Clark County Street Vendor Rules Approved

They seemed to have appeared overnight. Street vendors, at corners throughout the valley, serving up delicious drinks and often Mexican fare. While many are seen to have lines wrapped down the sidewalk, the legitimacy of the vendors has been up for debate. There were no Clark County street vendor rules for this type of pop up business.

On Tuesday, that changed.

Last year, Governor Joe Lombardo signed Senate Bill 92 into law. That helped create a legal pathway for street vendors to do business in the state. Lombardo calling it "part of the Nevada fabric". Almost as soon as it was signed, an explosion of more businesses opened up.

The issue is the location and time of those pop up restaurants. Sometimes they are open in front of a brick and mortar restaurant, or late into the night. That lack of a rulebook is what led to Tuesday's vote.

The Clark County Commission had a meeting to create a new ordinance that will change what it is you see at your neighborhood street corner.

Sidewalk vendors will have to pay a $150 annual license fee to the county, have insurance and get the all clear from the Southern Nevada Health District. That last part will certainly be a decent sigh of relief for curious onlookers who think the food might be a little suspect.

The vendors also cannot set up shop within 500 feet of a school that is in session, recreation or community center, or park. That narrows the window quite a bit more. They also cannot set up within 15 feet of an intersection, cross walk or bus stop. Many of the setups are at major intersections so that, too, will create a change of scenery.

Arguably the biggest change, vendors cannot operate from 9pm-8am. Some of these spots are hopping late into the night, so these new Clark County street vendor rules will put a hamper on those late night munchies.

One of my favorite things in the world, besides peanut butter hot dogs, is a good sandwich. Sandwiches are without a doubt, in my humble opinion, the perfect food. The bread, chock full of meat (or salad for my vegetarian friends). Typically, you can't go wrong with this fistful of breaded love.

It seems unthinkable that sandwiches, as we know them, didn't always exist. It's only been in the last 100 years that the sub sandwich, or even just a fun filled “Dagwood”, came on the scene. For those who don't know what the "Dagwood" is, here you go.

The origins of the sandwich have been debated for years, but the most common theory is the sandwich was born in the town of Sandwich, England. In 1782, John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, was playing poker and didn't want to leave the table. At this point, people ate their meat and bread separately and away from the tables involving gaming states, britannica.com.

Since he was playing a hand, John didn't want to leave the table to eat. So, he told his people to put the meat in between the bread, and bring it to him, so he could hold his food and play cards at the same time. And Voila... The sandwich was born, according to britannica.com.

Personally, I'm not a fan of eating handheld food at the poker table. The poker chips alone are nasty little carriers of cooties. However, according to britannica.com, John Montagu lived to be a lot longer than people were expected to in the 1700s. So there might be some truth to that "building immunity" thing I always hear moms saying to justify their kids eating food off of the floor.

And the common thread of poker and sandwiches doesn't end there. According to whatscookingamerica.net, in 1925, Augustine DiCostanzo and his wife, Catherine, opened up a grocery store that stayed open late to accommodate the poker players in the area.

The Folklore goes that one of the players walked in and asked Catherine what she was cooking, because it was making him hungry. She told him she was frying sweet and hot peppers. So he asked her if she would make him a sandwich with everything on it, including the peppers. She grabbed a loaf of Vienna bread and sliced in lengthwise and made what is considered the very first “Hoagie” sandwich.

With that said, I thought I’d share my favorite spots around town to grab that perfect hand held food. Let's start at the beginning.

My fourth favorite place to get a sandwich in Vegas is at The Earl of Sandwich. They have five locations around town. One in the Miracle Mile Shops, one at Fashion Show Mall, one in the Palms, one on South Rainbow, and one in Summerlin.

Their menu has all kinds of breakfast sandwiches along with lunch style sandwiches, including some for vegetarians and vegans. But guess what? This chick loves meat. Bacon to be exact. Although I would argue bacon isn't meat. It's LOVE. So my pick here is the Breakfast BLT. YUM.

If you haven't been to Bagel Café yet, and you live in Vegas, well, you are missing out my friend. I could write a book about how great this place is. Breakfast is so good, and lunch is killer as well.

All my New Yorker friends agree. And that is tough because people from the Big Apple are very picky about their delis. Yet, this one takes the cake (and gives you a huge slice of it). It also takes my pick. My favorite is the Classic Overstuffed sandwich.

They have two locations in town. One in Summerlin, but you have to get there a little early on some days. They close at 5 p.m. Saturday through Monday. They're open until 8 p.m. during the rest of the week, if you're a late night sandwich eater. The one in the South Point is open late, 10 p.m. or later, seven days a week.

And since they serve breakfast sandwiches too, both locations are open by 8 a.m.

I firmly believe that if you don't like Jersey Mike's, you aren't a true American. OK, maybe that's a bit extreme. But dude, this sandwich is off-the-charts good. Plus these guys sell TastyKake products. That's pretty all-American, if you ask me. And so is the Club Sub, full of turkey, ham, provolone and, of course, BACON!

Fortunately for all of us, there are about 15 locations in the Vegas valley. Most locations close at 9 p.m., so you can satisfy at least the early-night craving.

Before Ike's, I loved sandwiches. After Ike's? Well, I'm down “to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until parted by death. This is my solemn vow."

Yes, I’d marry the sandwiches at Ike's.  And not just one, but multiple. Menage A Trois? Oh for sure. Halal Chicken, real honey on top of Honey Mustard BBQ sauce, three cheeses and the Dirty Sauce. Too die for!

Only three locations in Las Vegas. Flamingo & Durango, Charleston & Rampart, and in the Fashion Show Mall.

In closing, I don’t think you can go wrong with any of these fine delicious sandwiches. Just not sure eating one at the poker table is advised. These are too messy and poker chips are filthy enough.