don't forget about downtown.

Justifiably lost in the CityCenter saves Vegas hype is the opening of a new hotel tower at downtown's Golden Nugget. The 500-room Rush Tower, opened just before Thanksgiving, includes a beautiful new valet and lobby area complete with a jewelry store, a 75,000-gallon tropical aquarium behind the check-in desk that opens into a new Chart House seafood restaurant and lounge, and an additional pool and cabana setup adjacent to the Golden Nugget's already cool swimming pool area (you know, the one with the sharks swimming around).

The Chart House is a recognized restaurant brand that typically situates locations near large bodies of water. (There is another Nevada location at Lake Tahoe.) With the massive aquarium reflecting light and the teal tiling in the bar entryway, this gorgeous room feels fun and refined in a classic way, what I imagine the Old Vegas seafood rooms looked like back when there were only a couple places to eat in each casino. You can get a look at it at Golden Nugget's website here. The Chart House menu mixes the type of old-school offerings you might have ordered back in the day (coconut shrimp, Lobster Francese) with some modern spin. A trio of hummus flavors or soups (gazpacho, chowder, lobster bisque) are interesting starters. There are steaks, chops and prime rib, and the regular fish selection includes crab-stuffed flounder, Chilean sea bass, ginger-soy ahi, macadamia-crusted mahi and miso-glazed salmon. Surf and turf has a fresh twist: it's tender beef short ribs with either scallops or bronzed mahi.

Through the years, the Golden Nugget continues to set itself apart from its old Fremont Street brethren, not only in renovation and improvement, but just in overall experience and certainly in cuisine. This new restaurant, along with the Grotto and Vic & Anthony's Steakhouse, are three of the best places to eat downtown. Times are tough around here, but the Nugget refuses to be pulled down by its struggling surroundings.