HEIDI’S PICKS

Heidi's Picks is a weekly selection of restaurant suggestions from Review-Journal critic Heidi Knapp Rinella. Her reviews are done anonymously at Review-Journal expense.

Price symbols are based on the cost of an average entree: $ = entrees less than $10; $$ = entrees between $10 and $20; $$$ = entrees between $20 and $30; and $$$$ = entrees more than $30.

PRIMARILY PRIME RIB

South Point, 9777 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 797-8075

The food at Primarily Prime Rib is pretty decent but the water is awful. Just awful. That said, our shrimp cocktail had five large, succulent shrimp, off-the-boat fresh and just firm enough; onion rings were crisp and sweet; a South Point cut of prime rib was decently flavored and reasonably priced and although we thought a blackened Cajun-style prime rib a little too tame, that's much better than being a little too wild. (7/18/08)

Overall: B $$

RED VELVET CAFE

7875 W. Sahara Ave.; 360-1972

Cheddar-bacon fries at a restaurant that promises "designed with health in mind" threw us for a sec, but we decided they were a nod to vegans (for the pseudo-meat, soy-cheese option) and a bone to the rest of us. They were quite good, at any rate, as was the chicken Caesar wrap and, with some reservations, the avocado-basil spaghetti, but the highlight of our dinner was the red-velvet cake that wasn't overly sweet but had the characteristic mild chocolate flavor, subtle acidic note and ample moistness that would do a Southern grandmother proud. (11/28/08)

Overall: B $

SUSHIWA

790 Coronado Center Drive, Henderson; 263-5785

What we think of as second-generation sushi places -- those that borrow from other culinary traditions for innovative sushi that's particularly appealing to Americans -- are extremely popular, which means they tend to be extremely crowded. Not so with Sushiwa, which hasn't been discovered. Yet. We loved the Henderson Roll, Banzai Roll, the whole-avocado Pocky Roll, a shrimp tempura roll -- even a Korean barbecue sushi roll. (7/6/07)

Overall: A $$$

TRADER VIC'S

Miracle Mile Shops, 3663 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 405-4700

Umbrella drinks aside this isn't the Trader Vic's you might remember from the swingin' '60s; the pan-Asian menu and subdued decor reflect a more sophisticated American diner. We liked the Hawaiian poke, the Kalua pork sliders, Trader Vic's Fried Rice, tofu Thai red curry and nine-spice roasted half chicken; the authentic throwback (which is to say, not too sweet) Mai-Tai made things even better. (1/3/2008)

Overall: A- $$