Eric Prato News Today

Being named a finalist is itself an accomplishment, and 2023 saw the most local finalists in years.

Three finalists in Las Vegas were snubbed from the prestigious award

The announcement includes chefs from southwest Las Vegas and Chinatown

Two Las Vegas chefs and the city’s leading wine bar have been named 2023 finalists for the Oscars of the food world.

Last year, we introduced our annual restaurant awards with guarded optimism that the dining scene was (finally!) back to normal — or, at least, had found a new, possibly better-in-some-ways normal. And here we are. A year later, it still seems appropriate to note that, yep, the world has changed, food has changed, the way we live our lives, including eating out, has changed. So, this feature has, too.

Last year, we introduced our annual restaurant awards with guarded optimism that the dining scene was (finally!) back to normal — or, at least, had found a new, possibly better-in-some-ways normal. And here we are. A year later, it still seems appropriate to note that, yep, the world has changed, food has changed, the way we live our lives, including eating out, has changed. So, this feature has, too. Practical matters, such as the labor shortage, led us to nix a couple categories. Hidden Gems...