks, prime ribs, hot dogs and hamburgers, shrimp cocktails, ceviche, crab cakes, ethnic cuisine, fancy food, and on and on and on. And there's only so much space in the newsletter and only so much time to write dining reviews. So we focus primarily on the places we recommend. Thus, when we eat a meal that isn't recommendable, it absolves us from writing about it and we dismiss it from our memories almost immediately. Forgettable meals, perforce, are quickly forgotten.

Like you, some subscribers think that we should warn our readers about our really bad dining experiences and occasionally something is so egregious that we do. However, if a meal or a restaurant is that bad, it usually doesn't last long, so in general, we don't say anything and just wait for the place to go away.

In addition, a dining experience that's an utter and complete disaster is rare around here. And even if a restaurant is uneven, usually there's something recommendable about it. One time, we had some horrendous soup and appetizers at Bob Taylor's Ranch House, though the steaks were excellent and reasonably priced. Another example that comes to mind was the yicky raw shrimp at NOVE Italian at the Palms, though it was a beautiful venue in which to eat and had great pasta.

Furthermore, we often give a place the benefit of the doubt, figuring it had an off-night, then go back and try it again. The one that we remember, being barbecue hounds, was a meal at the old Salt Lick Barbecue at Red Rock Resort, when the ribs were undercooked the first time we went, though they were cooked to perfection the second, and the brisket was excellent both times. (We miss the old Salt Lick.)

Bottom line: We provide reviews of so many Las Vegas meals that our members know to stick to the ones that we vouch for.