One of the reasons why I like going to Las Vegas is the incredible number of great restaurants there. One problem with this is that on any given trip to Vegas, there’s only time to eat at two or three of these amazing restaurants.

This summer I was in Las Vegas and had some great restaurant experiences. One afternoon, I was in the mood for good food, but wasn’t quite hungry enough for a full meal. I decided to go to the Julian Serrano tapas restaurant in the Aria hotel.

Tapas restaurants became very popular about four years ago. Instead of a traditional menu, tapas restaurants typically serve several appetizer-style dishes instead of one large meal. The Julian Serrano is one of the best tapas-style restaurants anywhere.

For my late-lunch / early-dinner meal, I had two different kinds of “albondigas” (meatballs in Spanish). One was more or less normal, but very tasty, and the other (“Bomba”) was non-traditional and quite spicy.

I also had “Brava Potatoes”. These are hard to describe; sort of cubed, broiled, and accompanied by a nice tomato-based sauce. I also tried “Pintxo de Chorizos”. This was spicy sausage, along with a flavorful Spanish sauce and pureed potatoes.

I ate at Julian Serrano before going to see the Cirque du Soleil “O” show, a couple of hotels away at the Bellagio. My meal was absolutely a perfect pre-show meal — not too much and not too little.

The next time you’re in Las Vegas, if you’re anywhere near the middle of the Strip in the late afternoon, and you’re hungry, but not too hungry, consider the Julian Serrano tapas restaurant in the Aria hotel.