Steakhouse Burger

Steakhouse Burger at The Barrymore

barrymorelv.com

A

I don't know if there's a better burgermeister in Vegas than Chef Anthony Meidenbauer. Dude started up both LBS Burger in the Red Rock and Holsteins in the Cosmopolitan, and at his latest restaurant creation --boutique throwback joint The Barrymore inside the Royal Resort -- the burgers are simply outstanding.

Behold the Barrymore's Steakhouse Burger, a juicy grass-fed beef patty resting on a delicious, almost flaky muffin-style bun, topped with bacon marmalade, a bit of fresh frisee, oven roasted tomatoes, garlic mayo and melty gruyere. It fits snugly between the concept of a back-to-basics, all-about-the-beef burger and a creatively crowned, wildly flavored burger. Besides the sturdy bun and the unbelievably tasty cow, my favorite element is the roasted tomatoes, adding a bit of fresh garden richness to every bite. Bravo, burgermeister.

The Rave

The Rave at Johnny McGuire's

johnnymcguires.com

A+

In honor of the endless leftovers and turkey sandwiches being consumed today, allow us to introduce you to a proper Thanksgivingy masterpiece. The Rave, ordered here on a whole wheat sub roll, is packed with sliced turkey, cranberry sauce, provolone, sprouts, tomatoes, lettuce, green bell pepper, sunflower seeds, red onion, horseradish and hot pickled peppers. It is outstanding, vinegar-spicyness and nostril-burning horsey action mingling with fresh vegetable crunch and sweet-sour crantasticness. It is a bite of beauty and definitely our favorite Thanksgiving tradition buster. Johnny McGuire's continues to consistently amaze.

Clubhouse

Clubhouse at Peppermill

peppermilllasvegas.com

D

Time to rant: I love the Peppermill. The restaurant and the bar. They're great. You can't beat the old-school Vegas awesome atmosphere. But the food is just okay, never great. And you know what? Fuck a club sandwich. Who invented this thing? Is it not just an excuse to force you to eat an extra piece of super-dry, mouth-stabbing toast? Come on ... it's a BLT with turkey, right? Perfectly fine sandwich. And then you  go and ruin in by corrupting the sacred bread-to-goodies sandwich ratio. Also, most clubs I've eaten tend to go heavy on the mayo. Fucking why? Unnecessary.

To recap: club sandwiches are generally lousy, and the Peppermill's is particularly bad. But those fries were really good.

The Hungry Pitmaster

The Hungry Pitmaster at Sassy Sal's BBQ

sassysalslasvegas.com

B

This is a daily special, a monstrous sandwich not on the everyday menu at this friendly little barbecue joint in northwest Vegas. And it's got the perfect name, because you better be more than hungry if you're planning to tackle this bitch, and pretty much everything in the barbecue pit is on top of this toasted bun. There's a pile of smoked beef brisket, a pile of pulled pork, a huge, wildly spicy hot link split down the middle, shredded cheese and yet another pile of creamy coleslaw. The coleslaw is actually pretty good, a nice cool counterpoint to the spicy and smoky flavors embedded in these juicy meats. There's a few squirts of barbecue sauce somewhere in this delicious mess, too. But as is the case with so many multi-meat sandwiches, the varying flavors of the brisket and pork get lost here, blending together into a muddled-yet-tasty mashup. Not the hot link, though. This guy stands strong, refusing to be outshined. A sandwich with just this link would be great ... oh wait, Sal's has that, too.

Teri Sliders

Teri Sliders at Anime Ramen

animeramenlasvegas.com

C+

What the hell are these? Tiny, slightly Asian burgers at a brand new ramen bar themed with Japanese anime? Wait a minute, that doesn't sound crazy after all. It makes all kinds of sense. And these sliders, though painfully sweet with their sugary teriyaki glaze and Hawaiian-style sweet buns, are actually pretty tasty and almost addictive. The meat is something of an afterthought, a little beefnugget without much flavor, but there is crisp lettuce, ripe tomatoes, melty American cheese and extra sugar sauce on top. We might not be able to get into the anime stuff, but it's pretty easy to sit in this funky little joint and munch on these baby burgs.

Beef Burger

Beef Burger at Central

centrallv.com

B-

So there was plenty of excitement when excitable Frenchman Michel Richard opened his new version of Central in the lobby at Caesars Palace, but we were a little disappointed on our first visit. Was it not exciting? It was. Was the food delicious? It was. Was the service terrible? It was, but you gotta give a brand new joint some time to get their shit together.

And even though this burger was delicious -- and beautiful -- it came with a bit of disappointment, too. The flaky English muffin bun tastes great, but as you can see, it was sliced clumsily. The beef is juicy and thick, served with a ripe red tomato slice, melted cheddar and crispy potato tuile action on top. Overall, it's a great bite, but it left a little to be desired in the flavor category. But Central burgers will get another shot with us. We are suckers for excitement.

Banana Nutella

Banana Nutella Sandwich at Lulu's On The Move

lulusonthemove.com

B+

Lulu's On The Move is a Las Vegas food truck, essentially a breakfast and bakery spot on wheels. For a mobile kitchen, this crew is remarkably flexible, having turned out everything from pizza to sausage, not to mention more sweet treats than you can imagine. And this creation combines the savory and sweet to create what we believe is the first dessert sandwich you can eat like a meal. Packed into a slightly sweet, light and fluffy brioche roll is a generous slathering of nutella, sliced bananas and toasted almonds. This combo creates some mouth-pleasing moosh and some crispy bites, and a whole lot of hazelnutty, faux-choco-goodness. It's so rich, we couldn't finish it. But we wanted to.