Las Vegas Weekly

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I’ve spent plenty of words attempting to tell you about the great restaurants at Crystals, the fancy yet quiet mall at CityCenter. (My most recent object of affection there is Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria & Cucina.) Maybe the message has been received, because on my last visit it wasn’t so quiet anymore. Despite a typically slow Vegas summer, the mall was packed with shoppers and wanderers, leisurely taking advantage of a recent renovation making Crystals’ gleaming white corridors much more easy to navigate.

Just when I thought I was done touting the food here, something new has arrived: lunch at Social House. The midday meal completes this restaurant’s metamorphosis; in its Treasure Island heyday, it was a late-night sushi hot spot. Now it’s got mass appeal.

The easiest way to explore the new lunch menu is with a $20 three-course option. It starts with miso soup, salad or sunomono, a dish of lightly pickled cucumber. The second course includes different styles of donburi, or Japanese rice bowl, with simple protein choices like chicken teriyaki or shrimp tempura. For $5 extra, your main entrée is a ridiculously rich bowl of tonkotsu ramen, topped with crisp pork belly and hard-boiled egg with creamy, soft yolk. This ramen is right up there with the Chinatown stuff we love. The third course is sushi, spicy tuna or salmon avocado cut rolls to close out a great new lunch deal on the Strip.

You can also opt for a traditional bento box lunch ($25) or order from the ordinary, a la carte menu. Social House does a great yellowtail jalapeño ($22), with crispy fried chili pepper discs and tiny cilantro. For something heartier, there is pork shank done “crispy pata” Filipino-style, or a tender, juicy hanger steak over rice. Walk off your fullness with a stroll around CityCenter.