dining
The Dish
Feast for the senses Off to a big show at The Smith Center? Grab a bite in the neighborhood
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By David Mckee Photography Christopher SMith During the six months it’s been open, The Smith Center for the Performing Arts has already lured much traffic — and many diners — downtown. But that was something of a test drive, as The Smith Center fine-tuned its performing spaces and its programming mix. Fall brings an air of greater formality, marked by season openings for the Las Vegas Philharmonic and Nevada Ballet, not to mention the first order of business: Tony Awardwinning “Wicked.” September has been given over entirely to this tentpole attraction, which will provide downtown restaurants with many more mouths to feed.
38 | Desert
Companion | SEPTEMBER 2012
But, with the arguable exception of Mundo, there’s no place to eat within Smith Center walking distance. The $470 million performing-arts temple is literally on the “wrong” side of the tracks from downtown. Unlike other Symphony Park developers, the Smith brain trust got its job done — and thoughtfully provided a Starbucks just off the main lobby. But the dearth of dining means you’ll need to venture deeper into downtown or the Arts District — or even the fringes of the Strip — to sate that pre-curtain appetite or slake a postperformance thirst. First, let’s take that theoretical stroll over to
Mundo (495 S. Grand Central Parkway A-116, 270-4400, mundovegas.com), which bills itself as Las Vegas’ only “chic” Latin eatery. The sconce-studded restaurant, entombed in the World Market Center, could have been a white elephant, but the arrival of The Smith Center and its amenity-starved crowds has given Mundo a new lease on life, increasing its weekend business tenfold. Reservations are all but mandatory. Chef Robert Solano is much praised for working creative twists on staples such as enchiladas and quesadillas, generously employing chiles and offbeat spices. Most of the exotica is to be found in the populous appetizer selection, while entrées run to relatively mainstream items such as wagyu skirt steak. Progressively minded, Mundo offers a liberal number of vegetarian dishes, too. Co-