The make-believe world food of the strip aside, Las Vegas is an interesting food city. VPN certified pizzeria serving legitimate Neapolitan pies in a nondescript shopping center anchored by a Cheesecake Factory? Sure, why not.

Settebello makes a traditional margherita pie - good chew with well seasoned dough, nice amount of char. Only 5 minutes away from the airport. Well worth a small detour.

Decent pho, good oxtails. Broth seemed one dimensional, lacked all the complexity and nuance of Pho Binh Trailer.

Big standouts: braised fatback, mushroom & snail risotto.

Great chef-drive, pork obsessed place in San Antonio. A little too pork obsessed, but I can live with that…

Best dish: off-menu pork skin "noodles"
Worst dish: pecan pie macarons, pork belly
Honorable mention: skillet cornbread, massive amounts of butter

I wasn't bowled over by the work Ryan Hildebrand did at Textile, but his new restaurant Triniti is very impressive. The modern dining room is great, bread service is excellent and the menu reads very well (quite a few vegetable centric dishes is a huge plus). I'd love to go back for dinner and maybe sit in for a long format meal sometime in the future.

My carrot cavatelli with Brussels sprouts, scallops and chorizo was the standout for me. It may have some proteins in supporting roles, but vegetables are front and center in that dish.

Corzetti - shrimp polpette, handmade pasta disks, pancetta, basil
Spaghetti carbonara (off the menu by special request)

Best dish - brisket lettuce wraps.