LATEST LAS VEGAS

Dear All…Going to Vegas at the end of this month. Wife floated idea of Guy Savoy @ Caesar's for a splurge dinner. Anyone been there, especially recently, if so - is GS worth the $$$? If we go, will probably do the Signature Menu. Thanks for any advice…T

 

I dined at Guy Savoy, but it was back in 2008. I had a TGV menu. Really enjoyed it. It was a very memorable experience and I enjoyed my food. I remember that meal really well, so that means it was one of the best for me. Good choice.

 

Thank you, Raj...T

 

Thanks, Keith...T

 

Hey Fellas,
Thought I'd post my brief opinions about some of the things I did while in Vegas:

Show:
1. Absinthe: This was the only show we saw, and it was hilarious and amazing at the same time. The host is very funny, makes a lot of jokes about people in the crowd. We were not chosen for abuse. The show itself is part comedy, part acrobatics, part dance. I won't spoil it, but the things that these performers are able to do are outstanding. Truly amazing. Highly recommend, if you're not offended by adult themes, humor, or partial nudity.

Dining:
1. Julian Serrano (Aria): Tapas. Very good - high quality ingredients, relatively straightforward and not unusual tapas menu selection. Tried the "Pata Negra," which is the black big - basically a charcuterie dish of the "best ham in the world." Didn't taste like the best to me - I personally enjoy Iberico better. The rest of the Tapas, like I said, isn't unusual, but is made of very high quality ingredients. I had a "sparkling Sangria" drink, and it was really nice. My wife had white sangria, which was too sweet. Also, dessert here is surprisingly good (Spanish restaurant desserts aren't usually a strong suit).
2. Crepes (Paris): Don't bother. Terrible atmosphere, substandard / overcooked dessert crepes. We went a few times during our last visit in 2008 and it was much better then. Now, we won't be going back - we found a new place for crepes at the Aria.
3. Joe's Stone Crab and Sea Food Steakhouse (Caesar's Forum Shops): You walk through the bar and people are poorly dressed, so there's no standards there. But in the back of the restaurant, it's more of a typical steakhouse feel with better dressed and looking patrons. I had a dozen oysters, of which the half dozen from Vancouver were very good. They forgot to give me crackers, and the tabasco bottle they gave me was spilling it out too fast. Other than that, decent oyster experience. For dinner, I had an order of 5 large Stone Crab claws. They arrive pre-cracked and ready to pull apart. Claw meat was hard to extract, but leg pieces were easy. Nice mustard sauce, try them "cold." We had a few sides which were good - they have a signature mashed potato side dish which was excellent. Service was excellent, except for the crackers with my oysters. We skipped dessert here because we were going to a show. Highly recommend.
4. Mesa Grill (Caesar's - Casino Level): Poor service, but fast turn on the plates. Unique dishes - modern influences and takes on classical Mexican dishes. Shrimp Tomale and Salmon Quesadilia (sp?) were both very good - the salmon wasn't cooked, it was smoked, which is how I like it. Decent margaritas too. They had a Huevos stacked dish which my wife had that was delicious also, but a bit heavy. My meal was nice and light.
5. Afternoon Tea Service (Mandarin Oriental Tea Lounge): This is the hotel where we stayed. They have Traditional English tea here, with some Asian-inspired touches if you like. We had the "Holiday Tea Service" which gave us a few more tea choices. Great afternoon break. Teas were very aromatic, but reasonably mellow flavors. Scones were delicious, if a bit small. Sandwiches were very high quality, with good salmon, caviar, and ham used. Desserts were sweet and delicious. Very intricately decorated - little pieces of art you are hesitant to eat! A great way to pause your day.
6. Giada (Cromwell): A buzzing, hive of activity and good looking people. Modern Italian cuisine, very high quality ingredients. Even though we had a reservation, we still had to wait 30 minutes. Oh well, was worth it (we drank near the bar during our wait). Lobster Arancini appetizer was very good. Their proscuitto charcuterie was outstanding. My entree was Lobster Ravioli. No idea how they did it, but they packed huge chunks of fresh lobster claw meat in each pouch. Sauce was a tarragon butter mix, so it was a tad bit rich. As such, I skipped desserts. Highly recommend - excellent food, very good service, and very pretty people all around.
7. Don't forget to check out the Centurion Lounge at McCarran, across from gate D1. We had a very nice "gourmet" breakfast before our flight. It was a nice meal to round out our trip.

HPDE:
I won't review any cars here, just the experiences
1. Exotics Racing: Recommend you book their shuttle from the strip to the track. Round trip from Presidential Limousine is $40 + tips. The "shuttle" is actually a shared stretch limousine, a nice touch. The operation is very well executed. No waiting around, stuff always happening, ample staff to help with anything you need. Always someone to hold my camera and help me with pictures. Rudy (Instructor) was top notch. Driver briefing was short. "Discovery Lap" is a chauffered ride in a Cayenne GTS, which was OK. Didn't do the Corvette Drifting lap - not really my thing. I drove the GTR, Aventador, Huracan, and 458 Italia. Of course, I was fastest in the 458 Italia, but I really had to work hard for it! The GTR and Huracan were "hollow victories" because anyone can drive them fast and they do a lot of the work for you. The Aventador was a lot of fun, but too much car for this short track. If you want a challenge, this is a good way to go.

2. World Class Driving: Another great experience, much more relaxed and laid back. Drove out from strip to past Henderson where we drove through Lake Mead State Park. No traffic, no cops, lead/follow arrangement with rotations of cars about every 15-20 minutes. Drove (2) 458 Italias, 1 GTR, and 1 Lambo Gallardo LP-550-2. Instructors were helpful and friendly. Nice to talk to car guys. This experience is much more conservative obviously because it's on public roads. Top speed in the park (on empty roads) was around 110 mph. A lot of fun - nice way to see how these cars drive under "normal" circumstances, and not on a track.

Hard to pick a favorite HPDE - they were both great but for different reasons. I wouldn't change a thing.

Hope this is helpful.

Raj

 

Raj...Great post. Thank you...T

 

I see no reason why that might be. In our group, one couple was friends with one of the managers. So, during the meal, we were brought free glasses of champagne and complimentary desserts. I actually enjoyed the free champagne (I know, right??) but I skipped the cookies because I felt I had already over-indulged during the rest of the meal.

Plus, the waiter was genuine Italian so I got to practice a little bit of my rudimentary language skills with him!

 

That's awesome. Even good places have an off day. The best places will own the mistake, make restitution & win a long-term customer in the end...T

 

Wife & I were just in Vegas. After advice here, decided to try Le Cirque for our splurge dinner. We had the prix fixe with wine pairing. Thanks to Keith, we asked for and got table 93, which affords a front row seat to the Bellagio fountains. In short, the meal was awesome, from the champagne/framboise cocktail to the chocolate soufflé for dessert. I had the rabbit for an entree and my wife had the lobster. The highlight was, however, the white truffle risotto. My beet velouté was good, but the white truffle risotto was one of the best things I can recall wrapping my lips around. Easily one of the best dinner experiences I have had. Highly recommended if you are going to be in Vegas.

Other highlights: seeing Steve Wynn's La Ferrari at the Ferrari dealership on the strip. Wow, awesome in person and I was amazed at how low it is to he ground.

Mon Ami Gabi, as always, a fun spot for a casual dinner on the Strip with a great view of the Bellagio fountains and the people who like to gawk at it. Food is OK, especially if you stick to what they specialize in - steak frites. And, all for less than the white truffle supplement at Le Cirque. Hard to beat that deal.

Got to see Seinfeld at Caesar's. Hilarious. If you can organize your visit to Sin City to coincide with one of Jerry's infrequent appearances at Caesar's, do it! Wife and I laughed ourselves silly. Warmup act, Mario Joyner, was likewise very funny.

 

Nice write up Raj. I eat at the Mesa Grill in Atlatis which is always pretty good.

 

If you like French food, don't eat at Paris.

 

Indeed, there's a lot of places in town with better/more authentic French food. The location, directly on Strip, across from Bellagio fountains, however, IMO is hard to beat when factoring in cost. Paris is part of Harrah's chain, so you can.have your host call to make sure you get an outside seat...T

 

Thanks Kerim.

I can indirectly second what Tom said about Mon Ami Gabi @ Paris. We didn't eat there but the couple traveling with us had on a previous trip, and said it was fine. I think they went for breakfast. But I don't see it rising to top my list.

I will put Table 93 @ Le Cirque on my list thanks to Tom. I hope you and your wife enjoyed your trip, it was a very memorable one for me last time. I was looking forward to your comments.

Ferrari store was nice, but it was a trap. Wound up spending $1k on stuff for my wife & kids! The dealership was great eye candy.

 

I keep hearing good things about 2 places at the SLS but I haven't had a chance yet. I went to the SLS the first weekend it opened and peeked around.

1) Bazaar meats (obviously steaks and chops but an impressive visible kitchen).
2) Cleo (Mediterranean / middle eastern food.)

I'm not crazy about the SLS's Casino remodeling scheme. Seems more like Costco than Vegas to me.

 

I've never been to SLS. I'm like Raj, when I am in Vegas, I can never seem to make it past the Wynn and specifically the Ferrari store. Since I don't gamble, the Ferrari store and restaurants are where I make my contribution to the local economy.

This time the Ferrari store had Tod's driving shoes at half price off! My wife can't pass up a bargain, and insisted I buy a pair right then and there. Can't argue with the wife! If you're in the area, def worth stopping by and seeing if they have any left in your size.

I also feel always compelled to pay the 10 bucks to tour the Penske-Wynne dealership. There is always something pretty to look at. In addition to getting my first in-person look at a La Ferrari, it was nice to see an FF up close. Btw, the old Imperial Palace has a car museum way in the back that's kind of cool.

I don't think I'd go to Mon Ami Gabi at any time other than at night. For a typical dinner, you get three or four "free" shows across the street at the fountains. Also, as an inveterate people watcher, watching people's reactions to the fountains is always interesting to me.

As for Le Cirque, I reiterate, if you want to splurge, it is definitely worth a try. We got a reservation at their first time slot, 5:30, so it was empty when we walked in. At this time of year, it's dark, so fountains look great backgrounded by the Paris' Eiffel Tower. The service was as good, if not better, than the food. Attentive but not intrusive. Limited pressure to upsell. One thing the wife and I were chatting about last night - for a fancy restaurant, we actually left full! 😄 I was joking beforehand, that I was going to go next door to Secret Pizza at the Cosmo afterwards for a late night snack. But, I was full until a croissant the next morning. We resolutely tried to avoid supplemented items on the prix fixe menu, but the maitre'd brought out a white truffle for us to smell, and well, it was all over after that. I think if I was going back, I'd further splurge for the entire white truffle menu.

 

I don't know if you guys have noticed but there's a lot of new outdoor eating going on at NYNY and Montecarlo right on the strip. Also in front of Citycenter. Not top notch stuff but outdoor eating in LV is rare.

The new Central Park next to NYNY is well underway. My guess is they will be done in 2 months.

And I like "the Linq" area they built in an old unused street between Flamingo and the what was the now the Linq hotel (the old Imperial Palace). O'shea's is still there with it's beer pong. The Ferris wheel is at the very end, connected with the Monorail.

There's also a lot of activity on top end of the Strip at Sahara where they are building the Rock n' Rio outdoor rock and roll "theme park". It opens in May. What's interesting is that the Electric Daisy festival has become one of the biggest boosts to the LV economy in the past few years.

LASTLY, there's a movement to get an NHL team to play at the new Stadium behind Monte Carlo which is the largest private investment in LV since Citycenter. I'm on the sign up list. Given how difficult it is to see the Kings play in LA, this could be a great way to see the Bruins, Blackhawks, Canadians, etc. If it works, it will be the first major sports team in LV.

 

That's great info. I like the Cosmo/City Center area, but don't usually get as far south as NYNY since our friends moved from LV - the pub @ NYNY was their favorite place...T

 

You'll find me there at Gonzalez y Gonzalez at the bar having lunch when I'm in town.


The piano bar there is really popular. That guy is amazing.

 

5 minute walk South once you're on the Strip. Easy walk.

 

Now I know you guys will think I'm crazy but I keep hearing the Steakhouse at Circus Circus is about the best in town.

 

No way, Mayor! Took wife there for her birthday last year & although the casino itself is a bit worn & dated, the CC Steakhouse is first class. It's got an old Vegas vibe that I like. Highly recommended...T