D e s e r t
c o m p a n i o n
15th annual
2011
restaurant awards
W
e bet you’ve got quite an appetite right about now. After all, 2011 was a year of hard work, hunkering down, and holding on beneath thundercloud headlines about halting recovery and slow economic comeback. It was no less true in the valley’s restaurants. With scant splashy new arrivals on the dining scene — and some sad, surprising closures of some local mainstays — continued excellence under pressure was the dish du jour. That means our Restaurant Awards panel — made up of respected dining critics Max Jacobson, Al Mancini and Brock Radke — had a tough job. But that’s good news. It means that even in dark times, Las Vegas continues to be a nexus of culinary talent that gives our critics migraines when it comes time to have to decide who’s the best. Here are the fruits of their labor. Pull up a seat and dig in to our th 15 Annual Restaurant Awards.
photography by
Sabin Orr & Christopher Smith 35