The most obvious is the gimmick: every 20 minutes or so the look and feel of the restaurant switches, with the walls rolling up or down, lights changing, and paintings rotate to give the place an entirely new look. It's a cool effect and it dramatically alters the dining experience from soft white lit stone to bold orange lit wood environs.

But without good food, the gimmick would be just that - a gimmick. Luckily Switch delivers in that category as well.

The log line on Chef Marc Poidevin menu is a French inspired steakhouse, but it really is more steakhouse than French so anyone intimidated by Gallic cuisine needn't worry.

Appetizers are mostly seafood with options such as Spiced Jumbo Shrimp Tiger Cocktail ($20), Tuna Tartar ($16), or a Crab Cake with endive salad and a quail egg ($20) for example. A few salads and soups round out the offerings but if you are in a French food mood you could go for the Burgundy Snails in a garlic parsley butter ($18).

There are a couple of pastas but the real menu starts on page two with the :"Chef's Favorites" and main courses. Organic Cornish Hen with foie gras, Braised Rabbit Fricassee, and Braised Beef Short Ribs are the most obvious examples of that French influence but a fine selection of steaks and seafood should satisfy even the most American of taste buds.

I went for the filet but decided to eschew the sauces that normally come with the steak (hollandaise, b?arnaise, etc.) and ordered a melted blue cheese sauce as an extra. It was an excellent choice if I do say so myself, taking a very fine cut of beef and amping it up in both flavor and texture. And to further show off my brilliance I also added a side of grilled onions and jalapenos, practically dripping with butter. They were the star of this particular show and the combination of the meat, the blue cheese, and the spicy onions was nearly perfect.

The steak itself was not cooked as well as I usually consider "medium" to be cooked but it was flavorful all on its own without the accompaniments so I really didn't care all that much.

Another side of the potato mouselline is almost required; creamy, silky, beyond mashed to the point of nearly being pureed, they were a delightful addition to the meal.

I was running late so didn't have time for dessert, but if you do you can expect things like caramelized cannoli, baby bananas foster, Venezuelan dark chocolate souffle (darn sorry I missed that one), and a traditional creme brulee along with gelato and sorbet as some of the offerings.

A very full and extensive wine list with a patient and knowledgeable sommelier are available for your drinking pleasure, along with a full bar.

Service was fantastic throughout my meal, each course timed perfectly.

As you would expect of a restaurant of this caliber and its location in the ultra-luxury Encore, prices are high. Appetizers are $14-26, pastas $22-25, chef's favorites $31-41, and steaks and seafood $31-61 (most in the $40-50 range). All sides are $10 each and desserts are $10-14. A full meal with wine, tax, and tip is going to easily break $100 per person.

I don't like paying that much for a meal, but when I do I want to make sure that something about it stands out. Switch stands out, and not just because of the gimmick.

Switch
Encore Las Vegas
3121 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-248-dine
website
Hours:

The space is nothing to get excited about. Located on the attraction level overlooking the lobby, the bulk of the restaurant is open to the interior of the giant pyramid looming above you. Intimate, it ain't. Add in the booming music (complete with a DJ on some nights) and the margarita encouraged loud crowds and you do not have a restaurant that encourages quiet conversation.

And I'm not even going to bring up the fact that the restaurant shares a wall with the "Bodies" exhibition, meaning you're just a few feet away from dead people while you're eating. Oops, sorry... I guess I did bring it up.

But get over it, seriously. Forget the decor and the loudness and the corpses, because this really is a fantastic little Mexican joint, well worth your time and effort.

I'm going to go backward in their name and start with the Tequila, nearly 100 different types and brands ranging in cost from $10 all the way up to $250. And those aren't bottle prices, kids.

The margaritas are heaven, using their own mix of hand-squeezed limes and organic agave nectar plus your choice of the tequilas. Neophytes should just tell the server to choose. We did and we weren't disappointed. They practically jumped out of the glasses they were so fresh. Warning: two of these babies will probably mean you should take a cab back to your hotel.

Appetizers run the gamut: shrimp, beef, or mushroom quesadillas, flautas, tostadas, tamales, homemade guacamole, and even a cayenne pepper roasted corn on the cob. Another section offers up ceviches, citrus-marinated shrimp, tuna, or Mahi-Mahi. There are also a couple of salads and a tortilla soup if you are so inclined. We tried the beef quesadilla ($12) and got a huge flour tortilla stuffed with Oxaca cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream, onion, and tender beef that got completely devoured. It's more than enough for a main course on its own.

Main courses include cheese, beef, and chicken enchiladas and burritos; carne asada, grilled chicken breast, fajitas, carnitas, and pork spare ribs in a tequila barbeque sauce; and more taco types than can possibly be listed here without overwhelming my servers, but here are a few examples: chicken, beef, carne asada, beer-battered Tilapia, pulled pork, Kobe beef, Maine lobster, and many more.

We went for the beef burrito and the chicken fajitas. The former was mammoth and stuffed with juicy pulled beef, fresh salsa, jalapeno aioli, Cojita cheese, and pico de gallo. The latter had all the typical fixings one expects with fajitas, all grilled to perfection and bursting with flavor. I'm the type that usually forgoes the tortillas and just eats everything else but the ones that came with my dish were so soft and warm and delicious that I went the more traditional route.

Prices are expensive for Mexican food but this is one of the cheapest full-service restaurants anywhere on The Strip. Appetizers are mostly in the $10-12 range, tacos (three plus rice and black beans) are mostly $12-15 (except for the Kobe for $25 and the lobster for $23), and everything else is in the $15-20 range. Our bill for three people was around $90 and would've been about half that if we had skipped the three margaritas. But you shouldn't.

Service was fine - nothing to write home about, but they got the job done.

If you need to stay on The Strip and are hankering for some good Mexican food, this is one of the very few places that should be on your list of options.

Tacos & Tequila
Luxor
3900 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
702-262-5225
website
Hours:

The public's fascination with one of the worst maritime tragedies in history is almost as fascinating as the event itself. Countless books have been written on the subject, endless documentaries shown on the History Channel, and apparently they even made a little movie about it. What is it about this ship and its sinking nearly 100 years ago that still resonates with people today?

"Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition" capitalizes on that seeming never ending fascination by presenting a host of information, documentation, recreations, and artifacts from the wreckage site. These combine to paint a picture of the life and death of the ship and its passengers in a way that may not shed any new light on the tragedy but certainly educates and immerses in a way that Leo and Kate's cinematic endeavor never could have.

For several years, the exhibition was held at the Tropicana but has now moved to a more permanent home at Luxor. For the most part the experience of visiting is the same, although there is one major piece added that may make it worth going back again. More on that in a moment.

The artifacts are a motley mix; everything from china and partial furnishings that belonged to the ship down to the personal effects of those who traveled on her. Each comes with an explanation of the artifact and often with special context to deepen its impact. For instance, the skeletal remains of a transom would be just a hunk of curved metal but then you look up and see an almost life-size photograph of the veranda café doors where the transom once lived and suddenly it has life. Pieces of tile, from intricately detailed down to relatively pedestrian are grouped according to the economic status of the portion of the ship they came from.

But the most interesting portions of the exhibit, in my opinion, are the recreations of portions of the ship. There is a first class cabin, opulent and luxurious even by today's standards, while nearby a third class cabin, with multiple bunks and exposed ductwork shows the class warfare that resulted, in part, in a higher percentage of poor people losing their lives in the sinking of the ship. The grand staircase is rebuilt here as is an exterior walkway, done with a dark backdrop, sound effects, and chilly air to try to evoke what one must have felt strolling the decks in the minutes before the ship hit the iceberg.

Speaking of which, there's even an iceberg; or, at least, a giant chunk of ice that passes for one. They make a big deal about allowing you to touch it, which results in an ongoing trail of "wow, that's cold" exclamations from the visitors, as if that's surprising for some reason.

The piece that has been added to the collection in its new home at Luxor is a doozy: a giant chunk of the ship's hull complete with a diagram and photos showing exactly how it fit on the ship. It looms large in a dimly lit space and for some reason it, more than any other artifact in the exhibition, gives scope to what happened back in 1912.

I don't claim to understand why this particular tragedy still captures our collective imagination and I do believe, on some level, that things like this exhibition may be exploiting the tragedy for someone's financial gain. One hundred years from now, will there be a traveling exhibition of artifacts from 9/11 on display in a Las Vegas casino convention hall? Perhaps.

Having said that, it's impossible to deny that this exhibition is tastefully presented and respectful to the people who lost their lives. In fact, it is humanity that is at the forefront here, telling personal stories told by belongings and surroundings that strive to honor despite the $27 ticket price.

Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit
Luxor
3900 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Las Vegas, NV 89109
800-288-1000

website

Price: