Q: positive

A: Earl of Sandwich is a pretty stellar sandwich place that's very, very good. But I have to stay I was still expecting a little bit more judging from all the praise that it was getting. Besides, four stars does mean that I'm a fan, right? Located in Planet Hollywood, it was one of the few places that I ate at during the weekend we spent in Vegas, and among everything, it was probably the best. The place is open 24 hours so that alone, earns my respect. Surprisingly, even with the long line, it moves pretty rapidly. For larger groups, better have someone reserve your table. Even then, people demand chairs like they belong to them so you may be treated to some rude displays of human beings being human beings. I got a Caribbean Jerk Chicken sandwich, which is basically a chicken sub with spicy sauce, red peppers and banana peppers. For the most part, the sub was pretty fresh but occassionally, I would get half a pepper that was stale or slightly crusty. I wasn't sure whether it was just dry or toasted too much. Either way, that's a no-no. Sandwiches run at about $6-8. Earl of Sandwich is a fitting name, it's definitely no King.

Q: positive

A: It was largely curiosity that brought me in the door and as much as I don't fancy packaged candies and the like I must say the selection was impressive and the overall feeling of the store is quite inviting. From house-brewed sodas to pop celebrating famous dictators and candies both new and old there is a whole lot to discover here...and if that isn't your thing, well, I guess you could pick up a Justin Bieber cutout or a "grow your own girlfriend" novelty to go with the bacon cola or sweet corn soda.

Q: negative

A: Spago was pedestrian, at best! I eat at many higher end restaurants throughout the year and I rarely write a review, but with my recent experience at Spago, I felt the need to warn others to not waste their money and time going to Spago in Las Vegas. I vaguely remember going to Spago in Beverly Hills as a youngster with my parents and recall how food forward and posh it was 30 years ago, so I figured that going to Spago as an adult in Las Vegas was going to hold its own. I was sorely mistaken. I was staying at the Aria and had reservations to see Absinthe (which was AMAZING!), so I chose to go to Spago because of the proximity and it's reputation. We got there about 10 minutes late due to traffic, but they were very accomodating up front and sat us promply. The restaurant was relatively uncrowded at the time (I believe it just opened for the evening), but they sat us in a table that was in the corner and right next to the doorway that the waiters use constantly between the kitchen and dining room. I immediately noticed that this wasn't the seat for us, so we asked to be moved and they accomodated us, but I still wasn't sure why they chose this poorly placed table even though there were many tables open. The waiter was very pleasant and informative and I quickly told him that we had a show at 8pm and apologized for being late, but stressed that we wanted to be on time for the show. He said that it would not be a problem at all to make the show on time and that we shouldn't worry at all. Then he preceded to show us the wine/drink list and handed us an IPAD???? I thought this was very tacky for a "high end" restaurant. We then were handed the menu, which had a nice assortment of dishes, but I didn't feel that the dishes were all that "food forward" and it didn't have many options for my vegetarian wife. I asked him what are some of the "signature" dishes that he recommends and he said that it is a little cliche' to answer that question, but he reluctantly made a few recommendations. He then gave the option to my wife of a vegetarian entree that the chef puts together himself and spoke of how wonderful that dish is and that he often recommends it to non-vegetarian diners. I thought he was blowing a little smoke about that and the rest of his recommendations, but we made our order (3 courses as recommended) and kept our fingers crossed that we will have enough time to make the show. They came with the bread plate options (which they claim were voted the best in Vegas), which were good, but nothing special. I liked that they continually came to the table and offered us more bread throughout the meal. The waiters who filled your water was also very attentive, but borderline too attentive. I would take a sip and he would quickly refill my water before I put the glass down. My first course was the lobster salad....it was not good at all. Minimal amounts of lobster (come on, this is VEGAS!!...I expected practically a whole tail for that price) and it was a very small dish and the flavors just didn't mesh. It had the obligatory dots of sauce and a variety of "fancy" items on the plate, but I was underwhelmed. My wife had the arugula salad, which she claims was the best part of the meal, but I still thought the price was too much. Then there was a 15-20 minute gap between our first course and the second and I started to get a little nervous about the show and I thought the gap was just not timed right for the meal. A large party then entered and I didn't see our waiter practically at all for the rest of the meal. I found another waiter and stressed again that we are running a little late for the show and he talked to the kitchen to speed things up. My second course was the seafood risotto which was not bad. I then found our original waiter and asked for a diet coke, which he then forgot about and I didn't receive. Another gap between our courses again and my wife and I started to get pretty disappointed that the kitchen wasn't being attentive at all to our situation. Finally the main course came and I had the duck, which was also nothing special, a little fatty. My wife's vegetarian dish just felt like an afterthought and we quickly had to scarf down our main dish to make the show. My diet coke finally came after I asked another waiter and he said claimed that the soda dispenser was just being repaired which I felt was a lie. I had to find yet another waiter to ask for the check and we quickly signed it so that we could make the show. I would have loved dessert, but that was not in the cards anymore. All in all, Spago in Las Vegas is completely underwhelming and not worth all the hype. It was just as good as any other restaurant in a mall and I wouldn't waste my time going to this restaurant when there are so many other great ones in Vegas. I'm still fuming that I could have made so many other quality choices.

Q: positive

A:
Louie anderson is still funny. Even after 30 years in comedy his show it as timely as it is insightful. I highly recommend you see louie anderson.