Eating Very Well in Las Vegas

[lgott]

I've just returned from 18 days in Las Vegas, where I managed to eat my way through many of the better restaurants. Where to start?

My favorite restaurant in Las Vegas is now Joël Robuchon at the Mansion. The 16 course menu is a delight, both to the tastebuds and the eyes. It was as good as I had hoped. However, at nearly $500/person (including a drink, tax, and tip), I'm not likely to return any time soon.

A not too distant second is Alex. I thought the food tasted almost as good. The major difference was presentation, at which Robuchon excels. On the other hand, Alex is a relative bargain at around $250/person.

L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon is as good as ever - and a real bargain. After 4 visits, I'm starting to repeat choices, but I'm sure I'll be back.

After these three, there were a number of other places that were very good indeed:

Okada. The best sushi in town.

Bartolotta. The best seafood in town.

Daniel Boulud. Simple food, informal atmosphere. Very well done.

Wing Lei. I had read several mixed reviews about this place. However, based on exactly one entree (braised pork belly), I'm quite pleased.

Seablue. Nothing fancy here, but uniformly good seafood.

Bouchon. Still my favorite breakfast spot. I also enjoyed a simple, very well prepared dinner here.

The excessively long version of my comments is at http://home.comcast.net/~lgott3141/Travel_...April.html#Food .

[Lise]

Great review of your experience in Las Vegas dining! I'm doing lots of research for my upcoming first time (in August) so your recommendations are so helpful. I'm definitely going to Bouchon. Have you dined at LOS or Rosemary's? (Begging your pardon in advance if you've written about it in your blog )

cheers

Lise (in Vancouver, Bc)

[lgott]

Lise,

I've eaten at both LOS and Rosemary's, but only one time each. Both are very good choices. Here's what I thought:

Rosemary’s. This is way off the strip – perhaps a 20 or 25 minute ride. After hearing so many good things about it, I had to give it a try. Well…it was worth it. To save money, order from the prix fixe menu (available only at lunch). It includes an appetizer, main course, and dessert, for $20. A la carte is much more expensive. I had Hugo’s Texas BBQ Shrimp and Maytag Blue Cheese Cole Slaw (sounds weird, tastes great), grilled mahi mahi, and goat cheese cheesecake. The food is served in large portions and is very rich. Oh yes, this is another place where I ate at the bar, and felt quite comfortable.

Lotus of Siam. Lotus of Siam has a reputation as an excellent Thai restaurant. It deserves its reputation. There are numerous reviews out on the Internet. My observations: (1) reviewers warn against the buffet, which is standard Chinese. From what I saw, I’ll second that view. Order interesting Thai food from the menu. (2) I had Nam Kao Tod (minced sour sausage mixed with green onion, fresh chili, ginger, peanut, and lots of crispy rice); charbroiled catfish; sticky rice with mango. It was a lot of food, and everything was very good. (3) The address is on Sahara Avenue. However, that’s the BACK of the restaurant. Don’t run away in horror; instead, drive around to the other side. It turns out to be a shopping mall, with the entrance to Lotus of Siam.

Have fun!

Larry

Edited May 2, 2006 by lgott (log)

[ChzHead]

Larry,

I'm off in 2 weeks to experience L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon for the first time. You mentioned that you've got a few favorites. Could you post a few dishes that are a "can't miss"? I'm thinking about the smaller course meal with a few extra 'must haves'.

I'm too excited for this experience! Maybe if I hit it big at the craps table, we'll be dining at the Mansion on the same trip.

Thanks,

Chris

[lgott]

Chris,

Here are a few favorites. I've tried to choose items which are not only delicious, but somehow special or unique. For example, I did NOT list the foie gras; it's very good, but many places serve similar foie gras. I've cut and pasted from my reviews, so forgive me if the wording has suffered a bit.

(1) L'Oeuf: Egg Cocotte Topped With a Light Mushroom Cream. Another dish served in a martini glass. In the bottom, some bright green parsley puree. Next a raw egg. The glass is then steamed, cooking the egg white but not the yolk. On top, a frothy, flavorful cream of mushroom soup, with a couple of pieces of chanterelle mushroom on top of that. Another wonderful combination of flavors; another case where I wasn't so sure I'd like it, but did.

(2) Les Huitres: Poached Baby Kumamoto Oysters With French Echre [sp?] Salted Butter. Three tiny oysters with salty butter on top, with black pepper; warmed briefly. I don't like oysters, but these were terrific! Perhaps I've been eating oysters in the wrong places. Rating: E.

(3) Mashed Potatoes. I know, I know, strange choice, but they're wonderful. It almost seems unfair to call them mashed potatoes; "potato puree" might be the official term. When I was there, it was even possible to get them with several slices of truffle covering the surface (but only when ordered with quail - "La Caille"). They're served with a number of dishes, or you might be able to just ask for a side order. Warning: they're very, very rich!

There are many, many other good dishes: lobster salad; papillote of langoustine; fresh filet of cod in vegetable broth, and many more.

Have a great time!

Larry

[ChzHead]

Thanks for the tips! I'm getting more and more excited!

[eatvancouver]

hiya,

i'm considering las vegas as a surprise birthday trip for my girlfriend. considering i expect to spend a lot on the trip, is there a nice spot for a romantic (birthday) dinner where i can get away spending less that $200 including wine/tax/tip?

very appreciative,

jason

edit: I should clarify, although I normally seek out great culinary destinations, that's not really her bag. so a nice romantic spot is more important than amazing food. although i would appreciate it.

Edited May 8, 2006 by eatvancouver (log)

[the g-man]

hiya,

i'm considering las vegas as a surprise birthday trip for my girlfriend.  considering i expect to spend a lot on the trip, is there a nice spot for a romantic (birthday) dinner where i can get away spending less that $200 including wine/tax/tip?

very appreciative,

jason

edit:  I should clarify, although I normally seek out great culinary destinations, that's not really her bag.  so a nice romantic spot is more important than amazing food.  although i would appreciate it.

←

By some freak turn of logistics, I have been to Vegas three times in the last 6 months (stags, work retreat, etc.) There are a lot of restaurants in Vegas. I would recommend one of the places in the Bellagio like Circo (Italian, owned by same family that owns Le Cirque). THe price was not over the top expensive, you could probably get in and out for less than $200. The bonus is when you make a reservation, request a table by the window to watch the fountain show which is pretty stunning even if you are not into kitschy syncronized water fountains.

[Macarons&Mozart]

Circo's service can lack at times (sometimes horribly), but other than that, the menu is wonderful. It changes with the seasons, and every night there are daily specials. Like g-man said, a window table with a view of the fountains would be romantic.

Another nice romantic spot would is the Eiffel Tower Restaurant, at the Paris Hotel. most of the tables at the windows are 2-seaters, which increases your chances of getting a seat there. Most window tables have a bird's-eye view of the Bellagio fountains, which is just beautiful. Also, heres a tip: seats are not pre-assigned, so you can always smoothly tip the maitre d' if you find out that you're not getting a window table. (When you check in, always ask first.) At last check, the 5 course tasting menu was $89- quite a reasonable price for an awsome view and pretty good classic French cuisine.

-rk

[ChzHead]

Lgott, THANK YOU so much for the recommendations!! I'm happy to say that those 3 things were on the discover menu. Although the oysters that were used were Kusi. In one word....AMAZING!! As of Friday night, it was the most amzing meal that I've ever had. This meal was only topped by Sunday's meal at Guy Savoy.

We'll be back to L'Atelier again. We really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of the bar seating!

[adamru]

in two weeks I'll be in vegas for five nights and I've already booked at guy savoy and unless I win big I wondered if it's best to use the rest of my money at mansion joel robuchon or to use that money for maybe three dinners spread out at alex, picasso, and maybe aureole. and is that realistic that one dinner for two at the mansion with wine pairing is equal in price to three other high end restaurants without wine pairings? also, does okada have an omikase? the menu on the wynn website is very limited and doesn't even mention sushi. and has anyone had the bar menu at bradley ogden?

Edited May 27, 2006 by adamru (log)

[molto e]

and is that realistic that one dinner for two at the mansion with wine pairing is equal in price to three other high end restaurants without wine pairings?

←

Adamru,

One dinner at Robuchon at Mansion does not equal the three dinners that you are speaking of. Alex is HIGHLY recommended so if you need to drop choices that is not one to drop. Recent reports of Aureole have been luke warm regarding the food.

Good Eating,

Molto E

[lgott]

...is that realistic that one dinner for two at the mansion with wine pairing is equal in price to three other high end restaurants without wine pairings?

←

It's difficult to give a precise answer to your question about cost. Joel Robuchon at The Mansion doesn't offer wine pairings, although wines by the glass are available. If you were to have a glass of wine with each of the sixteen courses, the meal would be expensive indeed! For what it's worth, here's something of a comparison:

(1) Joel Robuchon at The Mansion: full (16 course) tasting menu, one or two modest glasses of wine, including tax and tip - a little bit over $1,000/couple.

(2) Alex: tasting menu, no wine, including tax and tip - $500/couple.

(3) Picasso: tasting menu, no wine, including tax and tip - $300/couple (this number is about one year old).

As to your other questions:

I agree with Molto E about Alex - it's very good indeed, and a bargain compared to Robuchon (hmmmmm....something is wrong here when I refer to a $500/couple meal as a bargain).

Okada offers a tasting menu, as well as superb sushi. I tried the tasting menu in September 2005, and liked it a lot. For details, see my trip report at http://home.comcast.net/~lgott3141/Travel_..._September.html, and scroll down to Okada (about half way through the report).

I've eaten at the bar at Bradley Ogden, but ordered from the regular menu, not the bar menu. I was disappointed - a decent meal, but not what I had expected based on reviews I had read.

[adamru]

I thoroughly enjoyed my five nights in Vegas and was surprised I never wanted to leave Wynn where I was staying. For service and value I thought Daniel was a great experience far preferable to DB here at home. We ate there most often and since the rooms have fridges I can say the root vegetable confit that comes with their porterhouse is even better the next day partially I think because the spices from the meat transfered to the vegetables overnight. Anyway, everything there was outstanding.

And trying gelato all around town, Sugar & Ice in the Wynn also won me over not only in terms of portion size but because they mixed fresh ingredients into their gelato instead of just putting some topping over the whole tray of gelato. The coconut crunch had chunks of macaroons in it and the tirami su was half cake in every scoop.

Aureole was a huge disappointment compared to New York. Small portions, slow service with long stretches between some courses mid-meal were the biggest problem. And the last course on the tasting menu is chocolates and petits fours. In New York they come around with trays and present a selection of chocolates from which to choose then bring petits fours then give a little something to take away. Here they never brought any chocolate or petits fours even though it's listed as a course on the menu. It wasn't just us, they didn't offer it to any table offering a tasting menu. We were ready to go so we said nothing but has anyone else encountered that there?

[Macarons&Mozart]

Aureole is one of Las Vegas' most over-rated restaurants. They pretend to be amongst the city's best, and you can tell this farce from the attitude the staff has towards its guests. I did get petits fours at the end of my tasting, but it was still not worth the price.

[Foodie-Girl]

I have had one meal at Aureole and it was disappointing in every way imaginable. I don't think I've read one positive review on this or any board...could be wrong, but sure don't remember seeing one.

[coughy]

We are just back from Las Vegas. We spent 4 fun filled days with two other couples. We decided since there were 3 dinners we should each pick a restaurant. We decided not to go "over the top" since we all live in or near big cities and fine dining is something we do fairly frequently.

Night one - our friend picked Mon Ami Gabi because he heard you could see the dancing fountains at the Bellagio. The best view however, is from the outside patio. It was 105!! They did have misters outside but we opted to eat in because being damp is not fun. The onion soup was great as it should be at a French bistro. The rest of our food was mediocre at best. I had grilled salmon which was good with broccoli rabe that was very bitter and salty. It was inedible. Since there was an additional charge of $2.00 because I switched vegetables I told them to take it back which they did graciously. My husband had pork loin which was wrapped in underdone fatty bacon which he removed. He hated it.

Everyone else seemed satisfied but not thrilled.

Night two - We went to see KA, a Cirque du Soleil show, at the MGM so our friends thought it best to eat at the MGM hotel. They picked Seablue. I ate halibut that was very peppery but it was okay. The wonderful thing they had there was a choose your own salad. There were pencils on the table and you were able to write on a portion of the menu and choose 10 items to include. We all loved this. One friend had a fish I can't recall but wound up sending it back because there was so much salt on it he couldn't eat it. They took it back to "remove" salt but was still not good. They replaced it. We were totally not impressed and the prices were very high!

Night three - after much thought I chose Osteria del Circo at the Bellagio hotel. A definite WINNER. We knew to ask for a table near the window for the best view. A generous tip to the maitre'd assured us of this and we had a beautiful dinner. I had seafood risotto and branzino. My husband had mozzarella and tomatoes and a rack of lamb. It ws the freshest mozzarella we ever ate. It was a definite first rate dinner. The service was friendly and professional. We all loved our dinner so much that I am the new designated chooser of restaurants.

[TGullet]

This is one restaurant to avoid from personal experiences.

But--to be fair-- recently there have been several articles about their new wine list really upgraded.

I have had one meal at Aureole and it was disappointing in every way imaginable.  I don't think I've read one positive review on this or any board...could be wrong, but sure don't remember seeing one.

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Edited September 19, 2006 by TGullet (log)

[somemale]

Great stuff Igott! I was in Vegas just a few weeks ago for my girlfriends birthday, and ate at many of the restaurants you dined at.

The highlight of my trip was of course The Mansion. Will talk about it more in the JR thread.

I enjoyed Daniel Boulud more then the one in NYC. I thought the food was just as great but the atmosphere even better! Got to sit outside and watch the Wynn lake show. Probably the suprise of my trip.

I always make it a point whenever I'm in Vegas to visit Commanders Palace, and again it didnt dissapoint. Service there is always top notch, and I never get old of the Commanders Salad or the Souffle.

Breakfast at Bouchon is definitely a must! If only I woke up early enough, I would have gone there everyday!

I was thinking about visiting Auerole, just to compare it to the NYC one, but glad I didn't/won't visit it after reading the comments here.

This was my 2nd trip to Vegas this year, and there may be a 3rd comming up in December. Will definitely use some of the advice in this thread! Thanks to all!

Edited October 7, 2006 by somemale (log)