Fodor's Expert Review Esther's Kitchen

The best Italian food in Las Vegas these days might be at Esther's Kitchen, a hip and lively restaurant in the Las Vegas Arts District southwest of Downtown. Chef James Trees, a Las Vegas native, churns out house-made pastas such as rigatoni carbonara with guanciale, tagliatelle with braised duck, and black fettucine with lobster. Pizzas change nightly, and the fried cauliflower appetizer is addicting. Locals also swear by brunch items such as the ricotta pancakes and the pork and beef meatball sandwich. At the bar, mixologists deliver spins on classics and seasonal drinks made with what's fresh. Trees named the restaurant after his Aunt Esther, who wrote the check for him to go to culinary school.