Ultimate Vegas dining?

[hrhboo]

Hello all,

I will be in Vegas for a few days next week with my SO, and wanted to splurge on the best food the city has to offer.

So far we have reservations at Alain Ducasse at the The Mix, and Joel Robuchon. I picked the Mix because we are young and wanted to go somewhere trendy, and Joel Robuchon because it sounds fantastic. We have never been to either of these places before and I wanted to know if there are better options? What are your favorites?

Any recs would be great!

[technokidz]

Stripsteak is the best meal I have had in Vegas - twice. I have been to Craftsteak, Fleur de Lys (3x), Prime, SeaBlue, and a few others.

Stripsteak was a total, pleasant surprise. First time out on October 19th the dinner was perfect and the staff were genuine and friendly. Duck fat fries were wonderful, the trio of whipped potatoes (especially the lobster one!) were unbelieavably good and the steak was incredible.

Went back by myself on October 22 and the meal, including the carpaccio, was just as good. HANDS DOWN the best steak I have had - and the normal filet was twice as good as the Kobe steak I had at Craftsteak for twice the price last year. I ate in the bar area at one of the small tables. Others were eating at the actual bar itself. Same menu. Bill came to $96 plus tip for 2 beers, appetizer, and steak with one side.

The wait staff all appear to truly love working there. I will definitely be returning when I go down again next year.

[2banana]

Two drinks, a shared appetizer (along with a free order of fries), two entrees, two sides (including terrific truffled mac-and-cheese), a shared desert and a bottle of wine running about $90 came to a total bill (with tip) of just North of $300.

This seemed completely reasonable to us.

[2banana]

Stripsteak does have a bar area but not a seperate bar per se. I did not see a seperate menu.

The restaurant itself is not large at all by Vegas standards and certainly does not have the design aspects found in most places. It is open, both within the space and to the large mall-like area outside (it is across from Fleur de Lys). It seems more focused on the food rather then the look of the place.

I am not sure about Charlie Palmer's since I never did venture over to the Four Seasons.

[MaggieMuffin]

Michael Mina at Bellagio's tasting menu is great.

[Bill Hunt]

I'm glad to hear this report. We've done Michael Mina's SF and were delighted with both the "tasting menu," and the "cellar-master's wine selections." To date, we've only dined at Sea Blue, and were greatly disappointed. Next trip to LV will have to include his Bellagio and Nob Hill restaurants.

Thanks for this report.

Hunt

[Larry]

In a few weeks, Mina opens yet another place. Stripsteak will feature meat, with items such as foie gras sliders and duck fat fries.

[toncasmo]

where will the new michael mina place be? maybe it will be open for lunch?

[Larry]

Stripsteak will be at Mandalay Bay, replacing restaurant "3950." I sent an email to Mandalay Bay a few weeks back, and was told Stripsteak would open October 1; hours of operation weren't specified.

[2banana]

Stripsteak opened on October 5th. I ate there the next night and thought it was fantastic!

There were some service kinks but food highlights included duck fat fries with truffled aioli, foi gras sliders (think a small hamburger), wonderfully fragrant grilled steak and profoundly good prime rib. According to Jeffery Steingarden the steak is grilled over multiple types of wood which may explain the beautiful fragrance and flavor. The deserts were a little odd in that they had fritters, donuts, and dumplings which all seemed somewhat similar. We had deep fried pineapple with granita, though, and liked it quite a bit.

[kjs]

do you know if they have dining options at the bar ( do they have a bar ? ) is charlie palmer's steakhouse still open - seems unusual that they would have 2 steakhouses on one property ( though i guess you can argue CP is within the 4 seasons )

[johnb]

How much did it cost you to get out the door?

[Larry]

If you're referring to Joel Robuchon at The Mansion, that's a great choice. I've only been there once, and probably won't be able to afford to return, but it's the best meal I've had in Las Vegas.

Come hungry!

[hrhboo]

Yes, I mean the one at the Mansion. There will be two of us for dinner, and we're definitely planning on the tasting menu! How much damage can I expect this to cause my wallet? There will be much wine involved.

[Larry]

The full sixteen course tasting menu (there's also a smaller, cheaper one) runs $350 per person. Add a modest glass or two of wine, tax, and tip, and you're up to $500 per person. Get more or better wine, and the sky's the limit!

I understand there's also an a la carte menu, but it is only offered on request, and will be even more expensive.

[hrhboo]

In that case, I guess it'll be a once in a lifetime meal for us too! I have no doubt it'll be worth every penny. Thanks for the info.

[chow_gal]

Jeffrey Steingarten in the Sept. issue of Vogue writes about the high end dining options in LV and praises Bartolotta and JR as two of the best dining experiences in the nation. (maybe even world, can't recall article)

[coastal foodgirl]

We dropped $10k for a table of four. We each did the $350 tasting menu and had 5 bottles of wine. We also sat and dined for nearly 5 hours. It was hands down the best meal I've ever experienced and Joel and crew was in town from Paris, which made it extra special.

[saeyedoc]

You must have been drinking some ridiculous wines, over 8k for 5 bottles? Hope you were comped.

[aaronswoman]

"Brown Derby" at the MGMGrand Hotel, I'm not really sure if its trendy in your book but it was during the Hollywood golden years. Very good and classy. Dishes start around $21. They also have a Châteaubriant for two that is amazing. Emerils fish house also at the MGMGrand has the most AMAZING lobster bisque I call it liquid gold!!!

[Larry]

The Brown Derby closed some time ago.

[lvnvflyer]

I was very disappointed in the food at Mix. The room is great, and it's terrific place to go for drinks, but I thought the food was not great and very pricy. We've been to Atelier Joel Robuchon and thought it was terrific, so I expect the Mansion is even better.
Trendy places that I think are better than Mix would include N9ne at the Palms; it's very high energy and the food is solid. Fix at Bellagio is another trendy and fun choice. I also think Simon at the Hard Rock is a great option; they have some nice outdoor tables and the food is consistently good.

[hrhboo]

Thanks for the tip! What about Hubert Keller's Fleur de Lys? I have read good things about Alize at the Palms too.

[lvnvflyer]

Like both of those choices a lot. Fleur de Lys is a very nifty room, with stone walls and a lofted area; they have a three, four and five course meal, as I recall, but you can mix it up and have three apps, or whatever mix you want. The food was excellent, service also very good. It's a bit quiet, but not in a stuffy way; the tables are actually quite widely spaced, which I think is a positive.
Alize is also at the Palms, is an "Andre" restaurant (Andre owns his namesake restaurant in downtown LV and is a well known institution in town), and is more traditional French than Fleur de Lys. It has a terrific view and we liked the food and the wine list very much. One thing that might detract slightly is that the noise from the nightclubs/bars on the next floor up (Rain and Ghostbar) can sometimes infiltrate the restaurant; on the other hand, if you think you might go to the club/bar, you'll get a preview....

[amy elizabeth]

There is an article in this month's GQ reviewing a lot of the high end restaurants in LV. I think the author called Mix "the worst idea ever". Pretty strong condemnation...