I'd like some recommendations on great restaurants in Vegas. I'm looking for great food and overall experience. I'm open to all kinds of cuisine (seafood, French, Italian, American, etc.) I know these won't be cheap and I don't expect them to be, but I also don't want the priciest places on the planet (can't drop $500 on a meal.)

So far, I've looked into the Eiffel Tower Restaurant, Joel Robuchon, Fleur de Lys, Lupo, and RM Seafood. These seem to be along the lines of what I'm going for, but would love to hear suggestions from others and any input on these as well.

Also, my husband really loves duck. If you know of a particularly good duck meal, please let me know.

Thank you!!

We are headed to vegas soon and for our special dinners, I looked on Zagats and did some research. I've narrowed our choices down to B&B ristorante, aureole and SW steak.

Charlie Trotters place in the Palazzo was a front runner, but i wasn't crazy about the menu on line. Looking forward to suggestions you receive.

There are two Mobil/Forbes five star restaurants in Vegas, Joël Robuchon at MGM and Alex at Wynn. Since there are only 21 five stars in the entire USA these are obviously well-thought of. We are going to Vegas this summer to try Robucon's.

There are also eight four star restaurants in Vegas, any of these would likely be superb as well ... here are the lists:

http://www.forbestravelguide.com/fou...estaurants.htm
http://www.forbestravelguide.com/fiv...estaurants.htm

You can also check the AAA Five Diamond ratings. These are somewhat easier to get than the Forbes/Mobil Five Stars and there are five restaurants listed in Vegas, including the two mentioned above.

I also don't want the priciest places on the planet (can't drop $500 on a meal.)

Fixed-price menus start at $89/person at Robuchon (plus drinks and tip), maybe a bit higher at Alex.

We really enjoyed the Eiffel Tower restaurant for lunch, but were disappointed with dinner (the menu options and that everything was a la carte).

I really enjoy Hubert Keller's food and Fleur de Lys was outstanding.

But, you don't have to go to the most upscale places for really good food in Las Vegas, and, sometimes, it's just too much food. We often order at the bar at the nicer places for the smaller plates.

If you enjoy banana cream pie - Emeril's is not to be missed.

Bill, thanks for the info and links! I really hope to visit Robuchon, as I have been an admirer for a while. The prices seem doable and reasonable for what I expect in return I hadn't thought of Alex yet, so I will look into that as well.

Djk...I am also a fan of Hubert Keller's and would really love to visit his restaurant. There are just so many good ones to choose from and only so many meals in the day! I've just got to narrow it town to 2 or 3 which is proving hard to do. Yes, we love banana cream pie, so we might have to make a special trip for that.

Thanks again!

B&B was really good. The cost will depend on the wine you have, of course. Two nights prior to going to B&B we had dinner at Red Square in the Mandalay Bay. Cool looking room, nice for drinks but pretentious and overly priced for dinner. B&B was about the same price with food that was significantly better,

As stated, the thing about Vegas is you don't need to go high end for a really good meal. One of our favorite spots to eat is Mon Ami Gabi for lunch. Certainly not the best French place in town and not even close to some of the best bistros I've been to elsewhere. But, it's one of the few Vegas spots with decent people watching and there is something fun about sitting outside having some wine watching the Vegas fountain show.

In terms of high end we've been to Picasso and Le Cirque at the Bellagio. Both were good, but would not be on the top of my list to visit again. Perhaps that is a function of living in NY. I can go to those type of places if I wish. When in Vegas I'd rather go somewhere that is a bit more "Vegas" like the restaurants in the Piazza San Marco at the Venetian.

we love Alex at the Wynn and Guy Savoy but you will probably drop about $500..good news is Daniel Boulud brasserie/DB Brasserie at the Wynn has an excellent 4 course meal for around $40 per person and he is considered one of the best chefs in the world..great wine list and the water show is stunning.
Okada at the Wynn for sushi is some of the best.
Burger Bar at Mandalay is excellent and Bobby Flay's Delmonico's at the Venetian is quite good.
Bouchon which is a Thomas Keller/French Laundry has great French bistro food but where they shine is for breakfast.
Love me a banana pie!
Lotus of Siam for some of the best Thai in the US..off the strip.

www.wynnlasvegas.com

Bill, thanks for the info and links! I really hope to visit Robuchon, as I have been an admirer for a while. The prices seem doable and reasonable for what I expect in return I hadn't thought of Alex yet, so I will look into that as well.

Sunshine, you might enjoy this foodie's personal web site. He is trying to visit all 21 of the Forbes/Mobil Five Star restaurants and he grades them based on his dining experience there. He has very detailed write-ups of the ones he has visited.

I have only been to one of them, Kai, (four times since it's just a 10 minute drive from my front door) but after reading this site my wife and I are going to try to hit as many as possible of the seven restaurants that are in states adjacent to us in the next year, just for the heck of it. Hopefully we'll do Vegas in a few months. (Unable to score a rez at the French Laundry thus far so this is still in the planning stage.)

Anyway, FWIW he has dined at 12 of these five star places and the one he ranked highest was Robuchon. To read his personal reviews click on 'view' under the 'profile' column.

http://5starfoodie.com/5stars.asp

Also, ksucat always has great food advice, so the places he mentions are surely worth checking out. I think he's the one who turned us on to Binkley's here in the Phoenix area. (Too bad it's almost an hour's drive from us).

For duck, try Wing Lei at the Wynn:
http://www.wynnlasvegas.com/

They have a 5-course duck menu:
http://www.zagat.com/Verticals/Menu....8870&HID=22055

We were able to order the Peking duck carved tableside separately, instead of having the entire 5-course menu. After it's carved, they prepare it in two different ways.

We ordered a few other items on the menu and all were delicious. Wing Lei is a Michelin-star but their prices seemed reasonable. Service was impeccable.

If you want something that it also different take a look @ Red Square. Known more as a bar, they also have a great caviar & vodka tasting menu. http://www.mandalaybay.com/dining/redsquare.aspx

Thanks Bill!

Love the way you roll on eating and drinking all over the world.
I can only aspire to try and keep up with you!

Did you try opentable.com right at midnight 60 days out for reservations at French Laundry?
It works for us..also, lunch is quite good at FL if you are staying in the city.
Heard it's not so hard to get in due to the economy like previous years.
Have you dined at Cyrus in Healdsburg?
We had a great lunch at Redd in Napa.

Kai is on our list this summer when we head to our annual 4th of July blowout at the Montelucia and Biltmore.
Glad you like Binkley's!

I am a huge fan of what the Wynn puts out in the food department..that goes for the great Jewish deli too.
I've seen Wing Lei but have never been..good to know.

We sign up for the e-mail specials and for $109 a night for a 5* resort, its a lot of bang for the buck..

Vegas has amazing food!

I second the suggestion for Daniel Boulud at the Wynn. We did not do prix fixe - we love the food and experience. Have eaten here 3 times. Make reservations for 7:00 or later so you can see the water show - it is amazing.

The BEST sushi in Vegas is Sushi Roku (if you like sushi)...you didn't ask but it is truly AMAZING if anyone else is looking! Incredible and unique rolls.

Another restaurant with a GREAT view is Olives at Bellagio. Reserve early and request a table outside. You will be able to dine while watching the fountain show, very romantic. Food is incredible...love the ribeye, the braised ribs...everything.

8-)

I was amazed with the food at Boulud with the prix fixe menu, which, when we visited was during "early bird" hours. They weren't busy at all, the weather was fine, and we enjoyed a fabulous table on the terrace. I was amazed because we were seriously underwhelmed at Daniel in NYC (for about triple the price).

We absolutely love breakfast on the patio at Mon Ami Gabi, but don't care much for their dinner menu.

Breakfast at Tableau at the Wynn was one of our most memorable ever!

We enjoyed the best fish/chips ever, anywhere, at Morel's one Friday lunch (when I need a fish/chips "fix"). Unbelievable tartar sauce of freshly made cocktail sauce. Perfect frites!

One of the reasons we enjoy dining at the bar is that you can visit many more places.

The one place we long for, though, and visit at least once every trip, is Bouchon. Love the decor there. Like being in Paris!

The only disappointing meal we've ever experienced in Las Vegas was at Olives. Mediocre food, overseasoned (and overpriced for what it is), dreadful waitstaff.

Ironically, we were very impressed with the food at Top of the World. We weren't expecting much and went for the view (which was actually disappointing - just a lot of lights). I wish I could duplicate the lobster ravioli - and that sauce! Our waiter, I swear, was Harvey Fierstein's twin separated at birth.

I do not like Vegas at all, but I may have to make a trip just to eat!!

Wow, so many great suggestions. Thank you all, and keep 'em coming!

I know this wasn't my thread, but i wanted to thank you all for the responses. I just made a res at Alex for our trip, in addition to the ones I had. I will be sure to write a food trip report upon our return.

I have to vehemently disagree with the Red Square recommendation. For drinks, fine. It's a cool looking spot and I'm sure for some the Vodka room with the fur hats is fun.

But, the food was overpriced and just not very good. My wife ordered Chicken Kiev. It was dry. Quite a feat considering the dish has liquified butter at its center.

We ate the next night at B&B Bistro in the Venetian. Comparable on cost, not even close on how much better it was food wise.

To me, Red Square was one of the more disappointing restaurants I've been to. I expected the food to match the ambiance, it wasn't even close - especially at $35+ for dry Chicken Kiev and $45 for two small lamb chops.

One challenge with dining in Las Vegas is combining "dinner and a show". The very best way to do that is to plan dining as close as possible to the show.

Often, it's too late to get to the latest reservation after a show. And, dining ahead of the show can result in severe drowsiness...

We've learned to enjoy a nice late lunch and head for a bar menu nearby after a show.

We ate at The Mix at The Hotel, Mandalay Bay it was awesome.. on the top floor, or close to it.. great service, food...

Please let me now if we can be of any service.

Lyle Tolhurst
Eiffel Tower Restaurant