Spinach Muenster Breakfast Ciabatta

Spinach Muenster Breakfast Ciabatta

homemade

B+

This was an easy win. A fried egg sandwich on a soft, spongy ciabatta roll? Of course. Melt way too much Muenster cheese all over everything? Boom. Sautée baby spinach and garlic and stuff some of that rich goodness on this sucker? Absolutely. There is, of course, one obvious omission, and that's crispy bacon. There's always next breakfast.

Three Meatball Sub

Three Meatball Sub at Meatball Spot

meatballspot.com

B+

I'll confess: I wanted to make fun of Meatball Spot. That's the only reason I went to eat there. It started out as a silly Italian restaurant concept with a sorta celebrity chef attached, planted in a mega-mall south of the Strip. It evolved into a quick-serve counter in another mega-mall, the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood on the Strip, with the alleged attachment of P-Ho resident performer Britney Spears as an investor. So, yeah, it seemed a safe assumption that the food would be a joke. Turns out this meaty, spicy, messy, tasty sub is pretty kick-ass. The meatballs themselves—these are the "classic" variety, a blend of beef, veal and pork—could be a little more moist and a little less firm, but those issues are less of a factor piled into a respectable, dense roll and smothered in a spicy tomato-meat sauce and parmesan cheese. If Brit has anything to do with this delicious sandwich, congratulations.

Bacon Cheeseburger

Bacon Cheeseburger at San Gennaro Burger

San Gennaro Burger at Yelp

C-

So Vegas burgers are great and fancy and even the food court burger stop in a giant, beautiful casino resort like the Venetian is gonna be way better than any fast-food burger or any burger you cook at home or anything you're used to eating. Nope. Sometimes the haters are right. Sometimes what appears to be an overpriced, totally mediocre burger is exactly that. The relatively new San Gennaro Burger makes a decent effort with brioche buns and fresh, crisp produce, but the whole isn't greater than the sum of these parts. Not melting the generic American cheese over the beef patty is a sin of epic proportions, as is failing to season your meat. If you find yourself in the Venetian with a burger craving, head over to Mario Batali's place or Daniel Boulud's place. You're still going to pay too much, but at least you'll have a delicious meal.

Prime Rib Philly Cheesesteak Dip

Prime Rib Philly Cheesesteak Dip at Tom's Urban

tomsurban.com

A

Maybe you've never been in a sandwich situation where you had to choose between a French dip and a cheesesteak, because maybe there aren't many restaurants that offer both. At Tom's Urban—or at least the new Las Vegas version of Tom's Urban, which unsurprisingly takes things to a whole 'nother level—you get to have both sandwiches at once. How about 12 ounces of rare, thinly sliced prime rib on a buttered brioche roll, ready to dip into a seriously savory beef demi-glace jus? How about adding on havarti cheese and grilled-to-caramelization onions? Okay, maybe it's more dip than Philly, but it brings the melty goodness you want from a cheesesteak, plus that undeniable satisfaction that comes from shaved beef, gooey cheese and grilled onions. It's a killer. It's one of those sandwiches where there seems to be no way to eat more than half, but you're going to keep going because it's just that good. We're coming back to Tom's. This guy knows how to sandwich.

Italian Hero

Italian Hero at Montesano's

montesanos.com

B+

Cappicola, Genoa salami, mortadella. Is there a better all-pork meat combination? Salty, slightly sweet, oily, a little spicy, fatty, wonderful. Put them on a crusty sub roll with some thick-sliced provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, oil and vinegar, and you've got a fan in me. Longtime Las Vegas Italian deli Montesano's augments their classic Italian sub with onions and pepperoncinis, plus a roll that has a little more chew to it. But this one is all about the meat, and they don't go light with these high quality piggy slices. They also layer the meats just so, creating a thick, savory, juicy bite every time. This is one sandwich where it's a good thing if the meat-to-bread proportion seems a little heavy on the meat side.

Krispy Kreme Pulled Pork

Krispy Kreme Pulled Pork at Truck U Barbecue

truckubbq.com

B

This is clearly insane, but also impossible to not order. It was a special from our beloved Truck U Barbeque food truck, and even though we also devoured fried chicken tacos and a burnt-ends brisket burrito that were off-the-charts delicious, we felt compelled to go to work on this super-sweet indulgence: Truck U's slightly smokey, slightly spicy, juicy and wonderful pulled pork and a slice of cheddar sandwiched between two Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts. We've seen other people make crazy sandwiches out of Krispy Kremes, but usually they cut one in half. Nope. Not Truck U. Two full doughnuts, over the top in an irresistible way.

Biloxi Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich

Biloxi Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich at Honey Salt

honeysalt.com

B+

It took us way too long to finally devour this fried chicken sandwich, probably one of the most obvious things to order and easiest dishes to like at a restaurant that is ultimately easy to like. Honey Salt is one of Las Vegas' favorite neighborhood eateries, all cozy and comfort food-ish, and this is no doubt a scrumptious offering. But somehow we thought there would be something more to it. Yes, it's on an exquisite brioche roll. Sure, there's tangy Durkee sandwich spread and crunchy, creamy coleslaw onboard. And oh yes, the fried white-meat chicken is juicy and moist, crisp and well-seasoned, everything you want in a sandwich-filling fried bird. It's a delightful bite, and while we'd happily munch it again and again, it fell just short of the top mark, lacking that little something extra that makes a sandwich truly memorable. Still, we don't love Honey Salt any less.

Moshi Moshi

Moshi Moshi at Cheffini's

cheffinis.com

B

Our comprehensive menu tour at the most creative gourmet dog spot in Las Vegas continues with the Moshi Moshi, an umami-fied wiener if ever there was one. The frank is grilled to near-crisp perfection and then bunned up with caramelized onions, jalapeños, spicy mayo, a red wine sauce, sesame seeds and flakes of crispy nori. Yep, it's a seaweed dog. It's got loads of texture, plenty of heat, and deep, round flavors. It's just as easy to eat and love as the other dogs at Cheffini's, which is, at this point, completely unsurprising. And totally delicious.