Vegas, baby!
5 Comments
Karen Hamilton
April 29, 2009
My husband has a love affair with Las Vegas. It was his city of choice for his bachelor party in 2006, and it is again his first pick for celebrating his 30th birthday, along with the birthdays of his brother (25) and our brother-in-law-to-be (35).
As for me…I am a Vegas virgin. The debauchery of The Strip is not really in keeping with my life philosophy, but I will succumb to its excesses for one weekend.
My voracity will take a backseat to my husband’s birthday shenanigans, so as much as I would love to try all there is to be eaten in Vegas, I highly doubt that I’ll fully immerse myself in my favourite form of hedonism. I at least did the research, so for those of you who will be heading to Sin City in the near future, I hope you benefit from my what-might-have-beens.
Culinary splurges
A lavish meal at a chichi restaurant is the only way to do Vegas if you love food. If fortune shines upon me, there’ll be a reservation at Joel Robuchon or his less formal L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon plus a $400 credit with my name on it. If not, well, I guess we’ll have to return to Vegas upon amassing a financial reserve for gluttony.
L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon by scorbette37 (Creative Commons)
Our first dinner in town offers celebrity chef clout without squeezing us of our dollars so soon out the gate. Daniel Boulud’s spot at the Wynn has a $50 prix fixe menu that already has my husband drooling. Since we have one of his restaurants in town, Kurt suggested that we spend our anniversary at Boulud’s DB Bistro Moderne for compare / contrast. I’m not one to argue with that logic.
We won’t be travelling far from our hotel, but I’ve heard that Rosemary’s Restaurant and Lotus of Siam are well worth the trip off the Strip. Any of you tried these?
Culinary deals
Most of the weekend’s budget is earmarked for the casino, so our group of 6 will be skimping on the gourmet in favour of a good price. For many, that means one thing – eating at buffets.
Buffets ceased being points of interest since my friends disbanded the All-You-Can-Eat club in university (thus curbing our frequent visits to and equally frequent boots from Shabusen). I hear that Vegas buffets can be a gourmet experience if you know where to go. The leaderboard of the Vegas buffet ranks those of the Wynn and Bellagio near the top. Spice Market at Planet Hollywood also comes highly lauded. Trade-offs: long lines during the dinner rush and DIY service.
Few places in luxury hotels seem to cater to those seeking a bargain, but there are a few spots that warrant a mention in this category:
- Paris’ Mon Ami Gabi runs a $10-15 brunch with fabulous french toast and corned beef hash. If you are willing to wait for the first-come, first-served patio, it affords one of the best ways to enjoy the fountain shows of the Bellagio. Its value and location has it ranked at the top of the Vegas lists on Urbanspoon and OpenTable for good reason.
- La Creperie at Paris – over a dozen varieties of my favourite French wrap for $8.99.
- Olives at Bellagio – Italian casual dining between $20 – 40
- Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Saloon advertises $5.49 ribeye and eggs between the hours of midnight at 6am. If you are willing to play the tables at Bill’s during the >1 hour wait for this breakfast special (thus spending probably a lot more than you bargained), then go for it.
- Casino Royale and Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Saloon offer $1 margaritas. They are 2 blocks apart, so the journey from one to the other, with stops to the other dive casinos in between, becomes a lively night out when you are with good company.
If these are still too rich for your blood, consider making a trip to downtown Vegas or go fully off the Strip for cheap eats.
Non-culinary adventures
No formal plans for the daytime besides getting a few shades darker and drunker by Paris’ pool. My black cherry bikini was underutilized in Asia; I’ve got a poolside regimen in mind to rectify that.
While the boys play at Mandalay Bay’s closed-circuit viewing of the Pacquaio / Hatton fight on Saturday night, I’m in charge of distracting entertaining the ladies with a good meal and some provocative indulgences. My plans involve dinner in close proximity to a bar that knows how to give a woman a good time. Leaning towards the Tao at the Venetian [update - with Tao fully booked, we wound up at Lavo at the Palazzo, the Venetian's new wing. Mediocre food but plenty of beautiful people.].
P1010671 by Spencer Hung (used with permission)
Cirque du Soleil is the one thing I am truly looking forward to seeing in Vegas. We’ve got nosebleed seats for the Sunday showing of O, whose watery theme is amplified by the aquamarines of Bellagio’s O Theatre (shown above). Can’t wait.
Suggest away!
Does our itinerary have glaring omissions? Steer us towards affordable must-dos by leaving a comment. Thanks in advance for your ideas.
Categories: Beyond Vancouver, Food, Las Vegas, Restaurants, Travel, USA
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Articles by Karen Hamilton
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For food, Thomas Keller’s Bouchon at the Venetian is a really affordable and very nice Brasserie.
Other than that, bring your walking shoes and take some time to just roam the strip, both inside and out of the hotels. The unifying theme of Sin City is “spectacle” – so get out there (before and after dark) and soak it all in.
Latest post for Jen – Alarming
Thanks for the tips, Jen.
We deliberately didn’t fixate on Bouchon as we had one of the best lunches we’ve ever had at the Bouchon in Napa. Didn’t want to mess with a good memory =)
Bouchon photos (pre-Tiny Bites): http://www.flickr.com/photos/horcubee/sets/72157602170112136/detail/
Lotus of Siam for Thai
Ethel M chocolate factory tour
(neither is walking distance from the strip)
Ooh yah, the real Bouchon would be far superior. It looks amazing!
Latest post for Jen – Alarming
I enjoyed the Spice Market Buffet it was in the Aladdin Hotel at the time I was there. The Irish pub in the New York hotel does the best eggs benedict with ny steak instead of ham that melts in your mouth, it was the best breakfast in Vegas.
Make sure you plan your Vegas trip when the pools are open since they close them in late September till April. Being poolside at the MGM or the Mandalay Bay is great people watching plus the mammoth margaritas put the lounge in lizard.