Restaurant News

    Lawry’s continues its tradition as a fabulous place to enjoy prime rib.  The restaurant began in Los Angeles in 1938, and has expanded to include four different venues nationwide, and three overseas.  The original restaurant, located on La Cienga Boulevard in west Los Angeles, plays host each year to the “Beef Bowl”, where the teams competing in the annual Rose Bowl game stage an eating competition to see which squad can consume the most prime rib.   The Dallas Lawry’s has the same tradition for the Cotton Bowl football game. 


    Located at 4043 Howard Hughes Parkway (on the north side of Flamingo between Paradise and the Strip), Lawry’s first opened its doors here in Las Vegas in 1997.   The interior features art deco style décor, accompanied with fine wooden floors and soft, indirect lighting.  They have wisely placed the tables apart so that the diner may indulge in private conversation without competing with the voices of other guests.  All this results in an elegant yet comfortable ambience in which to enjoy your meal.


    The restaurant has several separate rooms available for private parties.  One such room has a view of the wine cellar, and another showcases several wines on the wine list.  These smaller rooms (with a capacity for about 35 people) seem even more intimate than the main dining room, and generally remain open to the public on most nights, when not booked for private parties. Wine lovers should appreciate the room with a view of the wine cellar.  Adjacent to the reception area, the diner will find a large and beautifully appointed bar.  It makes a great place to wait for dining partners, or to linger after dinner.

    The menu features five different choices of prime rib, all dealing with the size of the portion.   The kitchen prepares any size order to the diner’s specifications (end or center cut, medium, rare or well-done).  Every dinner comes complete with a tasty house salad with their famous French dressing, Yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes and horse radish (either regular horse radish or their house made whipped cream variety).  All prime rib dinners range in price from $31.00 for the smallest portion to $46.00 for the largest.  When I recently dined at Lawry’s with a group of eight people, most opted for the “Lawry Cut” priced at $37.00 (approximately 10 ounces).  No one left hungry.  They do have additional side orders available on an a la carte basis.  I had the excellent sautéed mushrooms for $7.00. Other entrée possibilities include a rib-eye steak, a fish of the day, or lobster.  Somewhat limited, but the raison d’etre here remains the prime rib, and on that subject, Lawry’s hits a home run.

The classic art deco decor of the main dining room..

    Lawry’s creates a world of possibilities for the wine lover, mostly due to their gracious policy regarding carry-in wines.   In a recent conversation with general manager Edward Lepere, he confided that his number one concern is that the customer completely enjoy the entire dining experience.  Hence, he welcomes those customers who bring in wine from their private collections to help enhance that dining experience.  To facilitate this policy, Lawry’s charges only a $15.00 corkage fee for each bottle, and does not pose a strict limit on the number of bottles allowed.  What a refreshing attitude!  Contrast this with the usual policy of other top notch restaurants in the Las Vegas area.  Most charge between $25.00-$35.00 per bottle as a corkage fee, and often put a two bottle limit on carry-in bottles.
 

    The staff works hard to carry out Mr. Lepere’s stated goal of creating enjoyable dining.   A waiter will theatrically toss the salad tableside, and the prime rib arrives in an impressive stainless steel cart where it is sliced and served piping hot.  As to serving wine, our waiter achieved perfection.  On the night I dined there, I arrived with three bottles from my wine collection.  Two of the three needed decanting.  The staff provided the decanting, and further brought each diner three different glasses, one for each bottle of wine.  They did this without anyone requesting the extra glasses.  To me, this shows more than just good service; it demonstrates a high-level of staff training and skill that probably reflects deep seated restaurant quality going well beyond what you observe happening in the dining area.  As an added bonus, our team of servers had a great attitude during the entire two hour-plus dinner.

    The restaurant has a sufficient but not overwhelming wine list.  The wine list includes a decent selection of wines, both by the glass and bottle.  Of course, as a house of prime rib, the list rightly tends to emphasize red wines.  Some of the standards include a Kenwood Merlot, Rodney Strong Pinot Noir, and Rosenblum Zinfandel, all for less than $50.00 per bottle.  Lawry’s also has a separate “library” wine list that features more notable wines such as Quintessa, Opus One, and Justin Isosceles.   They also carry the obligatory Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc wines for diners favoring white wine no matter what the occasion.


    One other item of note about Lawry’s Las Vegas; it has ample parking.   The diner may choose valet or self-parking.  The restaurant has situated its available parking very close to the entrance, so no long walks from the car to the entrance.     


    Compared to other fine restaurants on or near the Strip, the price/quality ratio here represents a real bargain.  If you feel like a memorable meal of prime rib in an elegant, wine friendly environment, remember that Lawry’s sets the paradigm for excellence.  Contact Lawry’s at 702-893-2223 or go to their website at www.lawrysonline.com

The stainless steel cart with freshly carved prime rib..

    Located at 1031 South Rampart Boulevard, Nora’s specializes in Italian food with Sicilian influences.   Situated in a small mall of classy retail stores at the northeast corner of Charleston and Rampart, the restaurant lies in the corner of the L shaped mall, with a P.F. Chang restaurant situated curbside on Charleston.  Nora’s might prove hard to see from the street. 


    Nora’s decided to follow-up the popularity of the original restaurant located on Flamingo by opening up this osteria in 2005.  By all accounts, it has proved a resounding success.


    The emphasis here seems aimed at locals who appreciate a varied menu of creative southern Italian cuisine together with an impressive wine list.  It allows folks living in the Summerlin area to sample some great wines without having to battle the traffic associated with the Strip. 


    Nora’s has a nice upscale ambience.  It has fashionably high ceilings, tiled floors and a large bar where one can order from the full dinner menu.  The staff seems attentive and helpful.  The room can become a bit loud when crowded.  I would describe the overall atmosphere as hip/chic.  I understand this differs from the original location, which remains mostly family oriented.  The new Nora’s has a social vibe making it a great place to meet old friends or meet new ones.

The main dining room at Nora’s...

    Nora’s boasts over 250 bottles of wine to choose from.  The list includes red and white varietals from all over the globe, but predictably tends to emphasize Italian selections.  Their wine list goes on for 15 pages.  It includes the most basic wines to some of the most classic.  For example, a basic Chianti sells for just $21.00.  Yet, they also carry some truly exquisite wines, such as the 2001 Valdicava Brunello ($187.00), super-Tuscans 2003 Ornellaia ($222.00) and 2003 Oreno ($166.00), and a 2000 Gaja Gromis Barolo ($127.00).  Price these same bottles at a nice restaurant on the Strip to verify that Nora’s wine prices fall

well below the average of wines sold at fine dining establishments in Las Vegas.


       As another attraction for wine lovers, Nora’s has installed a wine preservation system that allows one to sample a myriad of wines by the glass.  On the night I recently dined there, this system contained some 48 different wines.  The customer may order by the ounce, or by the glass.   It provides a great opportunity to sample some truly great (and expensive) wines without investing big money to purchase an entire bottle.  I believe that this technology will become more prevalent as time goes on, but currently Nora’s Wine Bar has one of the few systems like this in the Las Vegas area.

The wine locker at Nora’s...

    To make reservations, give Nora’s a call at (702)940-6672.  For more information about the restaurant, visit the website at www.noraswinebar.com

    Moreover, should the diner want to bring in a bottle from his or her private collection, Nora’s charges on a $20.00 corkage fee.   This represents a nice concessions to wine lovers. One caveat; you may not bring in a bottle if it appears on the wine list. 


    Nora’s dining choices and food preparation always seem exciting and different.  They do have some standard Italian fare, such as lasagna, penne and pizza.  But they seem more geared to cooking their meat and fish entrees with a sort of Italian inspired west coast fusion style of cooking that makes for interesting dining.  For instance, Nora’s offers an Orange Roughy, pan seared, with faggioli sauce and extra virgin olive oil.  They also feature mesquite grilled lamb chops with a Regaleali red wine reduction sauce, and a Rollo de Pollo, chicken stuffed with ham, provolone and arugula.  Entrees range in price from $13.00 to $34.00.   A culinary bargain when one considers the quality of the food and wine list, and the attractive atmosphere.  Stop by and give it a try the next time you feel like a dining or wine adventure in Summerlin.

Lawry’s Restaurant...