Top 10 Vegas restaurants

— -- The recently published second edition of Eating Las Vegas: The 50 EssentialRestaurants, an opinionated guide to Sin City eateries, keeps a great premise.

Bring together three of Sin City's restaurant critics and have them dish about where to dine. There's much disagreement on the pages of the book (Huntington Press, $12.95, visit its shopping area with Vegas books galore, also currently available at amazon.com for $11.01, $7.77 for Kindles). But here are the top 10 restaurants according to critics John Curtas, Max Jacobson and Al Mancini.

The new Top 10 are (in alphabetical order, since the three don't agree on exact order):

•Bar Masa (at Aria, from chef Masa Takayama)

•Cut (The Palazzo, chef Wolfgang Puck)

•Estiatorio Milos (The Cosmopolitan, Costas Spiliadis)

•Joël Robuchon (MGM Grand),

•Guy Savoy (Caesars Palace)

• L'Atelier de Joë Robuchon (MGM Grand)

•Le Cirque (Bellagio)

•Michael Mina (Bellagio, Gregory Pugin)

•Picasso (Bellagio, Julian Serrano)

•Twist (Mandarin Oriental, Pierre Gagnaire).

New on the top 10 this year: Estiatorio Milos, Michael Mina, Le Cirque. Off the list: Alex Bartolotta's Bartolotta at Wynn Las Vegas and Rick Moonen's RM Seafood Upstairs at Mandalay.

You'd better start saving now to visit most of these, though Mediterranean-themed Estiatorio Milos has a $20.12 three-course weekday lunch special. But for a birthday, business dinner, anniversary or other special occasion, these eateries are worth keeping in mind. It just helps if you win big at the tables before you book.

The list is heavy on luxury Strip resorts and French chefs, light on U.S. culinary stars. The book has created lots of conversation and argument. And if you visit most of these restaurants and order wine, be prepared to pay $150 and up for two, probably more.

Of the top 10, I have only been to Joël Robuchon (on assignment and it was fabulous) and Picasso (that only because my generous brother sprang for a family celebration there. It was "fine dining" with ultra-attentive service, but the prices can give you indigestion).

Eating Las Vegas, however, does spotlight some lower-cost locals' favorites, such as China Mama and Raku in Chinatown, and M&M Soul Food Cafe.