Soup Diary 101021

You know that, with the wide array of restaurants at our disposal in Las Vegas, that I was going to sample some of the local soups, right? On our first day we went to Ellis Island Hotel and Casino, a kind of a divey place off the strip that seems to cater mostly to locals. Despite it's less than glamorous facade, it houses one of the best restaurants in the city, renowned for both the quality of the food and the extremely low prices (maybe they figure on people saving enough on their meal that they'll be tempted to hit the gaming tables afterwards-- that did not work with us, by the way). One of their primo deals is a full steak dinner for like six bucks, and it is a steal. It comes with soup or salad, and naturally I went with the former, which on this visit was chili bean. Now in most places, chili bean is just watered down chili, but at Ellis Island, it's actually something of a treat. True, it was more brothy than a true bowl of chili, but that broth was outstanding, rich and beefy, so that you hardly noticed the relative absence of beans or veggies to thicken things up. Followed by steak, mashed potatoes and gravy with green beans, and some peach cobbler for dessert (ala mode of course), this was a truly first rate meal-- not exactly gourmet, perhaps, but I can't imagine enjoying the fare at some fancier place any more than this.