Siegel’s 1941 Awards

Siegel’s 1941 Restaurant Review:

The restaurant’s name has a dual meaning: décor is a tribute to the legendary mobster Bugsy Siegel, the second owner of the El Cortez, and 1941 is the year the casino opened. In addition to displays of vintage black and white photos and personal items of Siegel, there’s an Old Vegas vibe, with red booths, vintage-style lighting, a tiled ceiling and white brick wall. As this place replaced the Flame Steakhouse and Coffee Shop, many menu items from both remain, such as Paris-style steak frites, Black Angus rib-eye, liver and onions, and matzo ball soup. Italian specialties include the seven-layer lasagna Bolognese, rigatoni and eggplant Parmesan, which is baked, not fried. Several items are named after mobsters from the past, such as the Lucky Luciano Burger with marinara, caramelized onion, Romano cheese and fresh mozzarella; the Fat Irish Green (Siegel’s bodyguard) corned beef hash with three eggs; and cocktails such as the Meyer Lansky Mule with Absolut Mandarin, lime, ginger beer and mint. A collection of the nation’s classic sandwiches include Cuban (Miami), Italian beef (Chicago), and sausage and peppers (New Haven). Save room for the Southern-style bourbon bread pudding topped with bourbon sauce and Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream.