Dining in Las Vegas: Part 2

[Marlene]

What about Michel Richard's restaurant in Caesar's Palace, Central. Is it any good?

[CoraYvette]

We ate breakfast there September 2011. There's not alot of room for Michel Richard to be Michel Richard on the breakfast menu. He is interesting. His food is fabulous. This is a 24 hour cafe. The dinner menu which i did not try looked far more interesting than the boring breakfast menu.

BTW we took our 12 year old twins to Citronelle in DC in 2010 and it was an extraordinary experience for each of us. Each of us was tempted to try new culinary ideas and we were all stuffed and happy by nights end. The girls stil talk about Citronelle. So do DH and I.

[Marlene]

We ate breakfast there September 2011. There's not alot of room for Michel Richard to be Michel Richard on the breakfast menu. He is interesting. His food is fabulous. This is a 24 hour cafe. The dinner menu which i did not try looked far more interesting than the boring breakfast menu.

BTW we took our 12 year old twins to Citronelle in DC in 2010 and it was an extraordinary experience for each of us. Each of us was tempted to try new culinary ideas and we were all stuffed and happy by nights end. The girls stil talk about Citronelle. So do DH and I.

Thanks! I have his cookbook and I met him once at a Gourmet event. We're going back to Vegas in April and thought we might try Central for dinner one night.

[Todd in Chicago]

Hey folks...

That time of year is coming up for me for our trip to Vegas (Yeah!!).

This year we'll be staying at the Encore (Wynn) again, and thus far have the following reservations lined up:

Michael Mina

Gordon Ramsay's Steak (we are fans of the show, so feel somewhat compelled (intrigued?) to go....

Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill

Joel Robouchon

Comments or suggestions appreciated!

These are almost all new this year for us with one return visit; Joel Robouchon, which quite frankly to us may have been the best meal we have ever had (certainly the most $$$)!.

Cheers...

Todd in Chicago

[David Ross]

Hey folks...

That time of year is coming up for me for our trip to Vegas (Yeah!!).

This year we'll be staying at the Encore (Wynn) again, and thus far have the following reservations lined up:

Michael Mina

Gordon Ramsay's Steak (we are fans of the show, so feel somewhat compelled (intrigued?) to go....

Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill

Joel Robouchon

Comments or suggestions appreciated!

These are almost all new this year for us with one return visit; Joel Robouchon, which quite frankly to us may have been the best meal we have ever had (certainly the most $$$)!.

Cheers...

Todd in Chicago

You won't be disappointed in Mina. I was there for a private lunch during Uncork'd in May and it was fabulous. A friend of mine who lives in Las Vegas and is a Food Writer has been to Mina twice in the past couple of months and reported it was outstanding on both visits.

I'm hearing and reading very good reviews about Gordon Ramsay Steak. I was one of the skeptics before it opened, but based on what I'm hearing, the service and the food is really quite good. The few bumps in the road on opening week have apparently been smoothed over.

[Brown Hornet]

Hey folks...

That time of year is coming up for me for our trip to Vegas (Yeah!!).

This year we'll be staying at the Encore (Wynn) again, and thus far have the following reservations lined up:

Michael Mina

Gordon Ramsay's Steak (we are fans of the show, so feel somewhat compelled (intrigued?) to go....

Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill

Joel Robouchon

Comments or suggestions appreciated!

These are almost all new this year for us with one return visit; Joel Robouchon, which quite frankly to us may have been the best meal we have ever had (certainly the most $$$)!.

Cheers...

Todd in Chicago

That list looks awesome and I'm jealous. Whenever I go to Vegas I invariably end up with groups that have no interest spending money at the higher end Vegas restaurants.

I did make it to Cut on my last trip and was very impressed. From the perfectly made Sazerac (why do so many bars struggle with this simple drink?), a unique bone marrow flan appetizer, to an amazing steak, it well exceeded my expectations for a celebrity chef-branded steakhouse.

[Todd in Chicago]

David/Brown Hornet....

Thanks for your comments! I feel like we've made some decent picks and I'm sure they will serve us well. Pretty cool, I found out Robouchon offers complimentary limo pickup from your hotel (if not staying at the MGM), and drops you off at the private front entrance...cool!

I'll post our experiences when we get back.

Cheers, and thanks again for the comments.

Todd in Chicago

[C Simril]

I dined at Robuchon last Feb when I was staying at the Imperial Palace. I was told a gold cadillac labelled MGM Grand would pick me up, but it didn't appear. The attendant asked who I was waiting for and I said the Robuchon vehicle. He directed me to a black SUV, no labelling whatsoever. Felt like I was in a spy movie. Food was good, although the atmosphere was more Versailles than one would expect in Vegas in this era. I kept expecting Marie Antoinette to come out and offer me some cake.

[Todd in Chicago]

I dined at Robuchon last Feb when I was staying at the Imperial Palace. I was told a gold cadillac labelled MGM Grand would pick me up, but it didn't appear. The attendant asked who I was waiting for and I said the Robuchon vehicle. He directed me to a black SUV, no labelling whatsoever. Felt like I was in a spy movie. Food was good, although the atmosphere was more Versailles than one would expect in Vegas in this era. I kept expecting Marie Antoinette to come out and offer me some cake.

C Simril, LOL...that sounds funny! When we dined there last, they in fact DID send us home with a complimentary citrusy pound cake wrapped fancily in purple cellophane. Even the pound cake was delicious!

Todd in Chicago

[David Ross]

In the past couple of weeks Caesar's announced some new restaurants. Probably one of the worst kept secrets in town over the past 5 years was when would Bradley Ogden close and what would go in the space. Then once Gordon Ramsay landed at the Paris Hotel with his steakhouse, the worse kept secret was when Gordon would open a restaurant in the Bradley Ogden space. Apparently such issues as contracts take an incredible amount of time, and money, to become something tangible in Las Vegas. Goodbye's were passed out to Ogden and his staff last week, (apparently then actually welcomed the final word), and within two days I received a press release announcing Gordon Ramsay's Pub at Caesar's Palace. One hopes it's far better than the Pub down the road with the name of Todd English over the door.

Caesar's then announced a few days later that the long awaited reconstruction of the buffet, (formerly known as Cafe Lago), will open in September under the name of Baccahnal Buffet. It sounds like its going to top the bigger and more lavish buffets in Las Vegas.

[jsmeeker]

I dined at Robuchon last Feb when I was staying at the Imperial Palace. I was told a gold cadillac labelled MGM Grand would pick me up, but it didn't appear. The attendant asked who I was waiting for and I said the Robuchon vehicle. He directed me to a black SUV, no labelling whatsoever. Felt like I was in a spy movie. Food was good, although the atmosphere was more Versailles than one would expect in Vegas in this era. I kept expecting Marie Antoinette to come out and offer me some cake.

lol.. Staying at the IP and going to Robuchon at the Mansion at MGM Grand. That's a big change in environments.

[jsmeeker]

In the past couple of weeks Caesar's announced some new restaurants. Probably one of the worst kept secrets in town over the past 5 years was when would Bradley Ogden close and what would go in the space. Then once Gordon Ramsay landed at the Paris Hotel with his steakhouse, the worse kept secret was when Gordon would open a restaurant in the Bradley Ogden space. Apparently such issues as contracts take an incredible amount of time, and money, to become something tangible in Las Vegas. Goodbye's were passed out to Ogden and his staff last week, (apparently then actually welcomed the final word), and within two days I received a press release announcing Gordon Ramsay's Pub at Caesar's Palace. One hopes it's far better than the Pub down the road with the name of Todd English over the door.

Caesar's then announced a few days later that the long awaited reconstruction of the buffet, (formerly known as Cafe Lago), will open in September under the name of Baccahnal Buffet. It sounds like its going to top the bigger and more lavish buffets in Las Vegas.

I'm seriously considering hitting up Gordon Ramsey Steak at Paris on my next trip to Vegas in November. Looking forward to seeing what they do with the gastro pub in the old Bradley Ogden space.

[David Ross]

I dined at Robuchon last Feb when I was staying at the Imperial Palace. I was told a gold cadillac labelled MGM Grand would pick me up, but it didn't appear. The attendant asked who I was waiting for and I said the Robuchon vehicle. He directed me to a black SUV, no labelling whatsoever. Felt like I was in a spy movie. Food was good, although the atmosphere was more Versailles than one would expect in Vegas in this era. I kept expecting Marie Antoinette to come out and offer me some cake.

lol.. Staying at the IP and going to Robuchon at the Mansion at MGM Grand. That's a big change in environments.

HAH! I thought the same thing.

[David Ross]

In the past couple of weeks Caesar's announced some new restaurants. Probably one of the worst kept secrets in town over the past 5 years was when would Bradley Ogden close and what would go in the space. Then once Gordon Ramsay landed at the Paris Hotel with his steakhouse, the worse kept secret was when Gordon would open a restaurant in the Bradley Ogden space. Apparently such issues as contracts take an incredible amount of time, and money, to become something tangible in Las Vegas. Goodbye's were passed out to Ogden and his staff last week, (apparently then actually welcomed the final word), and within two days I received a press release announcing Gordon Ramsay's Pub at Caesar's Palace. One hopes it's far better than the Pub down the road with the name of Todd English over the door.

Caesar's then announced a few days later that the long awaited reconstruction of the buffet, (formerly known as Cafe Lago), will open in September under the name of Baccahnal Buffet. It sounds like its going to top the bigger and more lavish buffets in Las Vegas.

I'm seriously considering hitting up Gordon Ramsey Steak at Paris on my next trip to Vegas in November. Looking forward to seeing what they do with the gastro pub in the old Bradley Ogden space.

I'm trying to go in the Fall, maybe October or November. Food and Wine has an event in October. I regularly read reviews on Gordon Ramsay Steak at Paris and since they've opened, the food has been consistently good. There appear to be some service glitches, but that's understandable for a new restaurant, especially one with this much focus on it.

[Todd in Chicago]

In the past couple of weeks Caesar's announced some new restaurants. Probably one of the worst kept secrets in town over the past 5 years was when would Bradley Ogden close and what would go in the space. Then once Gordon Ramsay landed at the Paris Hotel with his steakhouse, the worse kept secret was when Gordon would open a restaurant in the Bradley Ogden space. Apparently such issues as contracts take an incredible amount of time, and money, to become something tangible in Las Vegas. Goodbye's were passed out to Ogden and his staff last week, (apparently then actually welcomed the final word), and within two days I received a press release announcing Gordon Ramsay's Pub at Caesar's Palace. One hopes it's far better than the Pub down the road with the name of Todd English over the door.

Caesar's then announced a few days later that the long awaited reconstruction of the buffet, (formerly known as Cafe Lago), will open in September under the name of Baccahnal Buffet. It sounds like its going to top the bigger and more lavish buffets in Las Vegas.

I'm seriously considering hitting up Gordon Ramsey Steak at Paris on my next trip to Vegas in November. Looking forward to seeing what they do with the gastro pub in the old Bradley Ogden space.

I'm trying to go in the Fall, maybe October or November. Food and Wine has an event in October. I regularly read reviews on Gordon Ramsay Steak at Paris and since they've opened, the food has been consistently good. There appear to be some service glitches, but that's understandable for a new restaurant, especially one with this much focus on it.

I have GOT to try the Beef Wellington.....on tv it looks sooooooooooo good!!

Did you guys look at the menu? Looks pretty good to me.

I see that Michael Mina has a tasting menu, which for some reason appears very reasonable to me......am I missing something?

Todd in Chicago

[Andrew]

I see that Michael Mina has a tasting menu, which for some reason appears very reasonable to me......am I missing something?

I had the tasting menu last time I was in LV (about 18 months ago) and was really impressed. In terms of quality and value it was one of the best meals I've had in Vegas.

Andrew

[Derek J]

I'm going to Vegas in November and have reservations at Gordon Ramsay Steak and Bouchon. I'm very excited. Dinner for 2 at those restaurants will probably cost less combined than my solo dining experience at Alinea last year. Still planning on where else to go. I can't afford any more high end dining, so Robuchon and company will just have to wait until.

[Todd in Chicago]

I'm going to Vegas in November and have reservations at Gordon Ramsay Steak and Bouchon. I'm very excited. Dinner for 2 at those restaurants will probably cost less combined than my solo dining experience at Alinea last year. Still planning on where else to go. I can't afford any more high end dining, so Robuchon and company will just have to wait until.

Derek J.....

We dined at Gordon Ramsay over the Labor day weekend and order the special "Limited Edition" tasting menu with wine pairing which included a souvenir menu and photograph of Chef neatly packaged into. We did have reservations and they were about 30-40 minutes late in seating us. Other than that, the service was good and the food was great. It was much better than I expected. I'll be posting the full set of photos later this week.

Cheers...

Todd in Chicago

[David Ross]

I'm going to Vegas in November and have reservations at Gordon Ramsay Steak and Bouchon. I'm very excited. Dinner for 2 at those restaurants will probably cost less combined than my solo dining experience at Alinea last year. Still planning on where else to go. I can't afford any more high end dining, so Robuchon and company will just have to wait until.

Believe it or not, I'm hearing good reviews from Food Writers in Las Vegas about the new buffet at Caesar's Palace. It's sort of modeled on the buffet concept at the Wicked Spoon at the Cosmopolitan-small plates of food rather than groaning steam trays of tepid stuff. It might be worth a try.

The next great opening with much loud fanfare will be late November or early December when Gordon Ramsay Pub opens in the former Bradley Ogden place at Caesar's.

If you are looking for something on a more casual, less expensive level, you might want to try the Cafe at Valentino in front of the main dining room. I hear they just got in the season's first fresh white truffles from Alba. Chef Pellegrini's Pappardelle with White Truffles and a glass of wine is all you need for a delicious meal.

[Derek J]

I was in Vegas last week and got to try out several restaurants. I've separately reviewed Gordon Ramsay Steak in its own thread (nutshell: disappointing and grossly expensive for the quality of the food). I'll give mini-reviews of the other places I ate here:

When we got into Vegas around 9 pm, we headed out to the Strip with no real plans. We stopped at the first place that appeared to serve warm food (we were quite tired after a day of travel) and ended up at PBR (professional bull riding or something). The food was hot and that was about it. Lousy service with mediocre food in a loud environment. Pretty much exactly what you would expect going throug the door. We didn't have the energy to search for something better and accepted our fate.

We grabbed lunch a couple days later at Hubert Keller's Burger Bar. The food was good. Our server appeared to have forgotten about us for quite a while (I have a great photo on my phone of my fiance putting her head down on the table in despair), but very apologetic when she discovered we were still in her section and the service was great after that.

We started our planned meals with Beijing Noodle No. 9 in Ceaser's Palace. I was relying on Eating Las Vegas 2012 for a lot of my restaurant choices. They recommended the pulled noodles in tomato and egg sauce. I tried that and it was quite good, but nothing spectacular. Definitely not something I could get back home, so I enjoyed it. My fiance got chicken fried rice (she is a hyper-picky eater who believes in 6 basic food groups: chicken fried rices, pizzas, burgers, chicken strips, tacos, and candies) which was pretty bland. I would like to try a lot more of the items on the menu and would happily go back (I'm a noodle fan).

My fiance was in charge of lunches, so the next "restaurant" we hit was ChickeNow at the food court in the Venetian. It claimed to have the world's best chicken tenders. They were okay for fast food.

We took the monorail back toward our hotel and made the grave error of stopping at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar bar and restaurant. So, so many things wrong with this place. The hostess was wearing bikini bottoms with assless chaps. Theoretically sexy, in practice just tacky and sad. We sat for about 10 minutes before a bus boy came and took our drink orders. A waitress eventually showed up and took our food orders (we just ordered dessert). We never saw her again. Our horrible food eventually arrived. No one ever checked to see if the food was satisfactory. Still later another woman brought our check. We paid and escaped as quickly as possible. Forum rules prohibit me from honestly expressing my loathing of this restaurant. Suffice it to say I've never wanted to buy a Dixie Chick's album more than when I left Toby Keith's abomination.

Next up was Gordon Ramsey Steak, reviewed elsewhere.

The next day we gave Fatburger a shot. Judged strictly on a price:quality ratio, it crushed Gordon Ramsey Steak.

For dinner, we had our best meal of the week at Border Grill at Mandalay Bay. The chips and salsa alone shamed everything we had at Gordon Ramsey Steak. I can't remember which entree I had (Cancun pork, maybe?). It was a solid dish. My fiance got chicken quesadillas and was pleased with them. I would love to work my way through the Border Grill menu. The only real criticism I would make is the price is high, but that's true of everywhere you go in Vegas.

We grabbed lunch at the Jean Phillipe Patisserie at Aria the next day. My fiance says, "It sucked." I thought it was okay and liked her sandwich as well as my own. Their coconut gelato is excellent. They have a bunch of beautiful desserts.

Our last big meal was dinner at Bouchon Bistro. We started with a crispy pork belly appetizer which was quite good (I would call it "lovely," but that just sounds pretentious). I got the Bouchon steak for dinner. It was good, but not spectacular. Once again, I was unable to resist ordering steak at a fine restaurant. Someday I'll learn that it's hard to do anything spectacular with steak and order something I can't make at home. The steak was much better seasoned than what I got at Gordon Ramsey Steak, but I could really tell the difference in the quality of the meat (no Wagyu at Bouchon). My fiance went with French fries and mac & cheese. They were both solid. Anthony Bourdain proclaimed them the best fries ever on No Reservations and I agree they were the best fries I've ever had (although fries can only climb so high on the Awesome Meter). For dessert we had the mini bouchons and the creme brulee. The mini bouchons were nicely done (a bit too bitter for my tastes, but Keller seems to like his chocolate much darker than I do) with really good presentation (they came with pumpkin ice cream, a ginger bread stick, and I think beautifully charred marshmallow on the plate). The creme brulee was quite good, but a little pricey at $12. The entire meal was well done, but I'm not sure it was worth the high sticker price (again, everything costs too much in Vegas). I would like to eat my way through Bouchon's menu if I ever win the lottery. One weird note: after taking our drink orders at the beginning of the meal, a waiter plunked down some bread and butter on our table (no serving plate) and we were left to our own devices. We didn't have bread plates. We waited a couple minutes, then figured this must be intentional, so we dug in and got crumbs everywhere. About 5 minutes later, after the table was covered in crumbs and we were nearly done with the bread, a waiter brought us bread plates. WTF? It was an odd, confusing note for a Keller restaurant. I'm not sure if the mistake was not giving us bread plates initially or giving them at the end. Or maybe at French bistros it's customary to give you a bread plate when you're done with the bread? These are mysteries that they don't prepare you for when you grow up in a fly-over state. That odd note aside, it was a fine meal and a nice end to our dining in Vegas.

[jsmeeker]

You made some interesting choices

I am in Vegas right now, and am planing on going to Gordon Ramsey Steak tomorrow. I want to read your review, but I will hold off until later. I've heard lots of GOOD things about it, so I am wondering if you had the off night?

I'll share some thoughts about meals and such later. On my second night. Dinner tonight is at Circo in Bellagio.

[David Ross]

You made some interesting choices

I am in Vegas right now, and am planing on going to Gordon Ramsey Steak tomorrow. I want to read your review, but I will hold off until later. I've heard lots of GOOD things about it, so I am wondering if you had the off night?

I'll share some thoughts about meals and such later. On my second night. Dinner tonight is at Circo in Bellagio.

Jeff, if you have a moment and Le Cirque is open next door, stop by and say hello to Ivo the Manager. Last time I had dishes from Circo was about 2 years ago and they had just taken on a new young Chef. Don't remember the name or if he is still there, but all the pastas were fabulous.

[David Ross]

The third edition of "Eating Las Vegas-The 50 Essential Restaurants 2013" is now out and it's a fascinating read. This year the three amigos-John Curtas, Al Mancini and Max Jacobson-went off-script by including two local restaurants in their Top Ten List-Raku and Marche Bacchus. That's huge recognition to the local dining scene in Las Vegas and a bow to the fact that one can find great dining off the Strip. There is a movement of young Chefs fleeing the chains and restrictions placed on them by the big Strip resorts and their corporate kitchens and opening small local places. That's a good thing for the locals and people visiting Las Vegas who want creative cuisine without the heavy prices of the Strip dining rooms.

I was also pleased to see that Valentino was included in the Top Ten List. Piero Selvaggio literally led the efforts to bring authentic Italian cuisine to America and Chef Luciano Pellegrini has a deft hand with white truffles and game birds like no other. It's nice to see a Las Vegas restaurant guidebook include a steady, consistent restaurant on the list. Las Vegas is about trendiness and in-the-moment pop culture. Anything traditional, especially a restaurant that's been in business over ten years, is considered passe and often over-looked.

I've been recovering from knee surgery this past week and I've already read the book cover-to-cover four times. I've got my latest list of Las Vegas dining venues all ready to go for my next trip. You can check out the book here, http://www.shoplva.c...-las-vegas-2013. What do you think about the restaurants that made their list?

[David Ross]

So many memorable dishes from meals I had in Las Vegas in 2012, the inexpensive Lobster Roll at Lobster ME certainly won the honor for best fast-food in a mall meal. But I tend to focus on the little things that make a meal memorable, so I have to bestow the honor on the Foie Gras Stuffed Kumquats that accompanied a Roast Duck at a luncheon at Michael Mina at Bellagio.

[David Ross]

Off to Las Vegas tommorrow for a long weekend. I'm staying at the Palazzo, so I might just anchor myself there all weekend for my dining. Dinner tommorrow night at Table 10 at the Palazzo. Emeril has installed an up an coming young Chef and he's finally getting the attention of the local critics.

The highlight will be dinner, one last Saturday dinner (literally), at Valentino. After 14 years, the Venetian did not renew Valentino's contract and this is the last weekend of service. After Sunday, the restaurant will be shuttered and the construction begins on Daniel Boulud's DBGB Las Vegas. Both a sad day and a re-awakening.