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Rosemary’s Restaurant – For upscale off-Strip dining, this is the establishment recommended by…well, pretty much everyone. One does have to know it’s there, as the otherwise unassuming stretch of anonymous strip malls in which it resides would never suggest “fine dining” to anyone.

The interior is elegant, but packed a little tighter than most restaurants of its type, though it absorbs noise well. The menu is extensive, with several dégustation-style options, and many dishes bring in elements from the South, and especially New Orleans, though such concepts certainly don’t dominate the menu; much of it is straightforward pan-European classicism. A warning, though: the portions are sizeable. My three-course menu of honeyed beef carpaccio, simply fried sweetbreads, and flatiron steak was more than I could comfortably consume, and I was hungry upon arrival.

Service is very good, perhaps edging a bit towards overly friendly, but it’s a minor sin; this has the “feel” of a neighborhood restaurant, though most of the diners are almost certainly tourists. As for the wine list, it is extensive and enticing, with many options to satisfy all genres of taste. Markups are high, to be sure, but nowhere near the breathtaking larceny that takes place on the Strip. And on Sunday, there’s a oenophile’s dream opportunity: 50% off all wines (except for the trio of DRC offerings). I don’t know why more Strip restaurants don’t take advantage of this, to help move their very expensive inventory (though they’d probably want to choose something mid-week as the night for it).

Perhaps the most complimentary thing I can say about this restaurant is that you will leave happy. Stuffed, but happy. That’s high praise. (5/07)