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Top 10 Las Vegas Restaurants
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Las Vegas Restaurants
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1
Picasso
Bellagio
3600 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Flamingo Rd.)
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-693-8105
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 Famed
chef Julian Serrano gave up San Francisco to be chef at this
restaurant where guests are surrounded by paintings---not
reprints, but $50 million worth of the real thing---by Picasso.
The room is posh and serene, with vaulted ceilings, glorious
floral arrangements and elegantly dressed tables set comfortably
apart. Since Picasso spent much of his life in the South of
France and Spain, those are the influences Serrano follows.
What's on the plate is dramatically presented and delicious
enough to distract your attention even from all those Picassos.
Surrender to such delicacies as warm lobster salad with mangoes;
langoustine pulled live from a tank, and then grilled and
drizzled with porcini oil; sautéed foie gras with Madeira sauce;
squab breast cut into tiny slices and moistened with jus spooned
from a tiny copper pot; and truffle-crusted lamb with Parmesan
potatoes. In a town full of splendid fine-dining restaurants,
this one is hard to top. The main reason is that its in contrast
to most of Vegas other imports, which are associated with a
famous chef but the famous chef himself is not necessarily
cooking. At Picasso, Serrano is the guy in the kitchen. That's
not the only good news, though: the lake view also makes this
one of the most romantic spots in town. |
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2
MICHAEL MINA
Bellagio
3600 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Flamingo Rd.)
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-693-8199
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 With
chef Michael Mina in the kitchen, this elegant restaurant
delivers among the very best cutting-edge cuisine on the Strip.
How such pristine dishes manage to explode with flavor wows us
every time. For starters, it's hard to decide among the black
mussel sautéed with Chardonnay, garlic and parsley; the sautéed
Atlantic skate with tempura langoustine, fennel pure and
shellfish cream; and the seared sea scallops and domestic foie
gras with rhubarb pie and red endive. Its equally difficult to
pick an entre when the choices range from smoked bacon and
herb-crusted turbot with fingerling potatoes, spring onions and
spicy mustard sauce; and truffle butter-poached wild salmon with
shrimp and pea lasagna, and summer truffles. We therefore
suggest ordering a five-course tasting menu, one of which is
vegetarian. That's the fastest way to acquire bliss. Among
a-la-carte sweet finales are a dessert sampler, and a marbleized
chocolate cheesecake. Sommeliers Caleb Dial and Joe Phillips
oversee the exciting wine list. |
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3
Le Cirque
Bellagio
3600 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Flamingo Rd.)
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-693-8100
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 Sirio
Maccioni and sons bring their elegant ambience from New York to
the Strip in this handsome mahogany-paneled restaurant complete
with a lush big top designed by talented Adam Tihany. The
contemporary cuisine is sophisticated and attractive, though not
always up to the high quality of its New York counterpart.
Always tops when offered are foie gras, risotto and petit fours
or dishes like striped bass stuffed with vegetables, wrapped in
lettuce and steamed in a truffle sauce. Marc Poidevin was chef
de cuisine at Le Cirque in New York and takes the reigns as
executive chef here and its more casual sister Osteria del
Circo. He previously distinguished himself at New York's Maxims
and Tavern on the Green. This is a grand setting in which to
spend your winnings, and there's a view of Lake Bellagio with
its water-and-light show to boot. That's a nice backdrop against
which to sip any one of 400 excellent domestic and international
wines. |
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4
Valentino
Venetian
3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Sands Ave.)
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-414-3000
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 Valentino
is the best Italian restaurant in Los Angeles, so Las Vegas is
lucky to get this elegant cousin with its warm wood-paneled
walls and several intimate dining rooms. Expect Italian dishes
that you might not find elsewhere, plus excellent versions of
classics: The appetizers run from lobster salad to bacon-wrapped
snails with white asparagus and soft polenta. The lasagna is
made with duck, the risotto with fresh-water shrimp. Main
courses include the likes of Sicilian-style swordfish rolls with
couscous and lamb osso buco. We highly suggest choosing one of
the several-course tasting menus to make the most out of a
splendid dinner here. As with the Los Angeles location, the
outstanding wine list is a major attraction. |
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5
Nobu
Hard Rock
4475 Paradise Rd. (Harmon Ave.)
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-693-5090
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 Award-winning
Nobuyuki Matsuhisa has replicated the dcor and menu of his (and
Drew Nieporent and Robert DeNiros) Nobu in New Yorks trendy
Tribeca. The superb sushi bar just inside the entrance seats 16.
The dazzling 150-seat restaurant features bamboo pillars, wooden
birch trees, a black river rock wall and a seaweed wall. Burnt
ash tabletops appear to match the bamboo features, a black rock
at each table setting to hold chopsticks seems to complement the
black rock wall. Enjoy the mini-mountain of edamame while
perusing the menu. Try the new-style sashimi (whitefish
marinated in garlic, chives and ginger pure and seared in hot
olive oil) created for Beverly Hills customers who prefer their
fish cooked. Youll like the tuna tataki with ponzu, a South
American-inspired salsa. The specialty of the house is black cod
with miso (a sweet mirin sak sauce) served in butter-lettuce
cups topped with an edible flower and garnished with grated
daikon. For dessert, try Nobus Asian pear bread pudding with
ginger ice cream and brandy caramel sauce. |
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6
CUT
Palazzo
3325 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Sands Ave.)
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-607-6300
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 Either
by accident or excellent planning the Palazzo Hotel managed to
have possibly the two best steakhouses in the United States.
Carnevino is one, and CUT is the other.
The steakhouse is a creation of Wolfgang Puck. He has taken his
chic Beverly Hills steakhouse concept and moved it to Las Vegas.
Judging from the critical acclaim of the New York Times, Los
Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Wine Spectator and Bon
Appetite Magazine he has certainly succeeded.
The physical layout of the restaurant is such that it presents
an elegant chic departure from a standard steakhouse. Cut can
seat 160 patrons and an additional 60 in the well stocked
bar-lounge.
Within the bounds of this steak lovers paradise you will find an
interesting variety of beef. There is true Kobe beef from Japan,
hormone free corn fed sirloin from Nebraska and 35 day dry aged
beef from Illinois.
A 20 oz bone in rib eye as well as a 20 oz bone in New York
Sirloin are available in different varieties of beef such as
Kobe or Nebraska. Some of their other steaks are also available
in different cuts. Porterhouse and filet mignon are of course on
the menu. Cut also lists Pork Chops, Lamb Chops, Slow roasted
Kobe beef short ribs, Salmon and Lobster as menu items.
The steaks are prepared by grilling over hardwood and charcoal
and then finished in a 1200 degree broiler. We really enjoyed
the Kobe steak (one of the only places in Vegas that has real
Japanese Kobe) prepared both sashimi style and cooked to
perfection, bone marrow flan which was rich and buttery, the
maple glazed pork belly (melt-in-your-mouth good), and The
American Wagyu steak.
There is an extensive starter menu with some very exotic salads.
I must admit that I miss plain old lettuce and tomatoes. Cut has
an excellent collection of side dishes to go with their steaks.
For those of us who enjoy French Fries and Onion Rings Mr. Puck
still has them on the menu... |
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7
Joël Robuchon
MGM Grand
3799 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-891-7925
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 Let's
start with the credentials that make this a top restaurant:
First and Only 3 Star Michelin Guide Winner in Las Vegas Forbes
Five Star Award Winner AAA 5 Diamond Award Winner "Chef of the
Century" Joël Robuchon The only Joël Robuchon fine dining
restaurant in the U.S. Wine Spectator Grand Award Winner.
Limited seating creates the intimacy one can only expect from
Joël Robuchon. Guests can choose from the multi-course tasting
menus or order a la carte. Specialties include Le Caviar, a trio
dish of thin couscous and Oscetra caviar, smooth cauliflower
cream, and delicate gel of green asparagus. If you can't decide
what to order, go for the 16 course tasting menu (it sounds like
it would be too much, but the portions are mostly bite sized).
They have wonderful foie gras. Robuchon branded caviar over
Dungeness crab is a match made in heaven. Yes, the prices are
obscene, but well worth it. |
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8
SW Steakhouse
Wynn Las Vegas
3131 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-770-3463
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SW Steakhouse bares the initials of the founder of Wynn Resorts,
Steve Wynn. This explains why everything about it is first
class. Two things make a restaurant great, food and decor. SW
does well in both departments. The food is excellent while the
decor is elegant and romantic.
Just a quick word about their food. Unlike some pricey
restaurants the dishes served are what you would call American
Basic and not covered over with a lot of strange sauces. There
are some reviewers who feel that SW is too big and seats to many
patrons. But even they agree it is an excellent restaurant. Just
outside SW and visible from
inside, is the Lake of Dreams. It has a fountain show that is
breath taking to watch and adds to the pleasure of the evening.
There are many steakhouse lovers who just as soon start and end
dinner with a steak. However to avoid the possibility of a
disapproving look from your more health minded dining companion
SW has an excellent starter menu with salads ranging from baby
iceberg lettuce to a glorious Caesar salad. For those of you who
are not lettuce fanciers, among the many starter selections you
will find crab-cakes and grilled hearts of palm
Here are some of the wonderful offerings on the beef menu. Bone
in
Rib eye 20oz, New York Strip 16oz, Bone in New York 18oz,
Porterhouse for two 40oz. The main course menu also features
such dishes as Scallops, seared Tuna, Salmon Fillets, Chicken,
Lamb Chops and Short Ribs.
Numerous side dishes to go with steak are available including
crab-legs and lobster. There is a limited desert menu consisting
of chocolate sautéed with cherries and whip cream. |
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9
Aureole
Mandalay Bay
3950 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Tropicana Ave.)
Las Vegas, NV 89119
702-632-7401
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 Dine
here just to see the unique four-story "wine tower," which
showgirl-pretty wine "angels" ascend with the help of cables and
pulleys to choose your trophy bottle. The sleek Adam Tihany
decor with lots of water and glass and sophisticated blacks and
whites will make you feel like a winner. So will the
contemporary cuisine by Charlie Palmer (of New York Aureole
fame), with chef Robert Kirchoff. The changing menu features
such upscale comfort-food dishes as shell steak with caramelized
onion-potato tart. A pepper-seared tuna arrives with green-onion
risotto, and the popular filet mignon often is accompanied by a
marrow and parsley custard. Choosing dessert may be
difficult---the chocolate torte with a warm liquid center and
coffee Kahlua ice cream is tempting but wouldn't it be fun to
order one of the notable dessert wines and watch the "angel"
rappel the tower with your choice?
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10
Spago
Forum Shops at
Caesars Palace
3500 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Flamingo Rd.)
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-369-6300
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 The
first of the fine-dining imports to come to Vegas from
elsewhere, Wolfgang Puck's Spago is still one of the best.
Modern art adorns the multilevel high-ceilinged space where
there's always a buzz. Though Wolfgang himself is known to pop
in to man the stoves, his protégé and executive partner here,
David Robins, turns out reliable and sophisticated fare in the
Puck tradition. We're always happy with such dishes as
buttery-sweet foie gras two ways; steamed black grouper with
spring fennel ravioli; baby spinach and truffle butter; and
tender grilled lamb chops with a Provincial tart. Greg
Harrington knows his way around the excellent wine list from
which you can choose many bottles to splurge on after winning at
the slots. The front café is good for casual, no-reservations
dining. |
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Las Vegas
Restaurant Guide
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