Surprise of the Year Yonaka. Brilliant new Japanese cuisine is popping up all over the dining scene, but no one expected a former French café at Flamingo and Decatur to emerge as a palace of future-sushi, a thoughtfully experimental kitchen where any fresh, bright ingredient you can think of — and many you can’t — find their perfect place on a plate with raw fish. Toss in some fun izakaya standards and an insanely cheap happy hour, and you’ve got Yonaka, where hipness and comfort find a delicious balance. BR 4983 W. Flamingo Road, 685-8358, yonakajapaneserestaurant.com
Comeback of the Year Bradley Ogden. A loss for tourists is a gain for locals. After Bradley Ogden’s 2012 exit from the Strip, the Michelin-starred chef quickly reappeared with son Bryan at Hops & Harvest. Expect creative riffs on classic American comfort fare, like slow-roasted short ribs with maple-beer glaze, a perfectly gooey artisanal grilled cheese, and a silky butterscotch pudding. Locally sourced ingredients, a solid beer list and a must-try happy hour add to its appeal. It’s all of Ogden’s talent, minus the buttoned-down feel of his former eponymous restaurant. Debbie Lee 450 S. Rampart Blvd. #120, 476-3964, hopsandharvestlv.com
Food and Beverage Professional of the Year Sarah Johnson at Mandalay Bay. What does a self-proclaimed über beer nerd do when handed the 56 | Desert
Companion
reins of a moribund beer program at a major Strip property? Mandalay Bay’s cherubic Sarah Johnson — to our knowledge, the Strip’s only female food and beverage director — dove in and has quickly made her mark with diversified beer selections throughout‚ including Lagunitas IPA on the casino floor (!) and beer-centric food-pairing events. As a certified cicerone, she knows her suds — and for this, we salute her. JB
Trendy Treat of the Year “One of Those” at Lulu’s Bread & Breakfast. Its cryptic name may be designed to avoid the wrath of Manhattan baker Dominique Ansel, trademark-holder of the term “cronut,” but there’s nothing generic about the delightful decadence infused into this flaky, cream-filled masterpiece. Especially when the cream filling is espresso-flavored, we’ll put the Lulu’s version of the doughnut-croissant hybrid up against NYC's or anybody else's. BR 6720 Skypointe Drive, 437-5858, lulusonthemove.com
Buffet of the Year Wicked Spoon. Heaps of roasted bone marrow, perfect kale salads,
All-you-can-meat: Wicked Spoon
strawberry-balsamic ice cream: The buffet at The Cosmopolitan may not be the city’s largest or flashiest, but it’s hands down the most inventive. Wild boar sneaks into sliders, beef tongue stars in individual shepherd’s pies, and fried pig tails stand in for the standard chicken wing. There are plenty of safe bets for conservative palates (prime rib, shrimp cocktail), but if you need any more convincing, I have four words for you: macaroni and cheese bar. DL Inside The Cosmopolitan, 3708 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 551-7772, cosmopolitanlasvegas.com
Soul Food of the Year Tie: Fat Choy and Top Notch Barbeque. The only prerequisite for soul food: The chef has to love his own cooking. That’s clearly the case for DIY restaurateurs Sheridan Su and Jimmy Cole, respectively dishing up the most satisfying Asian-American and barbecue grub in town. Su’s Fat Choy is already famous for its pork buns, but the short rib and fried egg-topped burger, and chicken and waffles are just as great. Meanwhile, no one does tender, smoky, intensely zesty spare ribs like Cole at Top Notch. Local food rocks. BR Inside the Eureka Casino, 595 E. Sahara Ave., 794-3464, fatchoylv.com; Top Notch Barbeque, 9310 S. Eastern Ave. #124, 883-1555, topnotchbarbeque.com
Raw deal: sashimi at Kyara Tapas
Ethnic restaurantof theyear
Kyara Tapas Amid the new wave of Japanese cuisine, Kyara continues to innovate and intrigue Kyara Japanese Tapas opened in 2011 to strong reviews in the midst of the burgeoning Japanese dining scene. While the wave has settled, the valley’s Japanese cuisine continues to impress, and Kyara remains at the forefront. In the early days, Naked Fish and Kyara owner/head chef Yasou Komada seemed to split time between the two restaurants; over the past year, he’s been a fixture in Kyara’s open kitchen, and good dishes are just that much better. Presentation is impeccable, whether you’ve ordered a whole fried fish off the daily specials board or an artistic sashimi selection, while the robatayaki — skewers grilled over Japanese charcoal — are infused with perfect char. And their selection of Japanese libations — including shochus, sakes and whiskeys — remains unparalleled. While you’ll find some standard dishes, what’s most remarkable about Kyara are the outliers, dishes you rarely encounter. Yamaimo somen is finely shaved Japanese yam served in an almost savory dashi broth. Though it looks like a cold noodle soup, the dish provides a surprising amount of texture with underlying umami. The sharp and creamy blue cheese potato salad is a surprising find for a Japanese menu, while housemade ika no shiiokara — essentially fermented squid guts — is surprising on any menu. And don’t overlook the housemade desserts, which include airy tofu and yuzu cheese mousses, green tea waffles and a well-balanced chocolate fondant. While Japanese restaurants aren’t necessarily known for dessert offerings, these are eye-opening — just like Kyara itself. — Jim Begley 6555 S. Jones Blvd., 434-8856, kyaraizakaya.com
B r a d l e y Ogd e n C o u r t e s y o f H o p s & H a r v e s t; B u ff e t C o u r t e s y o f W i ck e d S p o o n ; S a s h i m i a n d C h a d a t h a i & W i n e : S a b i n O r r ; G EOR G E J A C Q UE Z : BREN T HOLMES
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