NYCers in Vegas - what should we eat that we can't get in NYC?
BF and I are heading to Vegas this weekend (Sunday morn through Wednesday afternoon) and we're trying to figure out a restaurant itinerary. Unfortunately, BF has to work part of the time, so lunches will probably be quickly grabbed from wherever or ordered from room service at the Palazzo/Venetian (we're staying in the Palazzo and the conference he's working is being held in the Venetian). However, we should be able to do what we want for Sunday brunch and dinners/breakfasts in general, and we might be able to do one non-hotel lunch as well.
With all of that in mind, I have been reading these boards and trying to figure out a plan. I am a serious gourmet hound, and have eaten in many of NYC's finest restaurants (Per Se, Babbo, le Bernardin, etc). However, I also LOVE to eat cheap/dirty/ethnic and we live in Queens, so I frequently hit diners, dives, delis, pizza joints, hot dog stands, and all the fabulous (and cheap) thai, indian, vietnamese, bukharian and just about any other ethnicity you can name spots in Queens. BF has not had quite the exposure to NYC's finest that I have, but although he enjoys fine dining he is generally underwhelmed by French food (he prefers Italian, steakhouses, Spanish/tapas, etc). He loves asian/indian food as well, but does not eat sushi or much shellfish in general. We both enjoy the occasional buffet (especially if there's seafood involved for me!). We lived in Santa Fe one summer and we REALLY miss authentic Southwest cuisine. We are somewhat constrained by budget (Guy Savoy is out!) but would like to do one nicer place.
So, Hounds, where to? I would rather not duplicate any experiences that we can/have had in NYC, so B&B would be out, for instance. I love to get good bang for my buck, so if there's a spot that offers a truly great dining experience for a more reasonable price, that would be great (I've seen Rosemary's and Pamplemousse recommended in this category). We definitely want to do at least one buffet. Also, NYC is kind of a wasteland as far as Mexican food is concerned (and certainly as far as New Mexican cuisine is concerned), so a great Mexican or New Mexican recommendation would be welcome.
We've not made any reservations yet but we're tentatively planning to hit the Paris buffet at breakfast one day (maybe Sunday - we were thinking we might sneak in around 10:15 and stay awhile to get the best of both breakfast and lunch). We'd like to head to Lotus of Siam at some point since thai is our favorite and we live just a few blocks from the finest NYC has to offer (Sriphaphai). If we want to do another buffet at dinner time, the Bellagio is a contender, as is the Fremont (on seafood night, as long as they have other options for him). I'm interested in Todd's Unique, Pamplemousse and Rosemary's for off-the-strip options, but i'm not sure BF will want anything French. The recs for the Michoacan restaurants and Viva Mercado look good in the Mexican category. I'm also intrigued by Ping Pang Pong, as I have yet to find a satisfying dim sum place here (I know it exists, I just haven't found it yet!).
Anyway, I think I've got a good list of contenders there, but I would love your help in narrowing things down and would also appreciate any insider tips about when to do what. Since most of our meals will be weekday, hopefully there will be some good deals! Thanks in advance!
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biondanonima
Jan 30, 2008 04:36 PM
Okay, so I think I've convinced BF to give something French a try - he looked at the Bouchon menu and said it looked "pretty good," so I think I am going to make a reservation there, unless you can convince me (him!) that Pamplemousse, Todd's Unique or Rosemary's are a better bet. We definitely want to try the Paris breakfast buffet, and possibly the Bellagio for dinner. Lotus of Siam is a definite for lunch on a day when we can get away from the conference.
I booked us tix to see Ka on Tuesday night, and I'm a little worried about a time crunch. BF has to work until 7:30pm, and the show starts at 9:30pm, but they told us to get to the theatre an hour in advance (why I have no idea). What's the best place to stop in for a REALLY quick bite between the Venetian and the MGM? A friend of mine who visited Vegas last year said they found a great, trashy hot dog place on the strip in between hotels for a quick meal, but she can't remember the name or address (suffice it to say, she was a little tipsy for most of her trip!). Any recs for a quick, divey place?
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re: biondanonima
septocaine_queen
Jan 30, 2008 08:46 PM
The hot dog place could be Slots o' fun next to Circus Circus. They are 99 cents. I would not
1. be anywhere near the Circus Circus end of the Strip, that includes the CC steakhouse which I thought was 3 out of 5 stars. not worth it2. waste calories for a cheap hot dog. I would eat a peanut butter cookie from the Bouchon bakery instead or tarte au citron.
3. eat the buffet at LOS for lunch, order from the menu.
There is preshow entertainment for Ka and I think that they want everyone to be seated prior to the show starting. How are you getting from the Venetian to the MGM taxi, car, or walking? It is about 3 miles. Maybe order room service and have it ready when BF comes backs from work and then go.
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re: biondanonima
let's see - working until 7:30, very short walk next door , quick shower , you can be out the door at 8, luckily a weekday so you should get there in 15-20 minutes...hopefully.....there is a high end sandwich place by the chef from craftsteak...i ate there once...it was tasty...but you are cutting it close ...
hot dog place...hmmm...yeah...my guess is the slots-of-fun snack bar unless there is a place in the hawaiian market place ( i believe that's what it's called ) near the mgm ...but i don't think you have time for that
good luck !
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re: kjs
biondanonima
Jan 31, 2008 05:01 AM
Luckily we have a car, so we'll drive from the Venetian to the MGM. BF may be able to sneak away a little early if his partner is willing to watch the booth for the last hour or so. Even so, you're probably right about us cutting it close. the room service idea is probably best - either that or just wait until after Ka to eat. Will anything be open that late? Any good 24 hour establishments? Is In-n-Out 24 hours?
Thanks for the tips on the Bouchon bakery - tarte au citron sounds AMAZING. I hear that 'wichcraft is good too, but we have those in NYC so I'd rather go somewhere unique to Vegas. PS - no intention of eating the buffet at LOS - I am too intrigued by all the stuff from the regular menu to risk a mediocre buffet. I can get mediocre thai food on every corner here!
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re: biondanonima
Debbie W
Jan 31, 2008 08:35 AM
Well, don't drive on L.V. Blvd. but you probably already know that. Use Koval. If I were you, I'd get over to the MGM first and then assess how much time is left. You might have time for a drink and an appetizer at the bar of one of the nice restaurants. We've had apps at the SeaBlue bar several times and the food tends to come out rather quickly, but then again that's been toward the opening time rather than during the middle of dinner service. Also the Kobe tartare at Craftsteak could probably be served relatively quickly, it would make a nice pre-show snack at the Craftsteak bar. We've also snacked on pre-made fruit salad and yogurts at the Stage Deli next to the sports book, the fruit is usually pretty decent, they have sandwiches too which I've never tried, but you have Stage Deli in N.Y. It would just be to hold you over to dinner. Also, you could try the bar at the Wolfgang Puck place right outside the Ka theatre, they probably have some appetizers that could be served pretty quickly and I think the food there is decent. All in all I think you have several good options for noshing within the MGM. What time does the show get out? You could troll around and see what's still open then, and another alternative is to go over to the Peppermill which is retro old school coffee shop north of the Venetian on L.V. Blvd., their food is ok, open 24 hours I'm pretty sure.
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re: biondanonima
in-n-out ...i believe it's open until 1 am ....it's not even a mile from mgm ...trop/dean martin dr.....someone suggested peppermill - i 2nd that ...for nostalgia , a cool lounge ( have a night cap ) ...cool in a retro/cheesy vegas way...not cool as in seen-be-seen way...and the food a decent ... for what it is...but share the food...the servings are huge !!! a classic is the fruit plate...make that platter ...it will fill your fruit daily requirements ...for a week !! also includes a mini-loaf with this sweet but tasty marshmallow spread...damn...i'm going there this weekend ( i have friends in town for the super bowl... they are the type that will want the slots-o-fun hot dog and the a peppermill visit ! )
other food ideas - late night - i believe firefly is open very late...maybe 2or 3 am...that might be a great choice post - show...not sure if dragonfly next door is open the same hours. casino coffee shops ...hmm...my SO and i frequent Palms ( pricey, decent food and you'll see the occasional movie/music star ) and gold coast ( across the street from palms ) - they ave a decent $2.25 graveyard special and $4 or so steak and egg special ...they also have some chinese food - my SO always gets the noodle soups - not the best ( she has very high standards ) but darn good...some people mention lucky's in the hard rock...i've never been there... i gotta believe Fix/ Stack are open kinda late and the noodle place at bellagio might be open late too ( good but pricey for what you get ...same goes for the bellagio coffee shop - it's good but it's gotta be one of the most expensive coffee shops i've ever eaten at ! )
btw - sorry for the rambling - at my house - sitting here while a repairman fixes the fridge...and i'm tired of looking at my stock losses on the net ...so you are stuck with my ramblings !!
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re: kjs
biondanonima
Jan 31, 2008 11:58 AM
Kjs, I love your ramblings! And I hear you about the stock losses - yowza - I probably would be doing better in vegas right now, LOL! Anyway, thanks for the late night list - we're definitely going to have to play that evening by ear. BF wants In-n-Out and Jack in the Box for sure (weird, but we don't have them here and he misses the deep fried tacos), so maybe we'll be able to work those in with a trip to Firefly or something like that. He loves tapas (as do I) so that would be a welcome addition to our plans!
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re: Dave Feldman
biondanonima
Feb 1, 2008 09:31 AM
LOL Dave, BF will be thrilled to hear that a certified hound is backing him up on his claim that the JITB tacos are awesome (I've never had them, and I am skeptical). I am getting really excited about this trip - I just need to remember to pack clothes that fit loosely because I am going to be a fatty by the end!
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re: biondanonima
jitb !?!?!? holy cow !! from jitb to rosemary's ....yes ...hounds indeed !! i'm surprised he doesn't eat the burger king tacos ( i assume they have them at the nyc burger king's?!?! ) they are very similar....the tortilla and "meat" are put in the fryer, then put the cheese, sauce and lettuce after it's soaked up the required grease out of the fryer...my 2nd hogh school job was at jitb...all i remember is we would take the taco sauce open them in a small cup and put our loose change in...it cleaned them perfectly...not sure why we did that.. and i'm not sure if all taco sauces are that effective at cleaning coins...but it just made me wonder what that sauce did to my stomache !
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re: kjs
biondanonima
Feb 1, 2008 12:58 PM
Kjs, LOL! The acid in the taco sauce cleaned your change, no doubt - it cleans out my tummy in the same way! Anyway, we don't have tacos at Burger King here - we might have to try those too! In fact, we're both from the midwest (Missouri and Michigan) and the BKs there don't ahve them either.
i have spent the better part of my day salivating over the online menu at LOS, so I feel prepared for that. I looked over Bouchon yesterday and i think i know how I'm going to tackle that too! We're playing Tues night by ear because of the show. Superbowl Sunday - we may or may not want dinner since I'm sure we'll have tons of game snacks through BFs company - but if we do, will we be able to get in anywhere decent without a reservation?
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I’m also a NYC’er . When I go to Las Vegas, I particularly enjoy eating foods from regions that aren’t well represented in New York.
I know others won’t agree, but I think Lotus of Siam blows away anything in New York. It’s gotten to the point where I rarely eat Thai in New York. In my experience, only Chicago and Los Angeles have Thai places that compare, and none that I have tried have the consistency of Lotus. By all means, if you have only one meal at Lotus, I’d focus on the dishes that are impossible to find in New York. Definitely ask for the Northern menu. A few places in NY make khao soi, but none nearly as good as Lotus’s. The barbecued whole catfish is outstanding (as is the barbecued beef). Ask about the fish specials, which are usually wonderful. Try the hoh mok sea bass or the green chili dip or the sheetfish soup. You won’t find these dishes in New York.
http://www.saipinchutima.com/I haven’t found an upscale Mexican place I like as much as some of the dives. I’m a big fan of lunch at Mariana’s Supermarket (but only the one on Valley View and West Sahara) – the fish specials are often wonderful, as are the tacos. The last time I was there was the first time there weren’t free, freshly fried tortillas at the salsa bar – I hope they are back. La Choza is the kind of unassuming Mexican restaurant that is easy to find in LA. but not so easy in New York. This isn’t as good as Coatzingo but better than just about everywhere else in NYC. (http://www.chowhound.com/topics/373911)
I'm also a fan of the birria at Lindo Michoacan.I miss good Hunan food in New York. I stumbled onto Dong Ting Spring when trying to eat at the Malaysian place that preceded it. QAW has been going regularly: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/461861
›3 Replies-
re: Dave Feldman
biondanonima
Jan 30, 2008 04:40 AM
Dave, thank you! After seeing your description of LOS, I KNOW we're going there - khao soi and green chili dip, yay! As for Mexican, I haven't been to Coatzingl yet (totally remiss of me, but when we go to Jackson Heights, we are always too hungry for indian food to consider anything else!), but we live just 2 blocks from De Mole, which is often considered to be on par with Coatzingl - and I must say, it's DARN good. La Choza sounds interesting - there was a place called La Choza in Santa Fe that we loved but I don't think they're related, after reading the review you linked. I also saw that you recommended Circus Circus for steak on another thread - if BF decides he NEEDS a steak, that's where we'll go. Thank you!
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re: Dave Feldman
biondanonima
Jan 30, 2008 09:27 AM
Oh, sorry Dave - that must have been another Dave giving circus circus a thumbs up. We'll definitely do some exploration - I just love to research too!
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biondanonima
Jan 29, 2008 04:04 PM
Thanks all for your input! Eric, we'll keep the Viva Mercados rec in mind - I love things SPICY so bland mexican doesn't cut it for me. Libationist, thank you for the tip on Ping Pang Pong - knowing what you're ordering is good! Do you have suggestions on what to order at Lotus of Siam, if we go? The concensus here seems to be to avoid the buffet. Sour sausage with fried rice is a must from what I hear, but other ideas would be welcome. Kjs, your list is very helpful! We aren't particularly interested in "hip" places - unless the food is good enough for me to forget about my surroundings, LOL - but you gave me some things to think about. We can get great burgers here but we'll definitely head to In-n-Out - we can't be out West and not try a famous In-n-Out!
Anyway, thanks everyone and keep the suggestions coming!
›6 Replies-
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re: shamu613
not quite....you should say..."drink alot of beer !!" ...lol...i still laugh thinking about the "glowing" redness of my girlfriend's cheeks (facial ) while eating the extra spicy crawfish ...just yesterday i ate some noodles my SO made the day before...very, very spicy...asked her later why were the noodles so spicy - she used the leftover sauce from the crawfish we brought home from Hot & Juicy....nice !!
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re: kjs
biondanonima
Jan 30, 2008 03:22 PM
Mmm those crawfish sound AMAZING but I"m afraid BF would not be a happy camper if I took him to a crawfish place - he doesn't care for any type of shelled sea creature. Is there anything else recommendable on their menu?
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re: biondanonima
not really - the main items are crab - shrimp - crawfish...they also have corn and sausage...i believe they occassionally have a pasta and maybe rice...wait....wait...they may also have catfish...hmmm... i might be mixing it up with the crab boiler in cali...they are similar...but make no mistake about it - the menu is very limited and the focus is on shellfish !!!
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re: kjs
biondanonima
Jan 30, 2008 04:23 PM
Boo hoo! I love crawfish too. Oh well, I will have to get my seafood fix at a buffet where BF can partake of prime rib or some such!
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whew !!! quite a post !! alot to think about here !! 1st question - which dim sum places have you been to ? I('m a fan of PPP and orchid's...not a fan ( and i think i'm in the minority ) of cathay.
focusing on your BF preferences -
for tapas - Firefly on paradise and cafe BaBa Reeba on strip ( fashion mall ) personally, i like firefly more , and for an asian fusion small plates - you have dragonfly next door
steak - gee - not sure anything in vegas will wow you...if you want low price but i feel decent food - circus circus and the orleans - i prefer orleans because it's convenient.
otherwise - virtually every damn casino has a steak place that will fill the need....do you 2 have an interest in a cool/ hip places ? for steak - fix, stack, boa and my fave.. n8ne.
italian - pasta mia, nora's ...they have a relatively new place in the rio ...it's on my list to try.
asian - drive down spring mountain and take your pick...my latest fav ichiza ...japanese ...don't focus on the sushi...
and for the cool / hip - social house and tao ...also ra and sushi roku ...i just did a write up on social house...i liked it.
pamplemousse is considered value dining...hmmm...i don't remember that !!!
how about a good burger ??!!? i understand NYC is starting to catch on to this trend ( and to be honest, not sure this trend started ) but strip burger and burger bar ( i prefer BB ) are worthwhile...for cheap...get a double double with double grilled onion from in-n-out...yummy !!
just some of my initial thoughts !!!
›1 Reply-
re: kjs
What about Binion's Ranch Steakhouse? I'm going to Vegas this weekend and this place keeps getting brought up to me as top quality and a bargain.
Although I'm not a fan of most buffets the Rio's Seafood Buffet sounds kind of hard to resist.
I'll be at Lotus of Siam saturday night!
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I am a fellow NYC who was skeptical of Lotus of Siam, do not be. It has several dishes better than Sriphaphai and a killer reisling list to accompany it. Rosemary's is fine but over-sauced we paired beers with the dishes due to beer list being much better than wine list. Ping Pang Pong was good and the place was packed, I only wished I had seen the English menu before paying, so I could have ordered educated adventurous fare. (It is on the side by the cash register)
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Pamplemousse is an excellent choice and donot let the aree scare you from dining there. They are also open for lunch. BF should like it as they usually have some steak on the menu (http://www.pamplemousserestaurant.com/). I prefer Viva Mercados over the because the Michoacan food is very bland. Also, Viva Mercados reminds me of the Mexican food I grew up on in LA (http://www.usmenuguide.com/vivamercad...). For seafood buffet, you might check out the Oreans Casino's seafood buffet on Mondays. I do not like seafood and usually find plenty to eat. They also have, on wednesday nights, an all you can eat steaks as part of the buffet. You might also try Rincon de Buenos Aires for ethnic (it is off the Strip).
