Rosemary’s Restaurant is a New American hot spot.
No visitor would be blamed for never leaving the Vegas Strip — it’s the raison d’être of any Vegas tourist — but a true foodie should make a point of finding the nearest moving vehicle that can get them to Rosemary’s Restaurant.
A 15-minute (or so) drive down Sahara (hardly anything) is all it takes to eat what may well be the best food in Las Vegas (certainly, it is consistently voted the best food in the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s annual poll, by food critics and readers alike).
The brainchild of Michael and Wendy Jordan, both veterans of the New Orleans food scene (Michael actually opened Emeril’s here in Vegas), Rosemary’s Restaurant (named for Michael’s mother) shows more than a few NOLA touches, from the food to the service, in a room that’s warmer and more inviting than most others in Vegas.
Note that you can get seats at the bar overlooking the open kitchen, great fun for foodie interaction and not a bad choice for singles, or for couples looking for an unusual romantic evening.
The cuisine covers most regions of the U.S., though Southern influences dominate. Fifty local farmers help supply products. Seared foie gras with peach coulis, candied walnuts, and vanilla bean-scented arugula is like a quilt, with distinct flavors that all hang together nicely. Interesting sides include ultrarich bleu-cheese slaw, slightly spicy crispy fried tortilla strips, and perfect cornmeal jalapeño hush puppies. A recent visit found the crispy striped bass fighting it out with the pan-seared honey-glazed salmon for “best fish dish I’ve ever had.” Desserts are similarly Southern — lemon icebox pie! — and most pleasant.
There is a nice little wine list with a broad range, especially when it comes to half-price bottles. They also specialize, unusually, in beer suggestions to pair with courses, including some fruity Belgian numbers; this is such a rare treat, if you drink, you must try some of their suggestions.
Review by: Frommer’s
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