Pre- pre- wedding dinner in Vegas, where to go?

[mjhals]

I've been haunting the Vegas Board for about a year, since we settled on getting married in Vegas. Big day is coming up on Sat., and I find myself at a loss regarding where to go on Thursday (the night we arrive, as well as his family). We're staying at the Wynn and have the rehearsal dinner planned at Tableau, then the wedding dinner planned at Daniel Boulud.

A few criteria for the Thursday night meal- it doesn't have to be at the Wynn, but at the same time I don't mind if it's at a Wynn/Encore restaurant either. We get in early afternoon, but the parents get in in the evening, so something not too far afield would be good. They suggested Bouchon, but I've already been there on my one previous trip to Vegas and want to branch out a bit. Plus, I think it's a little too similar to DB. I'd prefer sushi or something equally light as I have an unforgiving long white dress to squeeze into on Sat., but I don't think they're quite that adventurous.

Am leaning towards Bartolotta, the seafood options look wonderful. Has anyone tried the Taste of Wynn there? Any other suggestions are welcomed as well. Some of the other resorts I'd like to visit during the week are Caesar's Palace and the Bellagio, so if something strikes you at one of those properties, let me know! Thanks in advance!

[mjhals]

We ended up selecting Bartolotta, and were very glad we did. Had a wonderful experience, from service to food. We (fiance, his parents, and myself) all ordered off the Taste of Wynn menu, which I thought had a really nice representation of options. I think everyone ordered a different dish and everyone thought their's was the best, always a good sign! I had the oven-baked fish (which, for the life of my I can't remember what type of fish it was, I may have been a bit tipsy), but it reminded me of halibut, meaty but mild. You could tell the fish was pristinely fresh, and it was baked in a rich and not overpowering tomato-based sauce. FIL had beef, and MIL had seafood stew (can't remember husband's). The cuttlefish salad to start was equally good. Only tiny, tiny drawback was the dessert- the lemon cake was rich and moist, but I didn't care for the rosemary ice cream as it tasted a little soapy to me.

A note of thanks to PitLab- your recommendation of In and Out led us to Burger Bar on Sat night. As you suggested, we were a bit overloaded with the fine-dining, so the perfect choice for Sunday after everyone else had left was a burger joint. We'd watched Top Chef Masters w/ Hubert Keller and decided to give it a try. We walked there on Sunday night and both agreed it was the best burger we'd ever had (didn't hurt that I had it w/ foie gras and truffle sauce). Perfect burger, perfectly cook at a true medium.

[uhockey]

Carnevino at the Venetian - great steaks, unique pastas, incredibly gracious service. Enoteca San Marco is more causal, but also excellent.

If you think Tableau looks good - check out the Country Club at the Wynn - had a GREAT meal there last Saturday.

Neros (the steak house in Caesars) was pretty poor in my experience and Bartolotta - I went before the change to their current menu format so I can't comment - but the food was superb. MiX at Mandalay Bay has great food and doesn't require a tasting menu - it also has the best view in Vegas.

[mjhals]

Thanks for the suggestions, Carnevino looks similar to Bartolotta, expect Bartolotta has more seafood options. I have to confess that I fairly concerned with finding a somewhat "light" option for me, as it will be a full weekend of eating, culminated w/ squeezing into that damn dress!

We've settled on Tableau for the rehearsal dinner, signed the contract and picked the selections awhile ago. I think the rec for Country Club will be great for brunch/breakfast after the wedding, so thanks!

[Eric]

How many people are you talking about? Also, does it have to be somewhere on the Strip? There are some very good options off of the Strip.

[PitLab]

OK, just to provide some contrast (with my tongue firmly in cheek) I'd suggest renting a limo and heading to In & Out Burgers. If that doesn't really rattle your chain then here's a few Caesar's suggestions. I just got back from a biz trip to Vegas so these are still fresh in memory.

The Steak House in Caesars. Not as flashy as the celeb chef joints but excellent.
Rao's in Caesar. Surprisingly good Italian. Much, much better than the touted Valentino's in the Venetian. Actually, I think that Valentino's sucks big time!
Also in Caesar's is the Mesa Grill. In the interest of full disclosure, I've eaten at most of the original celeb chef places and find the Vegas clones to mostly be pretty disappointing. Mesa is decent but not nearly as good as the original in NYC.

[mjhals]

LOL- good suggestion PitLab, considering both my fiance and I are from CA, so In and Out is near and dear to our hearts. Unfortunately, I think his parents are looking for a bit more upscale than that...Good suggestions for Caesar's, I'll add them to the list.