3 Girls - Lotus of Siam or Mesa Grill?

[agulledge]

There are 3 of us celebrating turning 40, and we have two dinners and three lunches to schedule. Since we are at the Venetian and the buzz from the c'hounds is good on Bouchon, I have a res for dinner at Bouchon the first night. Second night I am torn between dinner at Lotus of Siam or Mesa Grill...please help? Also, would one work equally well as a lunch spot? i.e., LOS for dinner on Sat. night and MG for lunch on Sun? I would be grateful for some chowhound wisdom. Also, if we are doing these big meals for dinner, are there some lighter/simpler lunch places that anyone would recommend? Thanks in advance!! :)

[QAW]

One note before you set a schedule - Lotus does not open for lunch on weekends.

[HomeCookKirsten]

The walk to LOS is in a semi bad area and depending on when you will be in town, it will feel like a walk from hell. Average daily temps over 105 degrees. Call a cab before you even order your food @ LOS and you'll be fine.

I love both LOS and Mesa Grill, so you can't go wrong!

[Debbie W]

I would say do Mesa for dinner and LOS for lunch - but don't get the lunch buffet at LOS, order from the menu. We just had dinner at Mesa and it was really good, better than I expected actually, having had a few lunches and brunches there but never dinner. (I'm delinquent on posting my trip report which includes that dinner as well as a lunch at LOS.) Other favorite lunch spots on the strip are Burger Bar (Mandalay Place), Cafe Ba Ba Reeba (Fashion Show Mall), Mon Ami Gabi (Paris). If you choose Mesa for lunch on a weekend, I think the menu is a brunch menu with more limited choices, check with the restaurant. We intend to lunch at Enoteca San Marco (Venetian) on our next trip in mid-August, as the menu looks fabulous.

[agulledge]

Thanks so much for the great feedback - it's what makes this site the wild success that it is. I will follow your advice - makes perfect sense! Mesa sounds like it has a great atmosphere for dinner...and I've heard about the tapas place as well. I will post my experiences when I return...:)

[raider]

both LOS and mesa grill are great for lunch. since you're at venetian, try postrio for lunch. the lobster club is the best sandwich you'll ever eat.

[agulledge]

Debbie (as well as any other c'hounds) - what would you recommend for lunch at LOS, and for dinner at Mesa? Any favorites? What are your favorite bars/lounges in Sin City?

[raider]

as for bars/lounges, don't miss red square at mandalay, and petrossian at bellagio (get blue cheese olives in your martini).

[torta basilica]

Both work for lunch... you'll be full, though!! I prefer to go to LOS for lunch, actually. I've had problems getting cabs out of there (staff actually had to drive us back to hotel once!), so would prefer to have that issue at lunch, not dinner.

[FriendOfTheDevil]

Torta,
Can you tell me if it seems doable to walk from LOS to the Sahara? It says it is 3/4 of a mile of so.

Thanks

FOTD

[torta basilica]

Sorry, don't know - we were coming from the Hilton (free room - enuf said...) - it's a rather grim stretch of road.

[Jase]

Its fine during the daytime if you walk back along Sahara. You'll be coming on the back side of the hotel and end of the monorail. But walking at night with all females probably isn't a great idea. Its not well lit enough even though its a major street. Daytime will be fine. You'll be walking past retail stores, a couple of small casinos and strip malls.

[Larry]

If you have a sweet tooth, try Jean-Philippe Patisserie (Bellagio) or Lenotre (Paris). Both have excellent pastries. I have a slight preference for Jean-Philippe, but seating is extremely limited, whereas Lenotre has a good sized area where you can sit and watch people walk by.