You probably know all about the world-class group dining options up and down the Strip, from kitchens run by world-renowned celebrity chefs to sure-bet-brand restaurants conveniently located in major convention-ready properties and ready for a buyout of a hundred. The Las Vegas CVA (www.lcva.com) even boasts that the destination offers up more Master Sommeliers than any other city in the world and more wine sold per capita than in any other destination. Las Vegas = World-Class Food. Got it.
But how about a couple of lesser-known restaurants that are frequented by locals? And while they may not be the best fit for a large group looking for glam and glitz, they could be just the ticket for those who want to venture out to see how Las Vegans live. (For a list of some of the new restaurants that are frequented by groups, venture over to the WOW! Las Vegas story, www.meetingstoday.com, for additional information).
Lotus of Siam
www.saipinchutima.com
Winner of the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence every year since 2005, and nominated for the prestigious James Beard Award in 2008 and 2010, this off-strip option has been heralded as offering perhaps the best Thai food in the nation from its unassuming location in a strip mall on East Sahara Avenue, about three-quarters of a mile from what used to be the Sahara Hotel. Featuring the northern Thai cooking of owner-chef Saipin Chutima, it was indeed hailed as "The single best Thai restaurant in North America" by Jonathon Gold of Gourmet Magazine.
Ellis Island Casino & Brewery
www.ellisislandcasino.com
Check out the barbecue—and mouth-watering comments in social media sites such as Yelp and raving reviews and accolades from local media—in this formerly under-the-radar off-strip locals' hang. If you crave a tangy tasting of a ribs-and-chicken combo, with down-home sides such as baked beans and corn on the cob—served up outside with home-brewed beer on vinyl picnic tablecloths, and at a price of around $10 a head—this place beckons. It's by no means upscale, and you may have to explain what's in store before taking someone there, but this is a slice of laid-back local life that should find you coming back on subsequent trips.
