The Consolidated "Restaurant and bar reviews/recommendations/questions" thread
 

I'm planning my first trip to Vegas for this Thanksgiving, and need recommendations for our "splurge" dinner. We want to have one fancy meal while we're there, possibly Thanksgiving Day. My mother-in-law wants good vegetarian selections; my wife will eat meat but will look for low-cal choices. I and the rest of the party are easy to please. Italian and Chinese have been mentioned as possibilities, but really the type of food isn't too important (though French is not our favorite). Any suggestions?

If you're looking for one of a kind, gourmet, "out of this world" I have two recommendations:

First: Picasso at the Bellagio. Prixe Fixe menu, if memory serves, about $75 a head for the food. Wine list goes from $50 - to the moon. The food was terrific, and all the art in the restaurant is, you guessed it: original Piccaso. I had kinda forgot this fact the first time there. Went to the bar, ordered, looked over the bar, "oh!". Looked to the left, "oh!" Looked to the right "oh!". More Picasso than you can shake a stick at. http://www.bellagio.com/pages/din_picasso.asp

Second: Aureole at the Mandalay Bay. Dined in the "Swan Room". Awesome restaurant. Great food, cool atmosphere. The multi storey wine "cube" with the climb and rapel "wine angels" is incredible. The Swan room is very romantic with swans swimming by. Figure about $75 a head for the meal/desert. wine proces, again $50 - the moon. http://www.mandalaybay.com/dining/restaurants.jsp

In addition my personal favorite place just "to eat" is Delmonico's Steak House at the Venetian. Emeril has his name on it, great gumbo, steaks, and Bananas Foster Pie. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif


[This message has been edited by skofarrell (edited 09-09-2002).]

I agree with SKO about Picasso and Delmonico, and would add Aqua (at Bellagio), which has great service and the best food in town. Picasso has the best atmosphere of any restaurant anywhere but it has an extremely limited menu so it may not be the best choice for picky eaters.

I've eaten at Aureole twice and thought it was good but not world class. I much prefer Red Square (also at Mandalay Bay).

Isis (at Luxor) is a wonderful gourmet room with superb service and food. Olio (at MGM) is just wonderful under new executive chef Clay Conley, and don't forget Emeril's New Orleans Fish House, also at MGM.

Bon Appetit!

I know that I've been to Red Square twice, but after a few Chernobyls, I can't seem to remember anything about it... http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/wink.gif

Has anyone been to Commander's Palace (Aladdin)? It was fabulous in New Orleans the time I was there...does this hold true for LV? It has been a couple of years since I was there so I don't quite remember pricing.

I second QuiteLion's Aqua recommendation - the five course tasting menu was fabulous. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...m/thumbsup.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...m/thumbsup.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...m/thumbsup.gif
They even have a wine tasting menu to go with each course. We splurged for the someliers premium wine tasting and my Amex has been smarting ever since!

I'd love to had tried Picasso, but it 'requires' a jacket for gentlemen, and I didn't bring one. So bear that in mind when you pack.

I'd also recommend Todd English's Olives (again at Bellagio). If you can, get an outdoor table to watch the Bellagio fountains. Though you may wish to decline if it is very windy. Note you can only request outdoor seating after 5pm on the day of your reservation.

[This message has been edited by LHR Tim (edited 09-10-2002).]

I haven't eaten at Commander's in Las Vegas but I did pass through the Alladin last time in LV. Commander's is located in the Dessert Passage mall and looked alot more casual than the NOLA version. It seems to lack the atmosphere from what I could see.

Welcome to FT PDX BILL

Thanks for the information and the welcome.

I made it to Vegas overnight for a business meeting this week and ate at the Charlie Palmer Steakhouse in the Four Seasons. It was good, but probably not worth what we paid. And the service was surprisingly sloppy.

Interesting that there were two strong recommendations given for Aqua, a co-worker told me hated it. No accounting for taste I guess.

I checked the menu at Isis and wasn't too inspired; right now I'm leaning towards Red Square or Olives. I don't think I'll be taking a jacket along just to get into Picasso.

Yes, the Olive Garden on Tropicana is very nice. No jacket required.

If you have car want to go to one of the top restuarants in Vegas go to ROSEMARY'S it is a little drive but well worth it. You get away from the show-off glitzy Vegas crowd, place is upscale but frequented by the people who actually live in Vegas, extensive wine list and fabulous food in my opinion better than Aqua,Red Square, Aureole and food on par with Picasso. Plus you bill for a much better meal will be 60% of what you will spend at those other places.
Mike

Best Restaurants in Vegas?
 

With so many new restaurants popping up in Las Vegas all the time, I wanted to see what other FlyerTalk members think is the best one in Vegas (or at least your favorite!). For me, they are:

1. Pinot Brasserie at the Venetian - Probably among the least well-known of all the Venetian restaurants, this one ranks in our books as our favorite, probably because we had very little expectations (literally stumbled upon it) and because it so exceeded them. Delicious French/Californian-style cuisine, our favorite dish was the lobster risotto, which sauce seemed to be reduced infinitely until ever drop of lobster essence was infused into the risotto. Simply the best risotto we have ever had, and we have never come across a better lobster dish.

2. Le Cirque at the Bellagio - Okay, so it's a bit over-the-top, but hey, it's Vegas! With a decor that really does resemble a circus, the food is magnificent French. I would recommend any of the truffle dishes. Pounded by their amazing wine selection, we don't remember much else of the meal. Strangely, the Le Cirque 2000 in New York is even more outrageous in decor than this Vegas jewel - go figure!

3. Bouchon at the Venetian - One of the "newer" restaurants that we've tried, Bouchon is the signature restaurant in the relatively new Venezia tower of the hotel. Granted we missed the normal "dinner" hours and were restricted to just their "after-hours" menu, but still, what a meal! The homemade goose liver terrine came in its own glass jar, and oozing with fat and cholesterol. The seafood platter was delicious, remarkably fresh for a non-seaside destination, and the desserts were phenomenal. Bouchon will be our first meal the next time we return to Vegas so we can try the "hot" menu!

4. Nobu at the Hard Rock Hotel - What more can one say about this restaurant that hasn't been said already? Nobu is a quality establishment that's not necessarily the best in either of its main cuisines (Alan Wong's, among many others, have better Asian-style fusion/Pacific Rim cuisine and Ginza Sushiko had by far the best sushi we have ever tasted), but always a welcome retreat into fine Japanese dining with a twist whenever we happen upon one. Having said, we prefer the New York and Malibu restaurants (in that order), but not bad at all for Las Vegas.

5. Delmonico Steakhouse at the Venetian - Okay, I admit I frequent the Venetian restaurants quite a bit having stayed there twice, but what can you do when they provide such quality fare? This no-frills steakhouse is housed in a very modern, almost minimalist space in beige hues, and while the setting can feel a bit too "power lunch" at times, the steaks are undeniably excellent. Which a choice of every cut of steak you can imagine, the portions are tremendous and we often ended up ordering too much or just sharing one slab of meat. We've had the rib-eye, the porterhouse and the filet mignon, which were all excellent, though we prefer the rib-eye for its combination of tenderness and flavor. The filet, while almost Kobe-like in its tenderness, is a bit lacking in taste. Steaks also come with taster's menu serving of their homemade sauces, and their side vegetables like creamed spinach and baked potato are what you would expect from a high-quality steakhouse. Surprisingly, we found the best thing on the menu not to be the steaks, but rather the steak tartare appetizer...a must try!

6. The Verandah at the Four Seasons - Granted, we've only had breakfast at this relaxed establishment, but what a breakfast! With lovely outdoor patio seating overlooking the gardens and pool, and a scrumptious breakfast buffet, this is our favorite place in Vegas to relax with a cup of coffee and the morning paper. The a la carte menu is fab too, and everything you expect a Four Seasons breakfast to be. One of the best things about staying at the Four Seasons Las Vegas, methinks!

I don't think my tastes are quite as sophisticated as yours, but here are some of my favorites:

Lotus of Siam - see review at - http://www.offbeattravel.com/siam.html
Border grill at Mandalay Bay Las Vegas - Great Mexican
Ghandi Indian Cuisine - It's been a few years since I've been there but I plan to go back next time I'm in town.

Miku Araman
Free things to do in Las Vegas

I thoroughly enjoyed Picasso at the Bellagio.

I actually quite liked Border Grill at the Mandalay Bay as well. Very good Mexican, though one thing I wish we did different was sit indoors rather than on the patio as it was scorching that day!