Foodies heading to Vegas, end of September
 

Dh and I will be heading to Vegas at the end of September and are a bit overwhelmed at the plethora of restaurants there. We love good food...French, Continental, Mexican, Mediterranean, etc. We probably aren't interested in any of the Oriental cuisines (because of Dh) or Indian. We also aren't interested in the famous Vegas buffets. We will be staying on the strip and so would either like to stay in proximity to that or be a short cab ride away.

Also on Saturday, we'd like to find a good place to watch college football.

A mexican restaurant that my husband and I just love is Isla located in Treasure Island. I have no idea what kind of ratings this place gets or anything. We happened upon it last Christmas and were just amazed. We also ate there again a couple of weeks ago and it was still just as good.

We were staying at MGM this past trip so we also tried their mexican restaurant in the studio walk area, its called Diego, and it was awful! It cost almost twice as much as Isla and wasn't nearly as good.

Where are you staying? It's easiser to recommend places that way. Also, will you have a car? There are quite a few places off strip that are too much for a cab, but good if you have a car.

You also didn't say what kind of budget you have.

We had a really excellent meal at the Rio at their Voodoo Steakhouse. Pricey ($50 w wine per person), but well worth it, including the incredible view from the 51st floor!

(Make sure you hang around for the "Carnival on the Ceiling" at the beginning of every hour.)

We loved, loved, loved Le Atelier de Joel Robuchon. It was the best meal we've ever had. I should mention that we haven't been to Guy Savoy's or Joel Robuchon though.

We liked B&B, but it's a world apart. It was good, but I have no doubt I could make any of it with just the ingredient list.

I'm still upset that Commander's Palace is gone (I liked the Vegas location better than New Orleans!).

Many, many years ago, we ate at Emeril's Las Vegas place and were completely disappointed. Not sure if it's still around or not...

For French, we really enjoyed Bouchon, the Eiffel Tower restaurant (a bargain at lunch), and Andre's Downtown. We did the Chef's special menu at Andre's, and it was one of our most enjoyable meals ever. The service was perfection. And, it's very quiet there, unlike most places. The Chef came out of the kitchen and asked if we enjoyed our meal. But, unlike most, who seem to be just expecting raves, this one really wanted our input! A very handsome young man, too!

We also enjoyed Wolfgang Puck's place at Caesar's, which we visited only because it was handy and weren't expecting too much - but it was sensational.

Be sure to check out Rosemary's. This place consistently receives raves. Not a short cab ride, so we didn't get there (mostly due to more possibilities than opportunities).

I recommend Craftsteak at MGM.

If you're into Russian food, you could try Red Square.

Have a fun trip!

I second the recommendation for Isla - I have been there twice and would go back. It was a favorite of my family and then returned with my Mom and Stepdad and they loved it.

They make a mean Margarita as well.

Just had a very nice meal at Daniel Boloud at Wynn

B&B was also great more casual italian

Sorry it took me so long to get back...

As of now (subject to change of course) we're looking at dinner at Alex, Picasso, Lotus of Siam and possibly Enoteco San Marco or the pricer B&B. We will have lunch at Tableau and our short list for other lunches are Mesa Grill, Carnegie Deli, and the Burger Bar.

Adding....if we were looking to do steak, we'd definitely would do Craftsteak. And unfortunately it appears Isle is not open for lunch but could perhaps swap it out with B&B/San Marco especially if we don't end up at Mesa Grill at some point.

We considered Rosemary's until the bad ride issue. Went to Spago when I was there years ago, so don't want to do the Wolfgang Puck thing again.

Bad ride = cab ride. I'm such a dork.

And for the two dinners we're considering the $500-$1000/range for two. The other two at a lower price point.

My fave is Daniel Buloud at the Wynn. Bouchon for Sunday brkfst is wonderful.
Alize is very nice.
I'm one of the few who didn't think the ride to Rosemary's was worth it. Good but with so many great restaurants on the strip, I'd give it a miss next time.

I'm a Rosemary's fan. We always go there once during our Las Vegas visits. The food is creative and the service impeccable. (I love that they serve all the people at the table in one fell swoop.) They have a fixed price menu with or without wines that is really reasonable. Did you mean you are willing to spend $500-1000 for two people for one meal?

The drive is not a problem because we rent a car. It's not that expensive and we hop from hotel to hotel and do the valet parking. It's so much nicer than fighting the heat, dust, crowds and panhandlers on the street.

Did you mean you are willing to spend $500-1000 for two people for one meal?

The drive is not a problem because we rent a car. It's not that expensive and we hop from hotel to hotel and do the valet parking. It's so much nicer than fighting the heat, dust, crowds and panhandlers on the street.
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Yes.

And we have no desire for a number of reasons to rent a car...we're not sensitive to heat or panhandlers. And as much as I'd like to try Rosemary's, there are many other places we want to try...the issue is narrowing down much more than finding something we'll like.

One of the most amazing dining experiences - Joel Robuchon (with wine it would be upwards of $1000 for two). I went by myself and had one of the most wonderful dinners ever.

Others I really liked in Vegas:
Daniel Boulud
Mesa Grill
Joe's Crab
Bouchon for breakfast (everyday!)

Hi Janet,
To answer your other question regarding where to watch college football, we had a very difficult time last fall trying to find a place to watch TX-OU game. All of the casinos get crowded very early, and they seem more set up for gambling rather than watching for leisure. ESPN sports zone was overly packed also. We ended up at Bill's Saloon as they had a big area with non-gambling tables, cheap beer and a hot dog stand. It was not fancy, but fun!

Thanks for the head's up Becky. We're Hokie fans and we play Nebraska the Saturday we're there and definitely want to catch the game (as well as others that will be on).