LATEST LAS VEGAS

Hello everyone. heading back out Saturday. Wanted to bump 2 things: anyone been to Bardot Brasserie (M.Mina joint in Aria) ? Also anybody been to the Sinatra tribute show at Palazzo? Thanks. Dinner at le Cirque Saturday night...

 

Bob. I got a promotional deal from Palazzo...first row dead center table for $ 160 a seat. I think we are going to go this trip. Have not see any reviews. Will post if we see the show.
Watching the masters at Aliante Casino, my brother's local joint..and then dinner at the Thai place near Summerlin that is run by the former Som at LoS

 

Did go to the Sinatra show; will post review. Dinners at le Cirque, Jaleo, Bouchon (now off banned list). We had another great visit despite almost being blown away Tuesday night...50+ mph winds that closed McCarren for awhile. Another great job by the staff at Bellagio.

 

Peter. The staff at the Palazzo takes LAS hospitality to a new level. We are loyal Bellagio people and are treated very well there.

 

Dinner at Le Cirque: usual tremendous welcome and service. Rabbit trio back on the menu and Janet had that. Outstanding. I had the dover sole and I'd give it a "B". Everything else first rate.
Dinner at Jaleo: This place is jammed...on a Monday night 2 hour + wait for walk ins. Cooking is very good- delicious. Service is not polished...we had a shrieking chick..but it's that kind of place. Prices have gone up so it is not what I would call a value spot. Relatively small plate of the Paella was $ 25. Small plates are the thing and the cooking is very flavorful. This was our 3rd time there.
Bouchon: This place was on my banned list for a couple of years because of snooty service, a decline in cooking, and a French Laundry hubris among the staff there. They have fixed that based on one visit. Our table of four was brought at least 4 gifts from the kitchen, including a lovely salmon rillettes and deserts. One of the best roast chickens anywhere and a country pate that I gobbled down. I will be going back.
Cocktails: One of the best venues is the second level of the Chandelier bar in Cosmo. As for "Noose" the bartender.
I saw the Sinatra tribute show at the Palazzo with my wife and two other couples. We all gave the show a B or B+. An entertaining 90 minutes. The big 32 piece band is the real deal. The biggest issue from me was...(we all knew it was a tribute show), but the star - Bob Anderson- kept referring to "I" and "me" in talking about Frank as if he was reincarnated there in front of us. Anderson's voice is showing some signs of wear. The place was nearly sold out on a Tuesday night and the performance was well received. There is something special about the Sands ownership putting the Palazzo theatre PRECISELY where the old Copa room was...the stage itself is exactly where the old stage was. If you are a Sinatra aficionado you will like the show as long as you don't expect perfection. The highlight fro me was "Angel Eyes" but fans will hear 80% of their favorites. We had terrific seats dead center in front orchestra for $ 65. There are lots of discounts if you don't have juice at the Sands properties...don't pay full price.

 

Joe Lano did two bossa nova numbers (3 guesses what ONE of them were) with just him and Bob. Classic. Vinny Falcone has been around forever and has played with all the greats...I really like the mix in his big band. The horns are almost all 70 year old guys but they can still bring it. The strings are a lot of younger musicians and a sprinkling of women. Vinny still handles the piano with the best of them. The drummer ain't no kid I can tell you.

 

Wade. Mina's places just miss the mark in my opinion. Nob Hill at MGM had good cooking but amateurish service when it opened. I have never tried the Mina in Bellagio despite the fact that we stay there 4-5 times per year.

 

My brother lives in LAS and likes Olives. The small balcony seating they have is pleasant. There was a period where the kitchen was overboard with the salt but our last couple of casual meals there were enjoyable...very good service. Like a lot of places (see my Jaleo post above) Olives used to be mid level value but have been fairly aggressive in raising their prices. We will miss a couple of our usual trips to LAS this year, and won't be out until T-giving week.

 

Mayor. Brace yourself for "variable pricing" in the MGM properties with others soon to follow. The analytics guys are planning to tie menu prices to demand...similar to room prices, plane, theater events etc. A piece of fish that's $24 normally will go to $ 29 on superbowl weekend, new years, etc. Those who eat at the buffet will see the same increase on high demand periods. The recent thread over in Silver on resort fees had everybody in conniptions, wait til they experience this.

 

Tom, I have had conversations with one of the MGM execs on this but everyone of the properties is looking at "variable pricing". They will sell it in a couple of ways to an unhappy consumer: "You enjoy reduced prices for happy hour, why not higher prices at prime time?" "You pay more for your room super bowl weekend, why not more for your burger?" It is also similar to how the casinos set up their price points on gambling....try to find a $ 10 buck craps table on any Saturday night at one of the luxury properties...same with black jack...higher demand/peak periods-higher prices. I am not defending it, that's just the way these companies are using analytics to squeeze out every dollar of margin...just follow the airplane model. For those who fly coach, on United for example, about 20% of the coach seats are now "premium seats" requiring an additional cash layout from the flying public.

 

This past week. Le Cirque, L'Atelier Joel Robuchon, Crab Corner, Noodles (Bellagio) and at the insistence of my dear brother, who we treated to his birthday dinner, Olives at Bellagio