The Vegas version of that restaurant at The Palazzo follows the same pattern and ends up being a fun, slightly off-kilter (in a good way) experience that visitors should go out of their way to find.

Tucked away in a seemingly forgotten corner of The Shoppes at Palazzo (their motto is "Hard to Find, Easy to Love"), the space is bright and airy with big windows overlooking The Strip. Try to get a booth by them for some great views of the teeming masses outside. The decor is contemporary with a splash of Boho, mixing avant garde constructions of warm woods and metal with tattoo inspired artwork and some unique touches. Is that a photo booth in the middle of the restaurant? Yep. Put in a buck and get a classic strip of photos to share with friends.

The restaurant is open for lunch, dinner, and late night dining plus has a Sunday brnch that is anything but traditional. We chose lunch because it seemed like the most economical way to sample the menu and the best time to have a relatively low-key meal. Early evenings and late nights are popular with the drink and dine crowd, which some may appreciate for its energy but others may find tiring.

As indicated, everything is familiar but twisted. Starters include items like eggrolls, dumplings, and buffalo wings but the eggrolls are stuffed with BBQ pulled pork and buttermilk slaw, served with a Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce, the wings are done "lollipop" style with Maytag bleu cheese fondue, and the dumplings are of the Philly Cheesesteak variety. The latter were deliciously inventive - basically a potsticker that tastes like a cheesesteak, set off with a tangy ketchup for dipping. Loved them.

Soups and salads run the gamut from clam chowder and chicken noodle for the former to a version of the classic Waldorf (with apples, blue cheese and grape croutons) to beef carpaccio with truffle aioli for the latter.

Sandwiches, burgers, and pizza make up the biggest chunk of the lunchtime selections with interesting offerings like a Cuban with ham and roast pork, a giant BLTA (the A being avocado) to which you can add eggs for an extra kick, a sandwich version of the Philly cheesesteak complete with their own "whiz," sliders, and more.

More substantial lunch offerings include items like chicken and waffles (with a Wild Turkey American Honey infused maple syrup), fish and chips, pad thai, spaghetti and meatballs, and even a breakfast burrito if you are still fighting a hangover from the night before.

We went all over the map with our main courses. A combo of the chicken noodle soup and a pastrami hot pocket came with the latter served inside a bag of Lay's potato chips; an interesting presentation of a really good sandwich. The French "dippity do" came on a sweet challah (Jewish egg bread) roll and was stuffed with juicy brisket. And the beer battered cod was perfectly traditional for the fish and chips.

Their signature dessert is various sized stacks of mini donuts with several sauces available for dipping. We were going to try them but then the donut making machine broke and so we took it as a sign from God that we had already eaten too much.

Dinner takes away a few of the sandwiches and adds more entrees like steak, short rib, and pork "choppettes;" late night basically takes away all the entrees and focuses on the sandwiches, burgers, and pizza; and brunch replaces many of the entrees with breakfast type items like eggs and BBQ pork, Belgium waffles, and a build-your-own omelet option with more than a dozen ingredients to choose from.

Prices are higher than what most people like to pay for lunch but not at all out of line for a Strip restaurant. Burgers, sandwiches, and pizza are all in the $15-20 range, main courses at lunch are mostly in the $20-30 neighborhood (a few bucks more at dinner), and brunch items are all under $20. My table of three had two appetizers, three main courses, and soft drinks and once tax and tip were figured it it came to about $100 total. High for lunch but you'll approach that at almost any restaurant on The Strip that doesn't sit under golden arches or involve submarine sandwiches.

Service was great throughout, with almost mind-reading displays of knowing when I needed more soda.

Too many meals in Las Vegas are uninspired exercises in the "same old thing." If you want something more original, you should think of First first.