LAS VEGAS FOOD : VEGAS’ BEST TABLES--FOR FOOD

The Strip’s shimmering lights blink out their competitive come-ons. And they aren’t pushing crap tables or slots.

“Prime Rib Dinner, $4.95,” beckons the Frontier; “99-cent Breakfast,” shouts a Lindy’s Deli sign; “Free buffet with round-trip airline tickets,” promises the Sands.

Gambling may be Las Vegas’ raison d’etre, but even the low rollers have got to eat. Food is Las Vegas’ most ballyhooed commodity; it’s the barker’s promise of unimagined delights that brings people through the casino door, past all those slot machines, toward the restaurants way in the back.

“Everyone’s looking for a food bargain,” complains Andre Rochat, owner of Las Vegas’ finest restaurant, Andre’s. “They want a full plate cheap.”

And, explains Don Payne, veteran manager of the Las Vegas News Bureau, “Food is the one thing that’s common to everyone, whether they like slots, blackjack or roulette. The casinos have learned that it’s food that will bring ‘em in off the street.”

The Stardust’s giant marquee offers a “$2.95 Broiled Chicken Dinner.” The Westward Ho promises “Scrambled Eggs, Biscuits and Gravy - 49 cents.” There’s a $1.17 “Deluxe Breakfast” at the Holiday Casino and a 99-cent “ 1/2 lb. hot dog” at Slots-A-Fun. The Silver City Casino has a “ 1/2 lb. Burger” for just $1.99.

Most of these meals, and even some quite good ones, are heavily subsidized by hotels and casinos. “This makes Las Vegas the best eating city for the money anywhere,” says Payne.

It could be true. Even “fine dining” at a restaurant like Andre’s, where an average dinner check with wine is $35, is “$20 less than at a comparable place in Beverly Hills,” according to Rochat. At the upscale Golden Nugget, Peter Korzilius, vice president for food and beverage, says their famous buffets ($5.50 breakfast, $7 lunch, $8.50 dinner and Sunday champagne brunch) “would cost at least double that at a good Los Angeles hotel. What we are doing with these prices is trying to create good will within the community.”

They could create that, of course, with larger casino payouts. Still, locals do patronize such bargains but, of course, the unstated motive is to lure diners in past the gaming tables. The Golden Nugget serves the best buffet in town in an elaborate room with shiny marble floors, granite table tops and a vast array of food. Every day 1,800 people stand waiting on expensive Karastan carpet for an average of 40 minutes to get at the goodies.

And back on the Strip, Korzilius feels that “those 49-cent breakfasts are worth about 49 cents.” But they serve the same purpose.

The Las Vegas Yellow Pages lists 810 restaurants, and its permanent population of 500,000 knows that food is the surest bet in town. As Payne says, “Everyone’s a winner. You can’t lose.”

Where to try your luck:

Andre’s (401 South 6th St.). Along with Elaine’s (in the Golden Nugget), Pamplemousse (behind the Sahara) and the Palace Court (in Caesars Palace), Andre’s leads a short list of truly fine restaurants. Its 41-year-old owner invested $750,000 to create a 120-seat “French country inn” in 1980 and says he “probably wouldn’t do it again. Unless there’s a big convention here we might get only 20 persons a night. People here are in too much of a hurry to dine leisurely.” His food is superb; fish and vegetables are flown in from France. The wine list offers more than 200 labels.

Muleteer Restaurant (I-15 and Cheyenne Avenue in North Las Vegas). This may be the best truck stop in the West, serving 1,200 people a day. Certainly it’s the most attractively decorated, with beamed ceilings, hanging ropes of garlic and dried chiles, Indian rugs on the walls. The New Mexican food includes a 16-ounce Porterhouse for $8.95, Oysters Rancheros ($4.35), Rocky Mountain veal “oysters” with cole slaw and potatoes, chicken-fried steak ($5.95) and enormous breakfast dishes served in sizzling skillets. There’s a Mexican special ($4.35 with or without a margarita) every night. The bread, biscuits, cream pies, delicious salsa and soups are all homemade.

MGM Grand Buffet (MGM Grand Hotel). King of the weekend buffets. 5,000 people go through this line on Saturdays and Sundays at $6.95 each. The champagne brunch is served in the 1,400-seat Celebrity Room and includes everything from scrambled eggs to roast beef and fried chicken. “We have a homey atmosphere. We’ll bake you a birthday cake and sing to you,” says brunch manager Penny Born.

The Steak House (in Circus Circus). The restaurant hangs and ages (in full view in a cold locker) its own beef, which is cooked over mesquite wood in the center of the restaurant. Enormous New York steaks are $17.50. Roast beef is $15.50.

Binion’s Horseshoe Hotel & Casino (128 Fremont St.). Home of renowned Texas-style chili made with blue and red chiles, beef and mountain spring water. It’s delicious. “We don’t have to advertise. Everyone knows it’s here,” says executive chef Vern Eller, who stirs up 14 gallons of chili a day.

Battista’s Hole in the Wall (4041 Audrie). Owner Battista Locatelli opened his “hole in the wall” with 14 seats in 1971. Now it’s got 240 seats and he still turns away more than 400 on weekend nights. An average check is $12 with all the house wine you can drink. Osso Buco is $12.95. A full pasta dinner with the works is $9.95. If there’s a cleaner kitchen anywhere, I’ve never seen it.

Peppermill Inn (2985 Las Vegas Boulevard South). A glorified coffee shop with excellent food. A $6.50 fruit plate looks like half of Hawaii. Open round the clock and very popular with locals.

Tillerman (2245 E. Flamingo Road). Evening dining outdoors, with good steaks and fresh seafood. Casual atmosphere. Also big with the locals.

El Sombrero (807 S. Main). Still another local favorite, serving homemade tortillas and full Mexican meals for about $5.

Chin’s (2300 E. Desert Inn Road). A local favorite for Chinese food. Western decor with a formal dining room. Entrees range from $6.50 to $20.

And if you’re hungry for still more, you can get a free 62-page restaurant guide by writing to the Greater Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, 2301 E. Sahara Ave., Las Vegas, 89104.