1. Welcome to VegasMessageBoard
    It appears you are visiting our community as a guest.
    In order to view full-size images, participate in discussions, vote in polls, etc, you will need to Log in or Register.

Help! I Need Tapas/Small Plates Suggestions Near Venetian

Discussion in 'Restaurants & Buffets' started by ExVegasLocal, Nov 14, 2014.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. ExVegasLocal

    ExVegasLocal Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2013
    Messages:
    395
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    99
    We are visiting in a couple of weeks and I need the creative suggestions of the VMB'ers. You see, my husband had stomach surgery a few years ago. He can only eat small amounts at a time. This means that buffets are out of the question for us. There are few things as frustrating to me as paying $40-$50 for a buffet only to watch him eat five small bites and push back from the table. As for fine dining, it embarrasses me to share an entree. Shared entree = smaller bill = smaller gratuity = inattentive service. (I was a server a very long time ago. That's just the way it is. Servers work for tips. Where there is reduced tip potential, there is often reduced service. And though I am a good tipper, there is no way for the server to know that I will compensate him/her well for good service, regardless of the amount of the bill.) For us, a restaurant that serves small plates allows us both to enjoy the meal.

    We are staying at the Venetian. We have a show to attend at the Wynn and a show to attend at Paris (on different nights). I'm looking for excellent tapas/small bites suggestions for dinner. Here are the criteria:

    1) Firefly is out. We have been there many times.
    2) Sushi is out. We both despise seafood.
    3) They must be enroute from Venetian to Wynn or Venetian to Paris, or inside Wynn or Paris.
    4) Budget is up to $200 per meal, including wine and gratuity.
    5) Bonus points awarded if they accept reservations.

    So far, the only place I can think of is La Cave at Wynn. But I'd like to come up with a few to choose from. Let me hear your ideas.
     
  2. 44inarow

    44inarow VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2012
    Messages:
    10,844
    Location:
    Las Vegas, NV
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    35
    I know that this is outside your distance parameters, but not by much, so I'll throw out Julian Serrano at Aria, which is one of my favorite restaurants in town. There's also Jaleo at Cosmopolitan; I've never been to the Vegas location, but the DC one is very good.
     
  3. thecarve

    thecarve Misanthrope

    Joined:
    Aug 24, 2009
    Messages:
    6,341
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    75
    Me gusta Julian Serrano, también.

    But if you need to keep it within your stated geographic area, you could do a lot worse than La Cave at Wynn. It’s certainly not groundbreaking with respect to creativity. But I’ve always had excellent meals there, the wine and beer lists are good and it’s actually reasonably priced for a restaurant in a high end strip hotel.

    Sorry, I realize that I didn't really add anything to the discussion. :eek:
     
  4. fuseli

    fuseli Tourist

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2014
    Messages:
    25
    Location:
    Manchester UK
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    23
    You could always try Otto at the Venetian and simply avoid the mains.
    My wife and I ate there the other night restricting our choices to the antipasti - excellent prosciutto and salami, a salad and one item each from the fritti (arancine) and the verdure selections.
    You would struggle to hit the $200 eating this way unless your wine choices are especially pricey, and we found service was perfectly attentive.
     
  5. ExVegasLocal

    ExVegasLocal Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2013
    Messages:
    395
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    99
    Thanks for the reply, 44inarow. As for the evening at Paris, I thought about Julian Serrano, but that is quite a hike. Jaleo is a possibility, but still a bit farther than I wanted to walk.

    As for Wynn, it looks like Society Cafe may have some interesting appetizers/small plates as well as some tasty entrees that might please us both. It gets pretty good reviews on Yelp. Any thoughts on Society Cafe from you VMB'ers would be appreciated.
     
  6. broncofn

    broncofn VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Mar 16, 2013
    Messages:
    4,134
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    60
    Another vote for Julian Serrano
     
  7. isitvegasyet

    isitvegasyet Tourist

    Joined:
    Dec 23, 2009
    Messages:
    26
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    11
    We like Society Café, but it's convenient for us as we stay at Encore every trip. Their bar area is small but nice and we prefer eating at the bar. Food is solid as is service. I wouldn't consider it a tapas place as your choices are going to be pretty limited. Can't remember ordering anything there we didn't like, so there's that. Nice wine selection. We eat at La Cave most trips and love the place. Enjoy.
     
  8. ExVegasLocal

    ExVegasLocal Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2013
    Messages:
    395
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    99
    For the evening at the Wynn, we have chosen the Society Cafe because he likes their appetizer menu, while I like their entree menu. That night happens to be Thanksgiving, so if I'm lucky, they will offer a turkey meal for me. They allow reservations, so that one is a lock.

    For the following evening at Paris, we are still stuck. So far, it is looking like Jaleo at Cosmo might be our best bet. But I would love some more suggestions around that area.
     
  9. ExVegasLocal

    ExVegasLocal Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2013
    Messages:
    395
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    99
    For the evening at the Wynn, we have chosen the Society Cafe because he likes their appetizer menu, while I like their entree menu. That night happens to be Thanksgiving, so if I'm lucky, they will offer a turkey meal for me. They allow reservations, so that one is a lock.

    For the following evening at Paris, we are still stuck. So far, it is looking like Jaleo at Cosmo might be our best bet. But I would love some more suggestions around that area.
     
  10. elvis66

    elvis66 High-Roller

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2007
    Messages:
    975
    Location:
    Edmonton, Alberta
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    58
    Sensi at Bellagio. I would recommend Julian Serrano over Jaleo.
     
  11. cuteje

    cuteje Tourist

    Joined:
    Aug 19, 2014
    Messages:
    28
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    22
    Julian Serrano gets another vote here...
    Giada also serves a long list of small plates and even the entrees are in tiny portions.
     
  12. ExVegasLocal

    ExVegasLocal Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2013
    Messages:
    395
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    99
    Sensi leans too heavily on seafood, which neither of us enjoy. We have chosen Olives at Bellagio because a previous reply mentioned Otto at Venetian, which got us thinking about Italian. Olives is easily accessible from Paris. He can order a flatbread and/or salad, while I can try a pasta dish or the tenderloin. Who knows? Maybe we will be able to see the fountains. For some reason I'm under the impression that Olives is closing at some point, so I had better give it a go before it is too late.

    Thanks all for the suggestions! You guys are the best!
     
  13. KatieBS

    KatieBS Tourist

    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2013
    Messages:
    5
    Location:
    New York
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    20
    La Cave, located at Wynn, is tapas style. It's one of my favorite restaurants in Vegas. We usually go twice each visit.
     
  14. Yall

    Yall Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2011
    Messages:
    406
    Location:
    Buffalo, NY
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    10
    What about Border Grill in the Forum shops? Is that considered tapas/small plate style?
     
  15. ACMike

    ACMike High-Roller

    Joined:
    Feb 22, 2013
    Messages:
    581
    Location:
    New York, NY
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    14
    Lots of dim sum selections at Red 8 in the Wynn.
     
  16. newmans

    newmans VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jun 30, 2014
    Messages:
    1,648
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    65
    I like Martorano's in Paris. I've gone several times and we've order several appetizers and a side of gnocchi or split a main. The service has always been excellent.

    Also, we've never had poor service and often order 1 entree plus an appetizer or two. I generally tip 20-25% plus. I understand what you are saying that a server doesn't know what kind of gratuity they'll get, but honestly, it's never been an issue.
    If you're still concerned, what about a happy hour with multiple appetizers.
    Jaleo in the Cosmo is a small plate restau..... as another suggestion.
    Also....a second vote for Giada's. Lots of choice for small plates......excellent service as well.
     
  17. billduhcat

    billduhcat Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2012
    Messages:
    387
    Location:
    Chicagoland
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    32
    I've been to border grill @ Mandalay, and don't remember many small plate options, but the menu at the new location is supposed to be different.

    In addition to jaleo, china poblano @ Cosmo has both dim sum, and individual tacos on the menu.
     
  18. ExVegasLocal

    ExVegasLocal Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2013
    Messages:
    395
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    99
    A happy hour with small plate offerings would have been great. I've always wanted to try Mix, but it's not convenient to the Paris where we will be seeing a show.

    I tried to get Giada's but there were no reservations available at the time we needed them. Though surprisingly they had a few available at the very beginning of the dinner service.

    Jaleo was a close 2nd, but again, their menu leans heavily on seafood choices which means we are relegated to a much smaller number of choices.

    We secured a 7:00 pm reservation at Olives for a Friday night, so I'm going to hold onto that. It doesn't have as many appetizer/small plate options as I'd prefer, but the location, menu, reservation availability, and possible view sealed the deal.

    Society Cafe at Wynn for Thanksgiving dinner and Olives at Bellagio for our Friday night dinner is what we are going with. Thanks for the suggestions!
     
  19. Bommen

    Bommen High-Roller

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2012
    Messages:
    865
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    40
    Julian Serrano had a happy hour between 3.30-5.00 during weekdays this summer, dunno if its still availible.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.