On the Strip: Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer
This may not look or taste like a traditional holiday meal but you won’t find more festive food than the fare at Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer (The Venetian, 702.414.2337), the high-energy Las Vegas Strip outpost of the New York City favorite specializing in not just bold burgers with fries or onion rings, but also deliciously devious CrazyShakes decorated more extravagantly than your Christmas tree.
Until Dec. 26, enjoy the Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake Shake, a festive peppermint shake in a glass with a chocolate-frosted rim, crushed peppermint and topped with a slice of peppermint chocolate chunk cheesecake, whipped cream and chocolate syrup.
Over the top? That’s just the beginning. At Black Tap go ahead and do dessert with your meal, pairing the masterpiece shake with the Old Fashioned prime beef burger with crimini mushrooms, Swiss cheese, caramelized onions and horseradish. This food deserves its own holiday. –Brock Radke
Off the Strip: EDO Gastro Tapas & Wine
EDO Gastro
Like eating with tweezers? Then you’re going to love EDO Gastro Tapas & Wine (3400 S. Jones Blvd., 702.641.1345), because alongside more mundane flatware, your table setting includes a pair of tweezers. Much like chopsticks, they’re remarkably efficient at navigating through intricate dishes, but unlike chopsticks, you’ll need no schooling. Use them on the Spanish Cabrales cheese akin to an out-of-control gorgonzola, or the bikini, a miniature pressed sobrassada and Mahón cheese sandwich, or even the Ibérico Secreto tsukune, intense ground pork grilled on a stick. No matter the dish, you’ll love deliciousness delivered via tweezers! –Jim Begley
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In the quintessentially French extravaganza that is Michael Mina’s Bardot Brasserie (Aria, 702.590.7757) say “bonjour” to deluxe versions of that most American of breakfast dishes: eggs Benedict. The kitchen swaps out traditional English muffins for puffy, flaky, housemade croissants and tops them with poached eggs, sauteéd kale and gourmet proteins like prosciutto di Parma, short rib Bourguignon and smoked salmon. Bardot enhances the morning classic with Béarnaise sauce. –Greg Thilmont
Bardot
