Las Vegas

Jean-Philippe Patisserie in the Bellagio is one of the best I've been to in the US. Jean-Philippe Maury is an MOF and, despite the incredibly high volume his staff must produce, the quality is impeccible.

Off the strip, highly recommend Lotus of Siam.

Bradley Ogden in Caesar's Palace is definitely worth a visit. I dined there the year they opened and received a Best New James Beard Award.

In general, dining in Vegas, even fine dining is less formal and more quickly paced than you'll find elsewhere.

Last time we were in Vegas we dined at Olives in the Bellagio one night. We really enjoyed it - very good food and a more casual atmosphere. If the weather is decent I'd recommend sitting outside in the evening so you are overlooking the fountain show.

Some folks may think this is a little too rough but we always try to go to Battistas one night - just a fun inexpensive spot (admittedly with a poor wine list) but lots of old world Dean Martin-like Italian food fun.

Have a great trip!

Picasso at the Bellagio is excellent. Also a second of what I am sure will be many votes for Lotus of Siam.

Another vore for Olives. Very good food, service and a nice wine list. Not overpriced for Vegas either.

THe Eifel Tour resteraunt is very good and has great views of the water show at the Bellagio. The tables along the windows are only for 2 although the booths are tierd so you can still see pretty well. I havent been in a while but the wine list was pretty extensive.

Good Luck

not a place to eat, but when you get there, I suggest a trip to the wine cellar, located below the Rio. You enter from the Rio's shopping area, down a flight of stairs---it's easy to miss the entrance. But down there it is quiet and there are some great wine tasting opportunities.

quote:

Originally posted by Een:
Jean-Philippe Patisserie in the Bellagio is one of the best I've been to in the US. Jean-Philippe Maury is an MOF and, despite the incredibly high volume his staff must produce, the quality is impeccible.

Off the strip, highly recommend Lotus of Siam.

Bradley Ogden in Caesar's Palace is definitely worth a visit. I dined there the year they opened and received a Best New James Beard Award.

In general, dining in Vegas, even fine dining is less formal and more quickly paced than you'll find elsewhere.

Ditto to Een, and would add Picasso's also. The art makes the visit worth every $$$.

Een, welcome back! Had a great visit to your home turf while you were off to support the great bike race.

Some excellent advice so far. Harvey Steiman is our lead Las Vegas critic and he has many favorites there. Recent recommendations include Restaurant Guy Savoy, which just opened in the new Augustus Tower at Caesars Palace, and Bartolotta Ristorante Di Mare in the Wynn resort.

Picasso at the Bellagio remains my favorite restaurant in town. It is just consistently excellent. Highly recommended.

Hey wine+art! I'm glad you had a good visit.

We really enjoyed Colorado and had a completely amazing meal at Frasca Food and Wine. We could have eaten there every night but unfortunately they went away for two weeks vacation after our first night.

Thanks for the advice. I was invited for a Friday-Sunday trip for a friend's birthday. Unfortunately they are not big food and wine people. I can only handle so much Vegas so I think I will show Friday, spend some time with the group, grab an early dinner Saturday at one of the recommended spots and hit the road, avoiding massive amounts of traffic.

another vote for picasso, but it might be overkill for people that aren't into food & wine

Aureole: Awesome glass encased wine cellar in the middle of the restaurant that Catwomen-like people fetch the wines...they also have electronic tablet wine lists...pretty cool

Alize at the top of the Palms is excellent. They have a great wine list, though prices are very expensive.

Go to the Lotus of Siam and drink some good German Rieslings, spo.

My wife and I are going down in early October for our 25th wedding anniversary. Haven't been to Vegas since 1999. Paris was still under construction while we were there.
I'm not sure I want to risk taking any wine due to the current airline situation, and my luck at the tables is iffy. Any suggestions about where to wine and dine that won't break the bank all at once?

mneeley

if you're looking for a good meal on the Strip that won't break the bank let me suggest "Battista's Hole in the Wall", literally, behind the Flamingo. a friend of a good friend of mine own's it - my buddy who knows the owner is also Italian and it's the only Italian food besides grandma's he'll eat. now im warning you this isn't a fancy Strip restaurant (hence the name, and that is the real name) and the winelist is barely servicable... but if you can score some wine and feel like some home-cooked Italian food, look no further than Battista's...

there's a few posts in the forum about wine shops in Vegas. not much options right on the Strip but around town there's a few spots... post if you're having trouble finding them in searches and i'll see if i can't pull a link or two

kumazam,
Thanks! I've always believed that the best food comes from those "hole in the wall" places, and I actively seek them out where ever I go. I love good Italian, and I'll try to stop by Battista's.
And I hope I didn't give the wrong impression. I'm not a miser, I just like getting value for the money whether I spend $50 or $500, and from what I've seen on the Travel Channel of these uber-trendy hotspots that have popped up in the last couple years, I'm not sure that's the case anymore.
We're getting a spa suite at the Luxor, and I haven't decided where yet on the anniversary dinner, but we still have to eat and drink during the rest of the trip.
Been to Aureole, Andre's, Michael's, Wolfgang Puck; haven't tried Picasso.
Is Lotus of Siam that place out in some stripmall that got written up in Gourmet Magazine a few years back?
I'm happiest in those retro, Rat Pack type, cocktail lounges like the Charcoal Room at the old Hacienda--if anyone remembers that place. Hamilton's at the NY,NY was nice, but that's long gone, too.

you wont be disappointed w/ Battista's!

have you been to Drai's or Michael's in the Barbary Coast? they are both a little pricey w/ foscused wine lists, but to stress your point all about food... and def. have a retro feel. havent been there but have heard overwhelmingly good things about Picasso. some of the restaurants in Wynn are supposed to be excellent. right where you are Charlie Palmer steak in the 4 Seasons is one of my fav's, also Border Grill in Mandalay has excellent margi's, be sure and get one of the Shaker margi's! also another cheap eat, for a quick lunch or what not, there's a little snack bar to the left in the Sportsbook @ Mandalay Bay, good burger's, chicken sandwich's & fries for less than $10

i'll be there in 2 weeks, have fun!

I would suggest the following:

SW Steakhouse at the Wynn - great food and wine along with an absolutely spectacular view

Valintinos in The Venetian - one of the best wine lists in Vegas

But for the BEST wine list in Vegas along with a stunning culinary experience I would run to Aureole. Take a seat at the bar, choose from God only knows how many wines by the glass and enjoy the atmosphere. Then sit down and really enjoy yourself.

While the wine angels and electronic tablets were cool, the food at Aureole did not blow me away. Didn't think it hit the QPR mark.

I was on my biz account so...

For a good steakhouse, try Delmonico at the Venetian. I recommend the bone in ribeye.

mneeley:

Batista's is a good choice. It'll be easy on your wallet, and the food is really good.

Another place for affordable Italian is the Bootlegger, located about 3 mi. south of the Luxor, on Las Vegas Blvd. Very old-timey Las Vegas feel; good red sauce Italian. Wine list is serviceable, can always go down the road just a bit and pick up a bottle at Lee's Liquor (@ Agate St.) or Las Vegas Wine Co (@ Silverado Ranch).

Lotus of Siam is indeed the place in the stripmall. 953 E. Sahara. Go for lunch if you can, as the wait is way out the door at dinner. Besides, it's not the best neighborhood to be in at night.

Rex66,
Thanks for the address on Lotus, I've been meaning to check them out since I read that article.
You may be a gold mine of information to the folks here. So where else do the locals like to go?

Well OK, since you asked...
Since we kind of started on Thai restaurants, this one is the local newspaper readers pick for "Best of Las Vegas" (From the LV Review Journal):

Thai Spice Restaurant
4433 W. Flamingo Road
Las Vegas, NV

"Spice puts the life in Thai cuisine, so no wonder readers like Thai Spice, which knows how to fill out the flavor. Special touches elevate Thai Spice above many of the valley's other Thai restaurants, such as the use of rice crepes in its egg rolls and dishes such as Siamese duckling, which is marinated in ginger, onion and soy and baked to a perfect crispness. The considerably spicier Lotus of Siam finishes a distant second."

Lotus of Siam is excellent and rightfully gets plenty of kudos, but this place is phenomenal. One thing it doesn't have is much of a wine program, which is the one thing LoS has in it's favor, especially among those on this BB. Komol, coincidentally in the same stripmall as LoS, also has excellent Thai food. My buddy, who's half Thai, says their food is more like what his mom cooks; more rustic, whereas LoS is more polished.

For Italian, I like a place called Carmine's Little Italy. It's really a sports bar/video poker joint, but the food is great! Friday's special is Osso Buco--going there tonight as a matter of fact, along with a bottle of '95 Banfi Brunello. No corkage!

Mneely- Zufferino's in Venetian. I've had dinner and lunch and both were excellent.

For lunch our waiter suggested an excellent red by the glass. Sorry didn't take notes and the visit was in Jan. Food and Wine will not break the bank. Food and service are excellent.

Also went to Bobby Flay's, Commander's Palace and Valentino. Most places are getting very pricey. I suggest to call ahead and check out corkage. Most run 25-35. Good luck !

I recently dined at Guy Savoy. Top notch service, excellent food and a wine list that is pretty comprehensive if somewhat weighted to old world, especially burgundy. They bring out a large wooden stand to hold it.

Not really QPR though. About $300 per person with a medium priced bottle of wine. The 96 Leoville Poyfere was around 175.

If you choose the 9 course meal, it's 290 without wine.

Im going to Vegas and already have my eyes set on the wines-by-the-glass list at Aureole. Ive been to Vegas 3 times in the past 2 years, and every time I eat at Bouchon at the Venetian. Top notch food and wine. Thomas Keller's staff does a terrific job and the wine list is outstanding. I would consider this a medium-high end restaurant.

The grill at Valentinos is fabulous as well. Also at the Venetian.

Il Mulino at the Shops at Cesars is great as well. Fabulous food.

Im personal friends with Brian Ogden(chef de cuisine and son of Bradley Ogden) so I have to recommend Bradley Ogden at Caesars.

Finally, check out some of the lesser known restaurants at the Paris such as Mon Ami Gabi, a traditional old world brasserie and Eiffel Tower - ran and partially owned by Jean Joho (Everest fame in Chicago)

Last time I was in Vegas, I ate at DB Bistro Moderne at the Wynn. It was fabulous with a great wine list! The view of the waterfall and the dancing frog who lipsyncs to Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" is great!

Hope this helps!

Fleur de Lys in the Mandalay and Valentino at the Venetian. We thought that the Vegas Valentino was better than the original in Santa Monica. Fleur de Lys is a beautiful place with great food and a top chef, Laurent Pillard.

I have to mention that many places are way-overpriced and inconstent. I visited these restaurant during summer time...

Bartolotta Ristorante Di Mare

Just skip so-so and overpriced appetizers. I was looking for something that is very inventive, but all of food were very common..But their seafood risotto and all pasta were very italian and I had a wonderful crispy guinea hen. Just order main meals..

Nobu

As a very experineced eater in Japan,I don't really understand why this place got very popular.Of course, some of food were very creative and interesting to try. Believe me, I can find much better Japanese restaurants in CA or so. The quality was good but it didn't meet my expectation for what I've paid for. The portion is so tiny and a lot sauces were based on too much soy sauce. But sushi was good not that great.Just right balance..

Shanghai LillyMandalay Bay

This is joking. I ordered peking duck but it wasn't authentic at all. It's more like "fried chiken" style for ridiculous $60. Some were okay some weren't. No BYOW, and their wine are really overpriced. Nothing special but big price.

DB bistro at Wynn

I enjoyed there. Great wine service and lists. Their food was very neat and sophiscated. I had braised beef ribs and was very flavorfull. I like their style to draw out natural flavors without too much manipulation.

Jean-Philippe Patisserie Dessert

Very French. Almost closer to Paris's top place. But, I wish they would put just slightly less sugar on icecream,breads,cake...Little sticky and little sweet for my taste.

Next time, I'll visit French restaurants like Guy Savoy,picasso..when the weather is cool enough to wear jacket..I hope I'll be able to enjoy more on next time...

Well, got back from Vegas a couple days ago. We did visit Battista's and had a good meal. It reminded me alot of a good Italian chain called Buca Di'Beppo. Staff was friendly as heck, but as my wife did not have her Prilosec with her, I declined the complementary "red or white" wine caraffe.
The only other place of note that I visited was the "55 degrees" wine bar in Mandalay Bay. Very interesting "2001:A Space Odyssey"-ish look; everything white molded plastic with small alcoves in the walls for featured bottlings. Interestingly, their Washington section was nearly a mirror of my own cellar. Prices were about 1.75-2 times regular retail from what I could see.
FYI, I had a nice Burgundy and Amarone by the glass, though the cost was $21 for the two 2-ounce tastings. And the pourer was much too interested in a hot chick at the bar to offer much service to the other dozen people in the place.

Aureole - Mandalay Bay
Mix - Mandalay Bay
Prime - Bellagio

As good as dining gets.