Good Eats in Vegas!
 

Looking to not break the bank but also looking to give my girlfrieneds a great taste of Vegas. Olives in Bellagio? Want something super super fun but not $60/person more like $40-$50 for dinner per person with a shared bottle of wine or two? We're staying at Caesar's.....
Also can somone tell me what is the story with Voodoo Lounge, do we need to reserve/stand on line? Thanks so much

With wine, Olives might be around $50/person. When we went for dinner, I think it was just about or slightly over $100 for 2 with a few drinks rather than wine.

Might also be able to do Postrio at the Venetian for that amt. -- it's in the center of the st. mark's square area. Or Pink Taco at Hard Rock should be on the lower price range.

Olives is nice but can be terribly noisy and crowded at night, impacting on service sometimes.
I would recommend Olives for lunch, perfect! If weather is good/tolerable , eat out on the terrace.
Voodoo Lounge, what fun!
We stayed at the Rio a couple of times years ago, you can go up the elevator (on the outside of the building) or regular (if it is windy) and just have drinks and walk out on the terrace, if you are not afraid of heights.
Dinner-reservations are a must, the restaurant is always crowded and busy, top floor of the hotel, Carib theme, very good food..Amazing view..a must see at night.
Most decent restaurants in LV , require reservations.
Have fun!

Hi lorraine27 - I'm changing the subject a little, but if you and girlfriends are staying at Caesars, be sure to spend a day by the pool and rent a cabana. I rented a cabana with several girlfriends for a day and we had a wonderful time. You get free fruitray, water and cold drinks for the day. The price also includes your own cabana boy who checks on you frequently, along with floats for the pool. The cabanas are also very comfortable because they have those wonderful fans that put out cold water spray. It's such a beautiful pool, if you enjoy laying around in the sun or shade, you'll have a wonderful relaxing day.

How much is the cabana and can I reserve in advance? Sounds great

O.K. I know I'll probably get taken over the coals for this one, but here goes:
Try: Battista's Hole In The Wall which is right behind the Barbary Coast. It is old and the food is just o.k. italian with all the cheap wine you can drink, but this is one of the few places with an Old Vegas feel and I have spent a lot of great nights here.

Also, the Monte Carlo Pub & Brewery is a real fun place and cheap eats.

Olives is pretty nice, the ambience is upbeat and, as somebody else mentioned, noisy...however, I didn't think the food was that good. I paid over $50 for my meal (undercooked risotto with 5 pieces of shrimp) and that was just for one entree and a glass of wine.
I think that Delmonico's in the Venetian is a lot better! You will pay about the same price, but the food and service were much better than at
Olive's. The atmosphere, however, is more subdued and elegant--I wouldn't call it a "fun" place and it doesn't have a view of the Bellagio fountains (the big plus for Olives)
So....if you're going for atmosphere and a place where you can have fun and be (somewhat) rowdy I would say go for Olive's. For better food and a clubby (like "sleek-martini-lounge-clubby") atmosphere, I would say go to Delmonico's Steakhouse.
Sorry, I've never been to the VooDoo lounge, so can't comment on that..have fun!

Try the Mon Ami Gabi restaurant at the Paris hotel. We love that restaurant!

My girlfriends and I are going to Vegas next Fri. (18tt, see my post on 4 girls) and the conceirge at Bellagio told me that Olives is going to be closed for renovations for a while.
She suggested Circo as an alternative. We are trying to hit some nice places at lunch to save on spending.

Voodoo Lounge: Suggest you just go for drinks. No line/reservation issues - just show up and pay the cover charge (<= $10). Best time to go is around midnight. The band is indoors, but definately step out on the terrace. Wow! What a view!

For the best view in Vegas, why not have dinner at the Stratosphere? Not everything on the menu is good (the bisque and the prime rib were yummy! the salad was not, unfortunately) but it is an awesome place to be at sunset.

Voodoo Lounge is great fun. Try and time it with the Carnival Parade at the Rio. It is just outside the Voodoo, I think. We happened to fun into it as we were coming or going, can't remember, you can call for times. It is pretty awesome and you hit two must sees at once.

Cheap eats, good food, someone mentioned the Monte Carlo Brewery, but I recommend the Italian restaurant there. The Trattoria, maybe. The food there is very good, and very reasonable.

There's also Spago's in the Ceasars Mall which isn't too pricy, especially for lunch. You could maybe go to the better places for lunch and less expensive places for dinner.

There of course are lots of chains that aren't so expensive either, but not real Vegas either. Cheesecake Factory, CA Pizza Kitchen. And then you have the buffets. We have never been to a buffet in Vegas, but they are supposed to be pretty good for the price.

Recommendation 1: It might be stretching your budget a bit (I honestly can't remember the cost), but 808 at Caesars is FANTASTIC. Asia-Pacific/Hawaiian-style food in a fantastic open-kitchen restaurant. Love that place.

Also, because you will be staying at Caesars and depending on your gambling habits, maybe you can get the meal comped. Something to think about. . .

Recommendation 2: Maybe a little more expensive than Olives but less than every other Bellagio restaurant is Circo. I have had some great meals there but the real draw is the awesome views out to the Bellagio fountains and the Paris Eifel tower. I could sit there for hours. . . .

Have fun. So jealous

I think 808 will be out of your budget. When I ate there it cost around $140 for two with 2 soups, 2 entrees, 1 bottle wine and tax and tip. It is a cool place and the food was good but not my favorite style of cooking - sort of an Asian-Western fusion.

I'm not sure I know what you are looking for as far as dining that will be "super super fun" but Caesar's has several options in the $ 40-50 range, including Spago Cafe and several other restaurants in the Forum Shoppes which I can't remember the names of.

Just had a thought-- what about Rumjungle at Mandalay Bay? Kind of a hike from Caesar's but looks "super super fun" and within your price range. It's a Brazilian restaurant with rodezio-grilled meats.

For our son's 21st birthday this past New Year's Day, we took him and a friend to LV, with birthday dinner at RumJungle. I think it can go either way, but I was somewhat disappointed. First, the waiter suggested some special that came in a hollowed-out pineapple -- avoid it; overpriced and kindof bland. Then, the firepit entree was a lot of fun, with the waiters continously bringing various meats on skewers, but very expensive. If you are very careful with your drink orders, you may get out within your budget. Personally, I think that this is best enjoyed if you plan to enjoy the club after dinner, since the cover is included in your dinner.

My favorite special restaurant in Las Vegas is at Bellagio at Le Cirque..Romantic, beautiful ambience,FABULOUS food- and yes, expensive but worth every penny...

We had 1 appetizer for 2 of us, 2 entrees and each had a dessert==ran about $50 pp --we had no drinks at all

i was not at all impressed with the food at Voodoo lounge. view was great, drinks were great, but i think there are other places id go. just my opinion!

Does 808 have a dress code? Asian-fusion sounds right up our alley, but a jacket/tie might be a deal breaker ;)