Quick Bites

Food courts are a dime a dozen in Vegas, but the one in New York-New York, 3790 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (tel. 702/740-6969), deserves a mention for two reasons: First, it's the nicest setting for this sort of thing on the Strip, sitting in the Greenwich Village section of New York-New York, which means scaled replica tenement buildings, steam rising from the manhole covers, and more than a little (faux, naturally) greenery, a nice change from unrelentingly shrill and plastic mall decor. Second, the selections are the usual, but it's a better-than-average food court, with Chinese food and pizza (as befitting an ode to NYC), and excellent if expensive (for this situation) double-decker burgers, plus Schraft's ice cream.

The Monte Carlo, 3770 Las Vegas Blvd. S., between Flamingo Road and Tropicana Avenue (tel. 702/730-7777), has some surprisingly good options, too. There's the always-reliable McDonald's, and for sweets there is Häagen-Dazs. Sbarro offers enticing pizza slices. If you want a good, cheap meal on the Strip and want to avoid some of those dubious night-owl specials, come here. And just down the hall is a branch of our beloved The Cupcakery! That's a reason to go all by itself. The food court is open daily from 6am to 3am.

The Flamingo Las Vegas, 3555 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (tel. 702/733-3111), added a food court in 2010 offering fast-food options that include Pan Asian Express and Johnny Rockets hamburgers among others. Hours vary, but it's usually open from 8am until 2am.

And if you head farther down the Strip, to the Grande Canal Shoppes, at The Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (tel. 702/414-4500), you can find another decent food court, with a Panda Express, a good pizza place (despite the confusing name of LA Italian Kitchen), a burrito stand, and a juice joint. Plus, it's right by the canals of this faux Venice, one of our favorite places in Vegas.

Deli Delights

It's East Coast vs. West Coast in the battle of the famous delis, here in sister properties The Mirage and Treasure Island. The former has brought in New York's beloved Carnegie Deli  (tel. 702/791-7310; daily 24 hr.), home of the towering sandwich, so large that no mere mortal can clamp his or her jaws around it. It's hardly the same joint New Yorkers are used to, given that this sleek and modern interpretation is crammed into a small corner of a casino. Bad puns still run amok on the menu (Tongues for the Memory, Nova on a Sunday, and The Egg and Oy!). We aren't happy that the famously huge sandwiches come with huge prices to match, along with a miserly $3 sharing fee. Treasure Island is home to the first offshoot of Los Angeles's Canter's Deli (tel. 702/894-7111; daily 11am-midnight), where many a musician has whiled away many an hour. As much as we admit that NYC is right to claim it has superior bagels, and this Carnegie definitely has better hours, the Canter's smells just like the one we spent much pleasurable time in during our formative years. Ah, just go do some pastrami taste-testing yourselves, youse.