Cravings

Walking into Esther’s Kitchen right before dinner service begins in the 18b Arts District of Las Vegas, one is struck immediately with a sense of community. The staff is finishing a wine tasting. They are sampling the latest additions to the ever-changing menu in an affable, almost familial scene. But it’s more than that. Even the walk up to the restaurant along Casino Center Boulevard has a community feel that differs from three years ago when Esther’s Kitchen first opened.

Synergy is the magical outcome of blending two or more things—ingredients, if you will—that when combined, create something even greater than the original components. No matter how wonderful or powerful the ingredients are on their own, when they are blended together, the result is something that transcends the ordinary and becomes extraordinary.  It was with an impressive number of ingredients that Jenny and Mark Lopiccolo forged Piazza, which they call simply “A place to gather.”

No two ways about it: summer in Las Vegas is brutal. Every Nevadan has little tips and tricks for staying cool during the hot summer months, but one of the tastiest ways to beat the heat is definitely with a frozen treat. In recent years, many southern Nevadans have begun to embrace different diets from organic to dairy-free, and the traditional ice cream parlor has needed to adapt with the times.

“A lot of times when you go to a restaurant and you’re a vegan, you are kind of treated as an afterthought,” says Donald Lemperle. “But that’s changing in Las Vegas.”  He would know. A vegan for 16 years, Donald is chef of VegeNation, a plant-based restaurant with locations in Downtown Las Vegas and Henderson. VegeNation serves flavorful fare that just happens to be meatless—not the other way around. Diners will find sun-dappled spaces that feel industrial and verdant at the same time. The eclectic menu, which contains everything from sushi to tacos to spaghetti, reads like an exceptionally comprehensive answer to the question “What should we have for dinner tonight?” 

This four-hour experience explores the sweet side of Sin City, starting at the iconic M&M’s World on The Strip where four floors of colorful fun await. This location is the only M&M’s World in the western U.S. and one step inside reveals this is someplace special. Visitors can snap colorful photos of the famous M&M’s characters; pose in front of Kyle Busch’s M&M’s-sponsored NASCAR; print a personal message on M&M’s candies; and sample some of the new flavors like Thai coconut or coffee peanut. With more than 28,000 square feet to explore, the time flies by, so make sure to take it all in before the tour’s next stop.

There’s a reason they don’t call it the hungriest road in America. BY MEGG MUELLER Anyone who has survived a roadtrip across the Loneliest Road in America—U.S. Route 50, more commonly known as Highway 50—can probably sympathize with what I’m about to say; the town of Austin may have been where the trip got sketchy if […]

Finding Bliss at Kerouac’s Relish in a delicious path to enlightenment in eastern Nevada. BY ENGRID BARNETT By the time you reach the easternmost edge of U.S. Route 50, affectionately known as The Loneliest Road in America, Kerouac’s restaurant in Baker feels more like a mirage than a reality. The brainchild of chef Jake Cerese […]

Nevada’s newest brewery-distillery blends perfect cocktail of science and talent. STORY BY MEGG MUELLER PHOTOS BY ERIC CACHINERO Homebrew operations generally start from a love of beer, and a desire to concoct new flavors from whatever the kitchen might hold. Take that to the next step, and you might find yourself brewing 350 gallons of […]