It might seem hard to believe, but there are some peaceful escapes to be discovered among all the action, lights and traditional Las Vegas festivities. Sometimes, an oasis of serenity beckons from the corner of the casino, luring you in with a cool place to relax and refresh with some top-notch cuisine. Zine is that oasis.
The Palazzo’s classic Chinese restaurant is a jewel, created in earthy and metallic tones with soft orange lights and lucky lanterns creating a welcoming warmth. Move into the back of the space, where round, luxurious booths are the perfect place for a shared family meal. The menu runs the gamut of authentic Asian specialties, incorporating Cantonese, Taiwanese, Szechuan and even a little Vietnamese and Korean cuisine into a bold blend.
The restaurant is named for noodles and dim sum, and these are excellent entry points in which to begin a delicious exploration. Noodle soups include wonton, shrimp and pork dumpling, or shredded chicken or pork. Szechuan-style beef and tendon noodle soup is spicy and a little bit funky, full of tender bits of flavorful meat. The beloved Vietnamese beef noodle soup pho comes with a variety of ingredients, including the exotic change-up banh canh dac biet, which substitutes seafood broth. If you want your noodles without the soup, opt for pan-fried egg noodles with pork or seafood, the curry-laden Singapore-style vermicelli, or the broad, flat rice noodles of chow fun, augmented by a rich, slightly-sour wine sauce.
Honey glazed barbecue pork
Traditional dim sum dumplings are the perfect appetizer, whether you prefer to munch the “holy trinity” of shrimp har gow, pork siu mai and pork char siu bao buns, or feel like mixing it up with crispy fried vegetable spring rolls, pan-fried chicken pot stickers or steamed, soupy Shanghainese pork dumplings. The spring onion pancake, chewy and slightly oily, is a simple dish that yields infinite pleasure.
Zine offers a succulent collection of barbecued and roasted meats to fill you up, particularly juicy honey-glazed pork, oven-roasted duck and marinated soy sauce chicken. A three-pick combination plate of your favorite meats is the way to go when you hit this section of the menu.
Signature entrées represent a sampling of favorites. The Chinese-American classic honey walnut prawns are something of a guilty pleasure, sweet and saucy. There’s spicy kung pao chicken, Mongolian beef, and sweet and sour pork, all familiar dishes done with a splash of refinement. Zine’s big seafood dishes explode with flavor, including crab fried with chili or curry, and a whole steamed lobster covered in roasted garlic sauce is a messy but fun treat to eat. The kitchen also offers clay pot entrées, including clams in a spicy wine sauce or braised eggplant with roasted duck.
Sharing is the way to go here, creating wonderful excuses to order extra side dishes like yang chow fried rice or crispy chicken wings with a splash of XO sauce. Between its secluded setup and sweet-spot cuisine, Zine is easily one of the most comfortable Chinese restaurants on the Strip.
The Palazzo, 11 a.m.-1 a.m. daily 702.607.2220
