Zagat’s 2007 Las Vegas guide is out. Flipping through, we have to say that either the good people of Sin City are mad geniuses or just plain mad: how else to explain the 28 ratings for Rosemary’s (below), a homely neighborhood joint out Summerlin-way and Lotus of Siam, a wonderful but dumpy Thai hole-in-the-wall?

Sure, the latter’s been loved all up by everyone from Gourmet to Cat Fancy over the years, but its still a major dump, in a dodgy neighborhood.

Here’s the funny part. Nothing else got ratings that high. Not the fancy-pants Parisian imports, not Michael Mina, not nothing, no-how.

Frankly, this just illustrates why we like Las Vegas so much. Airlift all the megastars and the international brands you want, but at the end of the day, this is still a small southwestern city that can’t be bothered to pretend to be anything but.

Sure, the 27 and 26 categories are full of names-you-know, but the top spots? Reserved for the home-grown gems, places where locals (some of whom no doubt work for the Big Guys) actually eat on a regular basis. Well done.