Las Vegas Weekly

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Treasure Island executive chef Craig Taylor doesn’t have a lot of free time. Heading up 12 venues will do that to a guy. Still, he does manage to slip away from his kitchens now and then. Here’s how you can eat like Taylor.

First Food & Bar (At Palazzo, 607-3478)

Taylor doesn’t have to travel far to get to First—it’s just across a pedestrian walkway from TI. As it happens, he has quite the man-crush on chef Sammy D. “I think he’s fantastic. He’s a good guy and kind of crazy … but good crazy. He’s always inventing new dishes that are outrageous. Now he’s got Fritos Pie and, of course, the Philly cheesesteak dumplings are classic.”

Vintner Grill (10100 W. Charleston Blvd. #150, 214-5590)

Taylor appreciates what his good friend chef Matt Silverman is doing at the Summerlin favorite. “Now he’s making his own cheese, which I think is really fun. The tagliatelle pasta with wild boar Bolognese makes use of the truffle pecorino. The pecorino is ethereal—it’s just perfect mixed with rich Bolognese.”

China Mama (3420 S. Jones Blvd., 873-1977)

The soup dumplings might be Mama’s best-known offering, but they’re not Taylor’s favorite dish at the Chinatown joint. “I love their pork fried rice, because the rice is almost al dente. It’s a little chewy but neither dry nor greasy. And the pork … the pork is sweet and tender. I just wish they’d get their liquor license.”