Las Vegas Mixtape v16: Duran Duran’s Live Mashups, Easy Scenic Escape, and Yacht-Rocking at Palms Pool

Track #5: Wexler’s Deli @ Proper Eats Food Hall, 8 East @ Circa, Fine Company @Downtown Summerlin, @Naxos Taverna at Red Rock Resort

What’s the weekend without bagel and lox? And don’t forget the cream cheese, tomato, onion, lemon, and capers that complete this euphoric union of flavors and textures.

At Los Angeles import Wexler’s Deli inside the Proper Eats Food Hall at the Aria Resort & Casino, it’s easy to fall under the spell of this classic sandwich. Everything here is “house smoked/hand sliced.”

If you’re high rolling, consider the bagel and lox splurge. It’s called “The Moe Greene” and comes with “paddlefish caviar” and a “gold leaf.” Movie aficionados will know that Morris “Moe” Greene is a fictional character based on mobster Bugsy Siegel from “The Godfather.”

There are multiple highlights on the menu at the 8 East inside Circa—chef/owner Dan Coughlan’s intimate and buzzy Pan Asian spin-off of his popular Le Thai eatery downtown.

Having now dined at 8 East three times, I’m recommending their pork belly bao with pickled cabbage, slaw, cucumber, soy glaze, and a sweet-and-sour white barbecue sauce—a combination that hits every note. The lamb chop “lollipops” are equally seductive, seasoned with cumin.

Serious garlic lovers should immediately make a beeline for the diced beef brisket fried rice, with egg and the “8 East Sauce”—and probably head right home afterward. Bonus: the eatery is open until 1:00 am on Friday and Saturday.

Fine Company is a stylish neighborhood restaurant in Summerlin with a chef and owner from The Strip—Roy Ellamar, who had a successful run at Harvest by Roy Ellamar in the Bellagio.

On a recent evening here, a cut-above Caesar salad, plus an order of house blend warm olives, perfectly segued into the Lemon Pepper Chicken. This “organic breaded chicken cutlet,” served with “lemon beurre blanc and roasted marble potatoes,” is an outstanding take on the popular Chicken Milanese. 

In keeping with the restaurant’s friendly moniker and vibe, Fine Company offers a complimentary “Golden Hour” cocktail on the patio Monday through Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

There are many reasons to dine at modern and seafood-centric Greek eatery Naxos Taverna at Red Rock Resort. Start with the pita and creamy muhammara spread with pomegranates and slide into the Faroe Island Salmon with roasted pumpkin and chermoula. Be sure not to leave without giving in to their Soufra dessert. It’s a gorgeously presented souffle pie—with blueberry, citrus custard, and lemon gelato—that’s sweet, creamy, and strikingly textured, thanks to the ruffled phyllo. In a city known for unforgettable desserts, this one stopped me.