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Established in 1979, Ricardo's, a family run restaurant, has now been serving Las Vegas for well over twenty five years. Operating on Flamingo and Decatur in the Renaissance Center West, it is just two miles away from the Las Vegas Strip.

Ricardo's has been voted Best Mexican Restaurant twenty one times by the LV Review Journal and AOL has honored Ricardo's as the City's Best Mexican too. Known for their spirit, quality and consistency, Ricardo's serves authentic and creative Mexican foods rich in the flavors of Northern Mexico and the American Southwest.

Ricardo's boasts of an enterprising team of employees who are close knit and enjoy their work. This feeling of oneness translates to exceptional service. The team of sixty five members have almost a whopping five hundred years of collective experience of having worked there. The chefs have their roots in native Mexico, enabling them to blend authentic recipes with a unique and creative flair.

Mexico has antojitos which are starters very similar to the Spanish tapas, or the Middle Eastern mezze. The word 'antojitos' literally means little cravings, and these are usually made from corn meal and then deep fried. There are also the French style crusty rolls called teleras and wheat flour based sincronizada and gringa. There are times when antojitos can be in the form of pozole or soups, while at others, they are chillies or jalapeños stuffed with different fillings.

Ricardo's also offers the popular nachos supremos, which has fresh chips topped with beans, ranchera sauce, and melted cheese, topped with onions, tomatoes, and chillies. Garnished with guacamole and sour cream, one can also add beef or chicken to make it more interesting and filling.

No Mexican meal is complete without chilies, so do sample the Colorado-tender sirloin cooked in red chili with onions, chilies and spices, or try the chili verde, diced pork cooked with onions, chilies, tomatillos, and seasonings, served in a tortilla shell with rice and beans.

How about a Mexican pizza? A large, flat flour tortilla that is made crisp and topped with melted cheddar cheese, with diced tomatoes, olives and onions sprinkled on the top. You could also request for a garnish of guacamole, sour cream and jalapenos to create a pizza just the way you like it. So go ahead, look forward to a palate and heart warming experience by enjoying the friendly service at Ricardo's; find out more about this highly original Mexican restaurant from their Website.

More than thirty years have gone by since Panda Inn opened its doors in Pasadena, and even as this achievement is celebrated, their straightforward concept remains the same, to introduce regional Chinese cooking to a local audience. Despite being the parent restaurant of the more popular Panda Express, this is not just an upscale, sit down version offering old wine in new bottles.

Emphasis on traditions is strong and the casually sophisticated setting helps towards bringing forward the Chinese art of balancing tastes and textures to delight the senses. Gourmet Chinese flavors drawn from beloved family recipes highlight the robust qualities of Mandarin and Szechwan dishes.

The aptly named tasters include the straightforward salt and pepper prawns though minced chicken in lettuce cups or the spicy, crispy calamari are equally endearing. You could also forego this for a healthier option and try the mango duck salad or the Panda's chicken salad.

It's hard to be indifferent to the soup selection, especially with the very tantalising 3-flavors sizzling rice soup or the assorted wonton soup. A speciality section includes succulent Asian spiced beef short ribs, sweet and pungent shrimp and an interesting tea smoked duck. The wok-seared scallops are an enticing addition to this menu.

Choosing the mains might be confusing, given the profusion of choices with poultry and seafood. Orange flavored chicken with its deliciously different tangy, saucy and tart taste has many takers. The honey walnut shrimp is by far the most popular seafood item there, whereas sweet and sour pork or the beef with broccoli are some of the dishes that are loved by most patrons. Tofu with spicy eggplant, and sautéed mixed vegetables should help to keep the veggies happy. However, they do indicate that all their dishes including those with vegetables have a chicken broth base so be forewarned if you are particular about being vegetarian.

Fortune cookies dipped in white chocolate, and covered with foil paper are one of the draws there although the dessert section does include favorites such as carrot cake, brownies, chocolate cake, dipped strawberries, fruit and almond pudding. In addition to the restaurant experience, Panda also offers catering services for birthday parties, business luncheons and holiday celebrations, you can find further details on their Website.

The Sardine Factory in Monterey, California, is owned by well known, popular local character, and part-time actor, Ted Balestreri, though strangely he always seems to get parts in movies about the Mafia; it couldn't be because of his looks, could it?

This award winning restaurant has often entertained celebrity diners from the world of entertainment and politics; it has hosted even the likes of President Reagan, and the credit for this goes to the creative team in the kitchen and also the warm and friendly service of the staff, who make the average diner feel like a celebrity.

There are several areas to dine in - the Lounge offers an informal set up while the Steinbeck dining room with its alcoves offers an intimate atmosphere. For a larger group and a more formal set up the Captain's Room with its ornate interiors transports guests to another era.

Of these choices, the Lounge, with its live entertainment and flexible menu, offers tapas, sandwiches, pizzas, mains and desserts. Starters include four-hour braised Kobe style beef short rib, shrimp quesadillas, a bowl of their signature abalone bisque served with Madeira and fresh chives. A favourite there is the calamari puff lollipops, calamari puffs on bread sticks with chilli-lime salsa.

For the mains, you could try the arancini Sicilian, fried rice balls flavored with cheese, parsley, saffron and garlic on tomato beef ragou. Sea food lovers can select  the sea food indulgence served in a special boat, beautifully arrayed half crab, oysters, clams and mussels served with a variety of dipping sauces or go for the trio hot appetizer plate which includes crab cakes, calamari and sautéed prawns on polenta crisp. This hearty dish serves over four people. Those looking for something lighter could opt for cajun chicken breast sandwich, the mini burger platter or the portobella mushroom pizza with its caramelized onions and fresh pecorino cheese.

Indulge your sweet tooth with the warm cinnamon peach crisp, the tiramisu China point, cheesecakes, tarts, sorbets and banana split or go healthy, true celebrity style, and move directly to a cup of tea or cappuccino.

Apart from the unusual cocktails like the east of eden appletini, the Sardine Factory offers over 1000 labels and over 30,000 bottles of the best high end and domestic wines to suit every taste and wallet. In fact, they have received the 'Best Wine List in the World' award from Wine Spectator for twenty one years running. So, check out their Website, book a table, go along, step into the spotlight, and enjoy being a celebrity at the Sardine Factory.

Their famous 1970s 'pizza pizza' advert may hold a memorable place in the minds of a lot of people and for over fifty years Little Caesars have strongly demonstrated their passion for quality pizza and high standard of service. They are also estimated to be one of the largest pizza chains in the US, all of them supporting owners Mike and Marian Ilitch's philosophy to give back to the community that supports them.

First off there's a deep dish to gratify those with a large appetite, this square, thick version comes with a crispy crust, covered in cheese, and their hot-n-ready large pepperoni or just cheese pizza is well-known too. Experience a whiff of Hawaii with a hula Hawaiian, topped with ham and pineapple, and for a meat-laden treat there's a three-meat pizza with ham, pepperoni and sausage.

Other delicious discoveries at Little Caesars include Caesar wings, crazy bread and sauce and the signature pepperoni cheese bread.

For most people, food from the Orient usually means Chinese and more recently, Thai. But with other cuisines from the Far East entering the fray, there are many more choices available to the interested diner. Korean food is slowly making its mark and in San Diego, Seoul BBQ is gaining popularity among the local population.

Typical starters there include chapche, stir fried yam noodle with beef, mushroom, spinach, carrot and onions, followed by galbee, marinated prime short ribs from the BBQ menu. The chef's special has mandoo guk, dumpling soup with vegetables or bibimbab, rice topped with beef, egg and various vegetables.

Fish lovers ought to give the yunuh gui, grilled salmon with barbeque sauce, a try while daeji bulgogi, sliced marinated pork with Korean chilli sauce, is another example of the versatility of this cuisine. Don't forget to order the kimchi, the well-loved accompaniment, traditionally made from cabbage, cucumber or radish.