Senor Hamachi and I are off to Vegas in a couple of weeks. It's been a couple of years since we were last there, and it seems like a lot has opened...and that prices have escalated dramatically! I'm looking for suggestions for a more casual but good dinner (no buffet, looking for something in the $15-20 entree range with decent wine - is this an impossibility?) and somewhere nice for lunch. Ideally the restaurants would be on the Strip as we won't have a car and we're only there for 2 days.
I've looked here and other places and it seems like everything has gotten really expensive and the wine markup - YIKES! Is there anything like a good brasserie where I won't have to dress up like a trendoid to get served? I've read about Mon Amis Gabi and that sounds like it has potential, although from what I can gather (why don't menus online have prices?) a little more than I was hoping to spend.

Thanks!

I had a great steak & crab leg dinner in Paris last summer that was under $15.00. As you enter the shopping/restaurant hall from the casino, the restaurant would be on the left. They usually have a sign in front listing their specials. Also, their breakfast buffet is my favorite in town.

Go to www.billhere.com , and look into his coupons. It's a good service, worth the shipping charges. It will help you stretch your dollars.

JP

If you like Italian, consider Batista's Hole in the Wall. It an family owned resturaunt located just off the strip across from Ballys.

Batista's Hole in the Wall, 4041 Audrie (off Flamingo Road, just east of Las Vegas Boulevard), Central Strip, Las Vegas. Phone 702-732-1424.


(Might run $15-25)

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Michael Steinberg
Editor
BizTrip
www.biztrip.com

For lunch, the best food is at the Grand Lux Cafe at the Venetian. It does have a Vegas coffee shop atmosphere but the food is wonderful and the menu is enormous. It's run by the Cheesecake Factory.

Battista's is a nice choice for a casual Italian dinner. It's all-inclusive, including all the wine you can drink.

If you want something a little nicer, Emeril's (MGM) is fabulous and not as outrageously priced as many. Reservations a must.

QL

How about the Coyote Cafe, the casual dining compliment to Mark Miller's Grill Room, inside the MGM Grand? I've had several good meals there. As the name might imply, it is Southwestern cuisine from Chef Mark Miller of Santa Fe, NM.

Mon Ami Gabi at Paris Las Vegas is a very good choice. Excellent steak frites, as well as omelettes at brunch. It fronts the Strip and is across from the Belagio fountains.

Great suggestions everyone. Keep 'em coming!! Thanks!

The Japanese restaurant inside Caesar's is called Hyakumi and it is excellent. While there are a few items above the price range you mention, there is a large selection that is quite reasonably priced. If you go, order a la carte rather than Teppan Yaki.

We were just in Vegas and ate at Mon Ami Gabi.

Price for the Hanger Steak Classique was $20. The filet was $26. Salads ran around $7. Same for the the onion soup which was way too much soup to have with dinner.
Sides like spinach and asparagus were $6.50
or so. The steaks are served with a huge pile of frittes (these were almost a cross between french fries and potato chips).

Commander's Palace was pretty good too but it was quite a bit pricier.

I'd give Mon Ami Gabi a thumbs up.

Check out the forums at www.chowhound.com for some good places to try.

For lunch, check out the resturaunt in the Ellis Island casino. In this thread, a number of folks seemed to like it:

http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...ML/000148.html

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Michael Steinberg
Editor
BizTrip
www.biztrip.com

Agree 100%. In addition, you can sit at the bar and the "outside" patio at MGM Emeril's without a rez. Shrimp Po Boy with a Blackened VooDoo beer: mmmmmmm

Not the most upscale eateries, but the Binion's snack bar and sportsbook deli are also excellent choices for those unnamed meals that occur at odd times while in Vegas.

Thanks for the fun link!