I imagine that it doesn’t happen often – not unless, like me, you happen to live in one of them and your husband is in love with the glamour of the other.

Here’s our take on the two Daniel Boulud outfits in our hometown of Vancouver and our weekend getaway of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Daniel Boulud Brasserie (Las Vegas)

It was our first night in Sin City and my first day ever in this town of gambling and glitz when we strolled into the plush Wynn for our 6pm seating at DB Brasserie.

The ostentatious luxury that the Wynn oozed was certainly present in this restaurant. We were ushered to a patio table that overlooked a vast pond and an even more expansive waterfall, where we were told by our server, Paco, was the site of a light show and froggy song-and-dance as the evening waned. Puzzled by this description, we shrugged and looked at the menu.

Prices were sky high as to be expected of this town and of a restaurant of this reputation. My husband decided on the 3-course prix fixe. It was affordable at under $40 USD, but the quantities sounded enormous. I opted for 1 dish: a duo of beef containing Boulud’s signature slow-braised short ribs. That alone exceeded Kurt’s order by nearly $10, but I could at least expect to minimize food waste.

I should have just ordered a soup, because the kitchen adorned us with amuses and petit fours anyhow. However, I am incredibly glad that I had ordered the duo, because the short ribs were unbelievably spectacular. Worth every penny that we paid; I only wish it hadn’t been paired with a tenderloin. While clearly of good quality, it was so overwhelmed by the goodness of the short ribs that it somehow detracted from the discovery.

By the time dessert came round, the American portions had gotten to both of us, and Kurt declined the dessert that came with his meal. Paco, perhaps concerned that we weren’t enjoying our food, may have had something to do with the kitchen finding out about Kurt’s 30th birthday and sent him a molten ganache cake with a special message written on the plate. They threw something in for me since I was just sitting there…and then came the petit fours!

Combined with the show on the pond, meeting Chef, and the tremendous customer service of Paco and the rest of the front of the house, we had ourselves a good time indeed.

DB Bistro Moderne (Vancouver)

It was with this extreme experience in our short-term memory that we found ourselves at the Daniel Boulud restaurant in Kitsilano less than 3 weeks later, this time to celebrate our 3-year wedding anniversary in style. [Hmm - that's a lot of 3's.]

Incredibly, DB Bistro held up to its glamourous Vegas counterpart. No crazy hotel or giant pond frog with the voice of Louis Armstrong, but each dish exuded the same quality of taste that we first had in Nevada.

Each dish was again sized for American tastes: much too large for the smaller, multi-course portioning we are accustomed to in the West Coast. For the second time, Kurt declined the dessert that came with his prix fixe menu. For the second time, our server conveyed to the kitchen that we were celebrating our anniversary, adding also that we had homemade pie waiting for us at home.

You’d think that it would cause the kitchen to take a hint and simply send us off with a small plate of petit fours… instead, they chose the lightest of their desserts, wrote “Happy Anniversary” on the plate, and watched as we ate every last bite and thanked them for their thoughtfulness.

One thing’s for sure – if you are in a Daniel Boulud city and you celebrate a special occasion with them, make sure they know of it, because they’ll treat you like royalty.

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.