We are looking for a Joseph Leonard/Spotted Pig type restaurant somewhere in the 40s-50s. Fun, interesting cocktails, great food. Any suggestions?

We are spending a couple of nights in Vegas with our kids 19-21. We are in the biz and the kids are well traveled. We aren't looking for fine dining or for theme type restaurants. Something fun with good food and a cool atmosphere. We are taking them to a show at Caesars on Saturday night and Mandalay on sunday so somewhere close by would be great. Any suggestions?

Thanks everyone. I have checked several of these places and think I am going to go with Chima - my experience is that the service at Brazilian Steakhouses is extremely efficient so it won't take all night. The cost is $50++ not including alcohol. I also checked with Timpanos and found their group pricing to be very expensive($60-80pp plus drinks).
I looked at 954 steak and it looked like the pricing was similar to Shulas/Mortons/Capital Grille/Ruth Chris, etc. I love them all, but I am not on an expense account for this event. just me paying the tab.
I would love to find a place were I could get them a good meal in a fun environment and get out for under $50 not including drinks but it doesn't appear to be any such place close to where we are staying( Hilton Marina). Please let me know if you think of anything.

I am bringing 25 of my best buddies to Ft. Lauderdale for my 50th birthday(sorry, leaving the wives at home) and I am looking for a couple fo good dining options. I want something like Big City Grill or Marks that can handle a group of our size. We are staying on the beach so something East of 95 would be great.
Any suggestions?

We are coming in this week and looking for a place for 4 couples to have dinner. We are looking for great food in a fun, not stuffy environment. We are in the food service industry and repsect "culinary experiences", but this is more about fun, food and wine with a group of 40somethings. Not looking for a club atmosphere. A great local spot would be perfect.
We would prefer Italian, but we are open to anything. Price is not an issue, but value is!
Thanks for your help. I realize we are getting in the game late for this Friday, but we will work around availability.

Thanks for the posts - well now I have 2 nights and it looks like one must be dedicated to Lotus of Siam. I will cehck out the others recommended.

If you had one night, where would you stay and where would you dine on an expense account?

If you had 1 night for a great meal in Las Vegas, where would you go?

thanks to both of you for your suggestions - we are only in town for a couple of days but we will sure to see as many as these as our stomaches allow!

Sorry for the omission - Orlando.

We are looking for a good place to take our daughter and her 12 BFFs for her birthday. It is on a Friday and we are hoping to find a private dining room or a nice outdoor dining area. They are looking for a trendy, cool place that they can get dressed up for with good food.
Any thoughts?

We are restaurantuers from the East Coast looking for new ideas for our place and would love to hear some recommendations on where we should go. Our place is coastal Western Med(Italy, France, Spain, North Africa).
It doesn't have to be trendy or pricey - we are really just looking for some inspiring menu ideas and a great meal. Thanks for your advice.

This is true, but you can have tought flavorless heirlooms as well. The real difference in tomatoes is how thye mature. A thin skinned, juicy tomato ripens naturally on the vine. The typical thick skinned store bought product is picked pre-maturely and "gas flushed" to expedite the ripening process, which doesn't allow the pulp and the skin to naturally break down into sugars, which make it sweet.
The growers do it for transportation as well as for holding - a tougher skin means a longer shelf life.
My experience with heirlooms is that they look great but aren't worth the price. Hope this helps.

Check the yellow pages for produce distributors and ask them which retailers purchase them. I think Fresh Market has them. regardless of where you buy them they are VERY expensive!

LOBSTER MARKET IN wINTER pARK SELLS TO THE RESTAURANT TRADE. CALL THEM TO SEE IF THEY WILLSELLTO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. THEY BUY DURECT WEEKLY FROM MAINE ANDSHIP IT T THEMSELVES - VERY FRESH!

We are going to South Beach this week and want our kids to get a good taste of what the SB scene is like. They are well traveled and have been to some great restaurants around the US and we want them to experience the hip places that serve great food. I have read/heard about the great options, but would like some others opinions as well. Nothing stuffy - I am thinking along the lines of the BLUE DOOR type, but we are opened to suggestions.
Any favorites?