Bull Shrimp, Roma Deli — a winning ticket!

TABLE TIPS! Let me toot the horn for a pair of Las Vegas restaurants that have caught my fancy.

One is Bull Shrimp at Green Valley Ranch. My wife and I invited Mike and Sandy Mecca to join us for Easter dinner at the Las Vegas Country Club. Mike accepted the invitation, but wanted us to have dinner at the newest Station Casinos steak and shrimp eatery. We did and we were pleasantly surprised.

Since it was Easter there was a ham dinner special, which I ordered. The others went in different directions. Everything from start to finish was served to perfection. And, more importantly, the eats were good.

Gustav Mauler, who owns Bull Shrimp and a number of other Las Vegas restaurants, is a guy who enjoys eating. That’s very important in his business. I’ve been catching him on TV a lot lately on the food network. Look at his eyes. It’s a big tell for a chef who is happy with what he does.

  The other eating spot that has taken my fancy is, naturally, an Italian place ”” Roma Deli & Restaurant on west Spring Mountain Rd., near Jones Blvd. If you want real Italian soul food, this is the place to go.

  Growing up Italian, seldom did we eat out in restaurants. First of all, there were no Italian restaurants. And, secondly, who could compete with Grandmom’s linguini and sausage?

  Times have changed. Now there are plenty of good Italian restaurants right here in the ­­valley. But, Roma Deli, owned by Roberto Tedeshi, is a winner. My favorite dish there is frutti di mare. It is a combination of seafood ”” calamari, scallops, shrimp and clams ”” served on a bed of linguini with red gravy. (If you want to sound authentic, never call it sauce.)

TAKE A WALK IN THE PARK! Although I haven’t had a chance to eat there yet, I’ve heard some great things about the new Central Park West restaurant in the Sahara Pavilion (Sahara and Decatur).

The joint is the brainchild of long time restaurateur, Ron Smilow, who used to run Jerome’s. They have a 24-hour menu that features such taste treats as juicy burgers, wood-fired pizza, piled high deli sandwiches, Coney Island hotdogs and my personal favorite (you knew this was coming!), homemade pasta. From the latter I can’t wait to try the Fulton Street Special ”” Red or white clam gravy (I understand you can count the clams!) over ­­linguini served with garlic bread sticks.

DID YOU KNOW? According to the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority the gambling budget for the average Las Vegas trip in 2001 was $607. The amount is off from $665 in 2000.

NEIL KNOWS! New York Post columnist Neil Travis tells us that Caroline Hunt of the Texas Hunt clan is ­­going to make an offer for the Bel Air hotel.

Caroline sold the property 10 years ago to Japanese ­­investors. The Sultan of Brunei bought it and now is ­­rumored to be willing to unload it. And, Caroline has her checkbook in hand.

“HELP SCREENS!” That’s what New South Wales is calling its poker machines that tell players how much they’ve won, how much they’ve lost and how long they have been playing.

If the technology wins approval, the help screens will be displayed on machines at the touch of a button.