H. Lee Barnes’ Vietnam war memoir captures the heightened reality of combat Maybe it’s the former deputy sheriff in him, but College of Southern Nevada professor of English H.

We owe the brainiacs at Brookings Mountain West a nice dinner. If Southern Nevada manages to crawl into the 21st century as anything more evolved than a place to feed some slot machines and catch a little Cirque, it’ll be thanks in large part to their ceaseless wonky prodding.

Does Las Vegas have an official food? It does now: The hamburger. Here’s why Many months ago, way before the popular food truck he created with his friend Robert “Mags” Magsalin blossomed into the kind of fresh, hip Hollywood eatery where Jim Carrey would pop in on opening night, Colin Fukunaga was talking a little smack.

The latest fitness trend Pure Barre goes for graceful strength, not frenzied weight loss Many of us have tried so many workouts that we aren’t fatigued just from the workouts — we’re exhausted by the workout options. We’ve tried to Zumba, spin, kickbox and Jazzercise our way to better health.

Jim Begley, dining critic for the Las Vegas Weekly, David magazine Most Thai restaurants in town serve Americanized fare with diluted flavors. Not the case with newly opened David Wong’s Pan Asian (2980 S.

iDrink You know the fine-dining drill: The water’s served, the napkins are unfolded and then the waiter hands over the wine list — that unwieldy tome crawling with vineyard names, grape-growing regions and head-scratching phrases like “dusky hints of tobacco and burnt oak.” That’s changing.

We bet you’ve got quite an appetite right about now. After all, 2011 was a year of hard work, hunkering down, and holding on beneath thundercloud headlines about halting recovery and slow economic comeback.

Discretion advised Experts weigh in on the most neglected dining utensil: etiquette If only the Victorians could see us now. Not only do ladies no longer smile behind napkins, but before the meal is even over, people have checked in, Tweeted and reviewed the place on Yelp via their ever-handy smart phones.

“Now, every once in a while, I’ll have a quesadilla.” Imagine being told you could no longer eat your mother’s cooking.

Off the Shelf Playtime, unplugged Most toy stores are stressful, ironically enough: multiple electronic gadgets whizzing near the door, lighting so bright it feels positively confessional, and a sales staff as uninterested in helping as the atmosphere is uninviting. Kettlemuck’s in Henderson is noticeably different.