Dispatches from the latest Las Vegas restaurant reconnaissance:

■ China Mama, the popular Chinatown restaurant closed by a late March fire, has opened China Mama Express, 4250 S. Rainbow Blvd., under the same management and kitchen team. The menu, unusually deep for a takeout spot, offers dishes such as cold noodles in Sichuan sauce, scallion pancakes, sweet and sour sliced fish, crisp duck, stir-fried lamb, spicy twice-cooked pork and beef in black pepper sauce.

It’s still unclear if China Mama is going to open a sit-down restaurant in Shanghai Plaza in Chinatown, as the Review-Journal previously reported was a possibility. Visit chinamamaxpress.com (no “e” before the “x”).

■ Crossroads Lounge is debuting this week inside Crossroads Kitchen, the plant-based restaurant from chef Tal Ronnen that opened in Resorts World in May 2022. The Crossroads Lounge menu includes specialty cocktails.

■ Taste of Asia, from restaurateur Karrie Hung, is now open for lunch and dinner in the Suncoast. The menu features dishes such as Hong Kong-style crisp noodles, ginger-scallion lobster noodles, roast duck, Mongolian beef, and a selection of diam sum (xiao long bao, siu mai, char siu bao and more).

■ River Rock Pizza & Pasta is scheduled to debut this summer at Arizona Charlie’s Decatur, with Neapolitan-style pies, rock memorabilia and about 160 seats. The menu also features salads, pork-and-beef meatballs and braised short rib cavatelli. The first River Rock Pizza is in the Aquarius casino in Laughlin.

■ Dragon Tiger Noodle Co. is planning a location at 4205 S. Grand Canyon Drive, south of the 215 Beltway and West Flamingo Road, according to business license records. Chef Jet Tila recently opened his fourth Dragon Tiger restaurant in Boca Park. The menu showcases bowls built from choice of noodles, broth, proteins, vegetables, toppings and add-ons.

■ Pink Pink Tea Shoppe is going into Fashion Show mall, according to its website and business license records. The shop, which has three locations in the Bay Area and three more on the way there, serves tea, boba and matcha drinks, plus smoothies, with various toppings.

■ Big Wong Restaurant in Chinatown is closing at 8 p.m. May 30, according to its social media. The owners are retiring. The restaurant opened in 2011 and became popular for its affordable Chinese standards.

Many plant-based burgers try to replicate the experience of meat. Not the new Veggie Shack from Shake Shack. It’s proudly veggie, built with mushrooms, sweet potatoes, carrots, farro and quinoa, then topped with American cheese, crisp onions, pickles and house sauce.

The Veggie Shack might not set out to mimic meat, but it’s satisfying (though not too heavy). The sandwich recently hit the spot at lunch with a new nondairy (you’d never know) chocolate shake and a boat of corrugated fries. The Veggie Shack, the shake and a nondairy frozen custard are available at all Shake Shacks in the valley.

Limoncello Fresh Italian Kitchen, 8245 W. Sahara Ave., has introduced new menu items from Carla Pellegrino, the “Top Chef” star who recently joined the restaurant as chef and partner.

Among the dishes: jumbo lump crab meat and jumbo shrimp cocktails, linguine with jumbo shrimp, housemade squid ink spaghetti with seafood, pear and arugula salad, mussels and clams in white wine broth, and a 44-ounce tomahawk steak with port wine demi-glace. Visit limoncellolv.com.

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