Restaurants in Las Vegas

When chef John McKibben first opened Grape Street Cafe in 1997, his small restaurant took a back seat to a large front-of-the-house retail area where customers could purchase house-made sauces, salads, and high-quality wines. Though the concept quickly transitioned to focus on the fresh, house-made dishes flying out of his kitchen, McKibben has held on to his retail license and continues to encourage his diners to finish their meal by picking up a bottle of wine to go or commissioning a self-portrait painted with balsamic vinegar.

With the exception of a handful of rotating nightly specials, the menu has stayed largely the same, and Chef McKibben credits the cuisine as the eatery's 14-year secret to success. Dinner finds the shop's signature hot sandwiches, creamy pastas, and pizzas sharing top billing alongside nationally inspired entrees such as a baked Alaskan halibut topped with lemon beurre-blanc and Colorado lamb in a sweet-and-sour mint glaze. According to the Las Vegas Business Press, however, the diverse menu is designed to complement the restaurant’s real draw: its extensive wine selection. Up to 90 vinos are available by the glass each day, with selections that hail from as near as Napa and as far away as Mosel, Bordeaux, Rioja, and Mos Eisley.

The oven-shunning eatery specializes in familiar tastes prepared with herbs, nuts, and veggies, full of their original, uncooked-to-death nutrients. For starters, try the chips and salsa, with the standard tortilla dippers swapped in favor of flax-seed crackers ($5.88). Fish phobes will appreciate the sneaky sushi selection, with maki artfully assembled sans sea meat. Try the the pseudo salmon roll ($12.88), packed with sprouts, avocado, tomato, enoki mushrooms, yam rice, mustard, garlic, and ginger. Wraps, veggie burritos, zucchini-noodle pastas, and veggie burgers round out the garden-centric menu.

Eight steaks and chops act as the centerpiece of Chef Jason Hrach's dinner menu at Sedona Restaurant & Lounge. The classically trained chef concentrates primarily on meats, including 24-ounce porterhouses, 12-ounce cuts of Australian lamb, and roasted free-range chicken. His artfully plated dishes also showcase plenty of seafood, from pan-roasted sea bass served with curried couscous to grilled Atlantic salmon paired with purple thai rice.

Similar offerings dominate a young adult menu, whose helpings of popcorn shrimp or Black Angus sliders come in sizes teens can easily hide from their parents. Off limits for adolescents, however, are Sedona's libations, which range from wine and beer to cocktails such as the Jaded––a blend of lemon-flavored vodka and ginger. Beneath crystal candle-like light fixtures, meals unfold in a dining room replete with leather couches, comfy rolling chairs, and video slots equipped with classic Vegas games.