What happens in Sin City may stay there, but news of what is eaten there should travel far and wide! What a great eating destination. I'm sure I won't even scratch the surface, because the are more places to eat in Vegas than there are schmucks who try to act like high rollers while gulping down a beer from O'Sheas (For those who did not get that reference, O'Sheas is famous for having ridiculously cheap drinks, and as a side note is the only place I know of on the strip that has beer pong). With one exception I will stay away from the staple of Vegas eating, the buffet. I wanted to stay entirely away, but I had to mention this one:
Brunch at Le Village (Paris Hotel & Casino)
This is not your typical buffet, as evidenced by the almost $30 price tag. But if ever you were going to splurge on brunch, this would be as good a place as any. The line is long, the restaurant is really nice, and you may even cross paths with a celeb or two - I happened to see former NFL running back Zach Crockett on my last visit. There are a million stations serving all kinds of goodies. I can't come close to remembering them all, but some of the highlights were lox (best I have ever had), incredible made-to-order omlettes, and to-die-for french pastries of any kind you can imagine. They have all the standard breakfast fare of course, and also a lot of really unique dishes. Everything is amazing. I put down 5 full plates and would gladly have eaten more had I not crossed the threshold between full and painful. Best brunch I've ever had, hands down.
OK, on to the non-buffet fare:
Batista's Hole In The Wall
This little gem is located right behind the Flamingo Hilton, and it is really easy to miss amidst the lights and glitz of the strip just a half block away. Don't miss this. This is incredible Italian food. I was turned on to this place by (who else?) The Spicy Sicilian. As I've mentioned before, when she talks about Italian Food, I listen! She took me here on our first trip to Lost Wages, and it has become a mandatory stop ever since.
This place is just too cool inside (picture at the top). There is so much decor (a mix of funky and traditional Italian) that you can scarcely see a patch of wall. And, as you can see, Batista's comes with a sweet little old man who will play old-time Italian melodies on the accordian for you. If you cannot enjoy yourself in a place like this you have serious issues!
There are no individual menus for you to look at. It's up on the wall, Jack. And unlike most places, it's pretty sparse. That's a good thing, because what they do they do very well. All meals come with Minestrone Soup or Italian Salad - get the latter, which is topped with a few big slices of pepperoni - as well as Garlic Bread, Pasta Salad, and a carafe of complimentary house wine (Red or White). You can order off the wine menu as well, but the free stuff is OK...for free stuff. You also get to finish your meal with a complimentary Cappuccino. Whew! I'm about exhausted and we haven't even gotten to the entrees yet. Trust me, you will not leave here hungry.
The entrees I have tried have been magnificent. I usually opt for the Canelloni. These are thin pasta crepes rolled into tubes and stuffed with meat and topped with cheese and two sauces (white and red). This is my favorite Italian dish, but it is unfortunately hard to find. They actually used to have it at Olive Garden(!) but have not had it on the menu for years. Anyhow, this is melt-in-your-mouth delicious. It, like most of the dishes here, is not overly complicated. They do pretty simple preparations, but they just do them better than everybody else. This is one of those dishes that I could eat every day if I could. SS usually opts for Sausage Cacciatore, which is meaty, spicy, filling, and delicious. If you like spice, meat, pasta, chunky tomatoes, bell peppers, and onions, and honestly who wouldn't like that combination, you will love this dish. Everything on the menu looks tasty, I just haven't been able to pull myself away from my favorites to try any of it. Entrees range from $20-$37 so it is a bit of a splurge, but it is well worth it!
This place is just too cool inside (picture at the top). There is so much decor (a mix of funky and traditional Italian) that you can scarcely see a patch of wall. And, as you can see, Batista's comes with a sweet little old man who will play old-time Italian melodies on the accordian for you. If you cannot enjoy yourself in a place like this you have serious issues!
There are no individual menus for you to look at. It's up on the wall, Jack. And unlike most places, it's pretty sparse. That's a good thing, because what they do they do very well. All meals come with Minestrone Soup or Italian Salad - get the latter, which is topped with a few big slices of pepperoni - as well as Garlic Bread, Pasta Salad, and a carafe of complimentary house wine (Red or White). You can order off the wine menu as well, but the free stuff is OK...for free stuff. You also get to finish your meal with a complimentary Cappuccino. Whew! I'm about exhausted and we haven't even gotten to the entrees yet. Trust me, you will not leave here hungry.
The entrees I have tried have been magnificent. I usually opt for the Canelloni. These are thin pasta crepes rolled into tubes and stuffed with meat and topped with cheese and two sauces (white and red). This is my favorite Italian dish, but it is unfortunately hard to find. They actually used to have it at Olive Garden(!) but have not had it on the menu for years. Anyhow, this is melt-in-your-mouth delicious. It, like most of the dishes here, is not overly complicated. They do pretty simple preparations, but they just do them better than everybody else. This is one of those dishes that I could eat every day if I could. SS usually opts for Sausage Cacciatore, which is meaty, spicy, filling, and delicious. If you like spice, meat, pasta, chunky tomatoes, bell peppers, and onions, and honestly who wouldn't like that combination, you will love this dish. Everything on the menu looks tasty, I just haven't been able to pull myself away from my favorites to try any of it. Entrees range from $20-$37 so it is a bit of a splurge, but it is well worth it!
Lotus of Siam
Reviewer after reviewer has lauded this place as being possiblt the best Thai in the country. I'm not sure I am ready to take that leap, but I will tell you that I have eaten Thai all over and this is as good as I have had anywhere. Were it in SLC, I think it would give my beloved Thai Orchid stiff competition for my Thai destination. But who wants to see an Orchid and a Lotus fight? Could get ugly!
OK, bad floral humor aside, this place is seriously good. It is in a little strip-mall square filled with Asian eateries. It is non descript and a few blocks off of the strip, but it is worth going out of your way. It is kind of a nice hole-in-the-wall inside, which is a weird way to describe something but is nevertheless accurate in this case. I ate here one time, and it was my bachelor party (and is the only part of the night that we will be revealing), which means that with all those people we got to try a lot if different stuff. Oh, and my memory did not get fuzzy until later on in the night, so you can trust this review :)
Of course we had the requisite Pad Thai and Panang Curry. Both were outstanding. We also ventured into the world of Green Curry, and found it to be fantastic as well. Then we got a little crazy. We let the waitress suggest a few dishes and ended up with a whole Pompano fish in a red curry sauce, Drunken Noodle Seafood in a dynamite chili-basil sauce, and a house special of sliced charbroiled beef in some kind of strange sauce that was moist and tender. Basically, everything we had was amazing. I'd still take Orchid's Panang, but that's like saying that you would choose a Ferrari over a Shelby Mustang. Still nothing wrong with the Shelby! This place is a must if you are in Vegas and like Thai food.
Lindo Michoacan
This place is so good, I once drove all the way from Mesquite just to eat dinner here. I didn't even stay in Vegas for anything else, just drove down with a couple people, ate, and came back to the hotel in Mesquite! This is Mexican food worth making that kind of trip.
There are four locations, but the one I always go to if on Desert Inn. It's a big place, and nice but casual inside. The service is great and the staff really knows their stuf, which helps with a menu as big as this one! To start your meal off, get the guacamole. They come make it right at your table in traditional molcajetes, while you tell them exactly how much or how little you want of the 6 ingredients (avodcado, jalapeno, onion, tomatoes, and the two key ingredients: cilantro and lime juice). Best guac I have ever had. Next, see if you can navigate the menu. Like I said, they are willing to help with this. Don't get your panties in a bunch with worry over what to order, though, everything is good. My personal favorite, partially because it it sublimely tasty and patrtially because it gives my wife this cute little retching face, is Birria. Birria is a Mexican festival dish. They take goat meat (that's where I lose the wife!) and cook it with several kinds of chiles, spices, and beer (not water). It is slow-cooked which means the meat is fall-apart tender and moist. It is actually served in the liquid it is cooked in, and you eat it by pulling bits of the meat out and placing them on a corn tortilla with cilantro, onion, and guac. Of course, some of the liquid always finds its way on as well! Folks, you have not lived until you have experienced the wonders of succulent goat at Lindo Michoacan. Trust me. Because it is so good I usually don't order anything else on the menu, although I have been known to take bites of other people's food! I can report that the fajitas are excellent, as are the Chile Rellenos de Camaron (w/shrimp if you didn't translate), the Mole, and the Carnitas, which are a specialty of the house along with the Birria. This is Vegas, which means cheap buffets but a little higher-priced restaurants, so expect to pay $15-$20 an entree. Don't worry, it's worth it!
Del Frisco's
In the interest of full disclosure, I have never actually been here. This recommendation comes by way of the Spicy Sicilian, whose boss used to love to take retreats to Vegas and would take his employees here. This is an expense-account kind of place. At over $30 (and possibly much higher) for any of their award-winning steaks, this place is definitely a splurge. Like many high-end places, sides must be ordered separate form the entree and of course will incur additional expense. The report from the S.S. is that this is the best steak she has ever had. Ever. Thick steaks, cooked to perfection, and so tender you can cut them with your fork. Buttery would be the most accurate description of their texture. Throw in a humidor and an incredible wine list, and you can see why it's not uncommon to spot politicians, actors/actresses, mob bosses, and porn stars here (hey, it's Vegas!). Add in some appetizers (the oysters are fantastic) and dessert, and it is not hard to get the bill around $100 per person. If you can afford it, though, it might also be worth every penny!
See you all in Vegas!
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