Vegas restaurant suggestions (MGM, Wynn, Palms)

Well, we did the Taste of Wynn menu ($89). So, dinner for 2 along with 4 glasses of wine (total) and 1 cup of coffee came out to about $320 (including tip, but not gratuity).

It's expensive, but it's totally worth it (especially if you aren't always in Vegas and can't frequent places like this often).

rsa80 in Las Vegas

Vegas restaurant suggestions (MGM, Wynn, Palms)

Thanks everyone for your suggestions/comments. Having just got back from Vegas, I thought I would report on my dining experiences, which overall were excellent.

Day 1 (MGM)

Lunch at Wolfgang Puck --

GF and I shared a Chinois salad and the sausage/mushroom pizza. The pizza was good, but a little too cheesy. The salad was fantastic, as was the iced tea. Simple menu, but very solid lunch spot.

Dinner at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon --

Both the GF and I did the 5 course Fall tasting menu. The amuse bouche was a shellfish parfait in a spicy cream broth -- very tasty. The next item up was a gazpacho with tomato soup, basil and croutons. I enjoy all 3 of the above, but in this case I wasn't feeling the gazpacho. The basil was very strong and overpowered everything else. I think we would have preferred the las legumes from the previous tasting menu which the gazpacho replaced. Up next was the langoustine with pesto basil on the side -- fantastic. A deep-friend langoustine with great flavors and suprisingly no grease. For the main course, the GF had the braised pork belly and I chose the salmon (so we could sample both). I really enjoyed the salmon as it was very tender and cooked perfectly, but the braised pork belly was the star of the show. Each bite was like eating buttery heaven, which was then topped by the ridiculously good mashed potatoes. Easily the best part of the tasting menu and something I will definitely have on my next visit. After the main course we received our cheese plates, which were very disappointing. I love all cheeses, but these were too sharp for even me. They left a bad taste in my mouth, which was unfortunate given the fantastic main courses we had just eaten. The cheese plate was the worst part of the meal. For dessert, both the GF and I ordered the tarts. They were good, not great. While they were certainly not bad, I don't think there was anything remarkable about them. The same goes for the bread at L'Atelier. I had heard several good reviews about the bread, but quite honestly I've had much better.

The service at L'Atelier was great. The waiters worked together very well to put on a great show for everyone at the counter. I enjoyed the experience. My only issue with service was that we ordered a bottle of wine that needed to be chilled to enjoyed properly. Ok, no problem. However, the bottle was chilled in a bucket on the other side of the counter, so we had to rely on our waiter to fill our glasses as necessary. A few times I felt we were waiting longer than we should have been to get our glasses poured. Other than that, I enjoyed the service and atmosphere at L'Atelier.

I'm glad I was able to experience L'Atelier with their tasting menu, but I wouldn't do it again as I feel I could get more value for my money. I didn't enjoy the cheese plates and the dessert was just ok. I will definitely eat at L'Atelier in the future, but next time I will mix and match items from the small tastings menu.

Day 2 (Encore)

Lunch at Wazuzu --

I wasn't sure what to expect with this place. The menu seemed diverse but overpriced, and reviews I read were mixed. While definitely overpriced, the Thai food was very good. I haven't been to Lotus, but when I lived in NY I ate Thai quite a bit. Wazuzu's food was right up there. To start our lunch, we ordered the Yellowtail sashimi with jalapenos (forget the official name, but it's the same dish that Nobu made famous and everyone else added to their menu). It was good, but for 5 relatively small pieces it was not worth the $25. We then ordered two main dishes to share -- the spicy basil chicken and the panang beef. Both had great, distinct flavors that kept us very satisfied. Just an fyi -- they ask you what level of spice you want for your food (on a scale of 1 to 5). We requested 4, but it still wasn't that spicy. Also, beware that their main dishes do not come with rice (which is Vegas being Vegas). What Thai place does not serve rice with its dishes?! I'm glad I knew this in advance so I was able to order rice with everything else. It would have bothered me a little if the food had come and then I would have had to wait for rice.

Overall it was good comfort food, and if you stick with the Thai menu I think it's a worthwhile lunch. We didn't try any rolls, so unfortunately I can't provide any comments on that.

Dinner at Alex --

AMAZING. That is the best way I can describe my experience here. Walking up to Alex, it was already a nice feeling that the restaurant was tucked away from the casino. As we approached, two hostesses opened up the door, greeted us and sat us immediately. From there on out, we were in very good hands. We did the Taste of Wynn menu, and so our meal started off with canapes, which included a tuna tartare, a wild mushroom and cream soup and a few other items that I cannot remember at the moment. However, these were excellent and had me feeling good about the rest of the food to come that night.We had the butter poached lobster for the appetizer and the braised short rib as the main course. Absolutely delicious. The lobster was cooked perfectly and the corn/potatoes were great compliments. The braised short ribs were nothing short of phenomenal. It was the best single thing I ate during my trip in Vegas. The caramelized onions and mashed potatoes were delicious, although I'd still have to give L'Atelier the nod for best mashed potatoes. For dessert, I had the hazelnut/Godiva chocolate and she had the vanilla custard with maple syrup. My dessert was fantastic, hers was good but not great. The real treat, though, was the extra dessert brought out by the restaurant. We were celebrating an anniversary, and they brought a congratulatory dessert which was basically a vanilla cake coated with fondant. This was pure dessert heaven and it made our night that much more memorable.

The service at Alex, from beginning to end, was top notch. Our servers were helpful and not pretentious in the least bit, even though we were clearly the youngest people at the restaurant. The sommelier was SPOT ON in his wine recommendations with each course -- the wines he selected did a great job of adding to the overall taste of the meal. The ambience was fantastic. Very elegant yet not too stuffy. The internet pictures of the dining room doesn't do justice to the true beauty of this place. Alex won me over, and the next time I am in town I will definitely be doing a full tasting menu with wine pairing.

Day 3 (Encore)

Lunch at Pho --

I was hurting from a little bit too much partying the night before, and I needed something to help. Pho is always a favorite of mine, but the pho at Treasure Island isn't anything to write home about. It did the job, but it's not a place I would recommend to anyone. The meat quality is suspect and service takes forever just to get water/soda/iced tea. If you're hurting bad like I was, then this place will do the trick. Otherwise, I'd suggest passing on this place.

Dinner at Okada --

We initially had reservations at Sinatra, but switched it at the last minute to Okada because we wanted to do a teppanyaki dinner. First let me say that Okada has a beautiful setting for teppanyaki dining. I loved the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the lagoon/waterfall. Very nice surroundings. Now to the food. Celebrating my birthday, we decided to do it up right -- I ordered the Japanese Ohmi beef and my GF ordered the Maine lobster. They were both excellent. The chef cooked the beef just right and preserved that marbling on the outside. Each bite was melting in my mouth, as it should be for beef of this quality. The lobster was fantastic as well, but to be honest I enjoyed the lobster at Alex a little bit more. All of the meal accompaniments (bay scallops, salad, miso soup, fried rice) were very good. However, I think it is a little too expensive for what it is. Don't get me wrong, the quality is definitely a cut above a place like Benihana's, but I don't know if the prices are justified. Overall though, the food was great and the dining setting was beautiful.

The only issue we had at Okada was something that isn't fair to blame on Okada -- we had a group of obnoxious people next to us that were very rude to the chef/wait staff. Because they were spending tons of money ordering Dom P, japanese beef and everything else on the menu, they felt as if they could be jerks. Definitely annoyed both me and the GF, but that's the risk you run doing a teppanyaki dinner -- you never know who is going to be at your table that night.

If you enjoy teppanyaki dining, I would definitely recommend you try Okada for a unique experience.

Day 4 (Encore)

Brunch at Tableau --

Beautiful room for brunch. Unfortunately it was windy outside, so no patio seating was available. GF had the eggs with sausage, toast and bread basket. She enjoyed her meal. I tried the chicken apple sausage, and it was very good. I ordered the kobe short ribs with eggs and potatoes -- fantastic!! The bernaise sauce on the eggs was delicious, and the combo of the eggs/short rib/potato pancakes was just what I needed in the morning before heading to the airport! Of course, the mimosas didn't hurt either. Great spot for breakfast/brunch.

We had a fantastic time with all of the restaurants. On a side note, if any of you enjoy shows I would recommend Le Reve and LOVE. We really enjoyed the aquatics Le Reve and we were blown away by LOVE. I am a huge Beatles fan, so I was really looking forward to this one and it didn't disappoint. I will be watching it again the next time I'm in town. If you're into the clubs in Vegas, it definitely seems as if the nightlife has gotten tame there. Vegas on the whole is hurting both in the clubs and casinos. We went to Tryst and XS, and while we had fun at both spots the nightlife wasn't as good as I remember it being in Vegas. Anyway, all in all it was an excellent time. I thank you all for the suggestions, and I hope my reviews help provide info to anyone else reading this.

rsa80 in Las Vegas

Vegas restaurant suggestions (MGM, Wynn, Palms)

AZbirdie, I agree that the food at DB is more approachable than L'Atelier -- it is a bistro afterall. The only thing is that I have very limited opportunities to dine at a place such as L'Atelier, whereas there are several quality french bistros in Houston (where I live). I think that is the ultimate deciding factor between the two.

Thanks again everyone for the input. After reading comments (some of them from posters who I've followed for a little while on this board), I feel very confident in my selections. I think everything will stand as is, with the exception of lunch at Sushi Roku. It does feel a like a wasted opportunity, so I will think of something else. I'm going to dine on the patio at CC and avoid the surf'n'turf...I'll probably go with a hot dog instead ;)

And of course, after my trip (which is first week of October), I will report back with what I hope are rave reviews!

rsa80 in Las Vegas

Vegas restaurant suggestions (MGM, Wynn, Palms)

Lots of great feedback everyone, thanks!! Ideally, if I had another night I could work in Daniel Boulud. I'm a big fan of French bistro. However, I've wanted to do L'Atelier for a long time, and I didn't get around to it when I was living in NYC. Now I'm back home in Houston, TX, and have no chance at all. I'm determined to check it out =)

A5, I don't think the gf would appreciate me cutting out italian food for another French restaurant, so that's a no-go. I guess I'll have to wait for my next trip to NYC and just go to Daniel...

I don't think my lunch options are set in stone. I've heard mixed reviews about Sushi Roku, but my sushi options for lunch (on the strip) appear very limited. It seems as if there's a decent crowd both for and against the common lunch spots (Sushi Roku, Spago, Olives, Mesa Grill, etc.), so I'm probably going to just play it by ear and go to whichever me and the gf are in the mood for that day.

Definitely doing Tableau for brunch -- I can't wait for that Kobe beef short rib!!

Are there any other lunchworthy spots at the Wynn/Encore or Venetian/Palazzo that I should replace Country Club with? I've just heard a lot of good things about their food, and if the weather is nice I'd like to sit on the patio overlooking the golf course.

rsa80 in Las Vegas

Vegas restaurant suggestions (MGM, Wynn, Palms)

Attran, thanks for the response.

It is a little concerning that you are forgiving of less than stellar service because they were busy. If a restaurant is as good as people say (and with the traffic of tourists that Vegas regularly gets, even in this economy), shouldn't it be used to having a packed house and making the necessary adjustments? I've read several reviews of people waiting for 30 minutes between dishes or even before getting their water and bread! That is inexcusable for a restaurant at this price point.

rsa80 in Las Vegas

Vegas restaurant suggestions (MGM, Wynn, Palms)

Thanks for the reply Phoenix. Yeah, I was leaning towards Sinatra and it makes more sense since I'm staying at Encore, but the view and trendy ambience at Nove was very tempting! Glad to hear you liked the lobster risotto, as looking at the menu both that and the tagliata caught my eye...definitely looking forward to it

rsa80 in Las Vegas

Vegas restaurant suggestions (MGM, Wynn, Palms)

Thanks Cheryl! To be honest, I know the menu at DB would be more appealing to my girlfriend and I think the ambience at DB is better, especially with Parasol Down right nearby for pre-dinner drinks. My only real concern about DB is that several people I know have went there and said that service was slow (borderline second-rate) and that the restaurant was better suited for large groups as opposed to couples out for a nice dinner. I'm glad you had a better experience service-wise. Perhaps I should re-consider it.

rsa80 in Las Vegas