I want to eat at the most highly rated places in Vegas. Has any one been to any that you liked? I'll be staying at Mandalay Bay. How about some of theirs?

Hi Tammy:

Went to LV in mid-January for a week. Mandaly Bay ROCKS. Check out rumjungle, Red Square, Border Grill and Aureole. You could stay there and not go anyplace else. Fun to get out though. For food I thought the last two were best. We tried to do a "fine dining" experience every night. The other places we went:

Emeril's N.O. Fish House @ MGM Grand. Pretty decent but wasn't the best of the week.

Zefferino @ Venetian. Very good. Terrible wait, even with a reservation.

Osteria del Circo @ Bellagio. Was the best. Awesome. Pricey.

Second Street Grille @ Binions downtown. Very respectable.

Lucky's 24/7 @ Hard Rock. Another poster mentioned the steak and shrimp special for 5.99. Have to ask for it, not on the menu. We were somewhat skeptical, but it was damn good. Even came with a salad.

Have fun, don't lose all your $$$ before you get a chance to eat.

James, thanks for the heads up on the Hard Rock's 24/7 special. We had read about it, but had our doubts, too. Good to know for future reference.

I'm told the best restaurants in Las Vegas are Picasso in the Bellagio, and Aureole in Mandalay Bay. I haven't been to either, but will be next weekend. Can't wait, and I'm told by many people that they are great. Also like Napa at the Rio, and Rotisserie Des Artistes at Paris. Both were very good.

Best restaurants in Vegas are at the Bellagio - visit their website to determine which ones are best suited for you-there is also a very nice restaurant in the Eiffel Tower at the Paris resort. Have fun and bon appetit!

Picasso is (was?) somewhat overrated in my book.
$450 for 3 without drinks, great service, good atmosphere, good food but not spectacular.

We thought Picasso and Aureole were both overrated and overpriced. Bellagio has the best restaurants.

Meg, I'm a little confused. Since Picasso is at the Bellagio, and they claim it is their top restaurant, but you say it is overpriced and overrated, which restaurants at Bellagio do you feel are the best?

We like every other restaurant at Bellagio. In particular, check out Aqua; there's one in SF where we live and it's excellent. Picasso just wasn't very good; service was lackluster and rushed, and one of my dishes had gravel or sand in it. Aureole was a horrorshow.

I live in Las Vegas and when friends come to visit, we always take them to Z-Tejas. It's located on Paradise. Much more reasonably priced than the hotels' restaurants. They have the best margaritas ever. Try either the Big Stick or the Chambord margaritas. Their sister restaurant, P F Chang's is located nearby and is always packed. My husband and I both like Rumjungle and House of Blues in the Mandalay Bay.