Need restaurant advice for my birthday (solo)

Hi all,

I normally celebrate my birthday in December in Vegas by myself (this is going to be my fourth visit, and third time for being there solo) and I plan to do the same thing this year. It's going to be the first time I stay in the south strip area (Mandalay Bay) so I don't know much about restaurants. I am willing to spend about $60 for my birthday dinner (probably steak - no wine because I don't drink) and I thought about foundation room at MB. I heard the view is quite nice, but what about the food and service? Also, is it going to be awkward if I dine there by myself? Any other choices of restaurants you want to recommend?

In addition, I will have the following dining credits to be used for my 4-day-3-night trip.
- $75 of dining credit at Mandalay Bay
- $50 of dining credit at Monte Carlo (from MyVegas)

Any recommendations on the best way to use them? I am Asian so I don't mind having some Asian food but I am not sure what should be the best place to spend since I dine alone. Thank you guys!

 

since it's your birthday, you can simply ask for an upgrade to thehotel and i don't think you'll have any problem even w/o the $20 trick.

you can use the $75 credit on your birthday at either mix or stripsteak. should be enough if you don't drink.

have fun and happy birthday !

 

I'm doing a solo birthday trip next month and I've decided to go to the Brand steakhouse in Monte Carlo. The reason being that I can get the steakhouse experience with a view of the casino floor which I think would be more entertaining than sitting by myself in a more formal setting.

 

For steak at Mandalay Bay, I'd rank both Charlie Palmer Steak (in the Four Seasons part of the MB complex), and even the Foundation Room, higher than Stripsteak. In our experience the service is consistently good to excellent at Charlie Palmer, and we love Foundation Room for a quiet dinner. If you decide on Foundation Room, be sure to go early enough to enjoy watching the sunset from the lounge patio.
If you want a casual atmosphere with inconsistent service and quality, Stripsteak is the place.
Also. Charlie Palmer Steak offers a 'Cut of the Week' special which is usually very tasty and a good value.

Enjoy your birthday trip!

 

Stripsteak is delicious. I think I'd be ok there solo. It's a pretty casual place. It's extremely expensive though, I think that could work with your dining credit. I LOVE Border Grill as well highly highly recommended. I'd eat there alone, it's very casual.

There is a brand new Asian place at Mandalay called Kumi, maybe you could check that out? Sushi bars always work solo.

http://www.mandalaybay.com/dining/kumi-japanese-restaurant-and-bar/

Also in the Four Seasons is PRESS (just go down the hall to the right of the Mandalay registration for the entrance), a nice little coffee shop / bar. I like Four Seasons, its really mellow in there. Good place for a cup of coffee, or a quick bite.

http://www.fourseasons.com/lasvegas/dining/lounges/press/

 

Thank you so much, guys. This is really helpful. Do you know whether I can use MB credit toward my dining at Foundation Room?

 

Adding to Kelly and Heather's suggestions about Four Seasons. If you go to Charlie Palmer's, give consideration to this special I learned about from Vegas Chatter:

http://www.vegaschatter.com/story/2013/5/22/183036/424/vegas-travel/The+Vegas+Dining+Deal+You+May+Not+Know+About

Pre-dinner go to the Four Season's bar, Verandah, for happy hour. $5 special drinks and $5.00 appetizers. Verandah is a fantastic location for a solo diner, especially during happy hour. Very cool vibe and you will blend in with the high-end business travelers as well as others staying at the hotel. Verandah is right next door to Charlie's.

 

I think Stripsteak has the best steak at Mandalay, it'll probably be more than your $60 budget though. I also like border grill at Mandalay Bay for Mexican. It's not as expensive there as the other restaurants. I was happy with their steak there too.

 

I don't eat steak, but MB has other excellent restaurants. So for your other meals or dining credit, you may also want to try Burger Bar, Fleur, or Aureole

 

I just don't know that I'd wanna eat at Charlie Palmer solo. Also that cut of the week deal is great, but often it's not something I want to order. I've passed it up a couple times.

I mean this week it's a steak, with a beet salad, side of bok choy, and coconut creme brulee... not my cup of tea personally haha.

http://www.charliepalmer.com/charlie-palmer-steak-las-vegas/menus/cut-of-the-week

Stripsteak has a Prix Fix too. (you probably have to ask for it)

http://michaelmina.net/restaurants/locations/sslv.php

It was good! When we went there was a few upgrades you could do for $10 (I upgraded to a rib eye) and the side was mac & cheese. Also i love that they don't do bread, but a "french fry" course.

 

As mentioned above, Burger Bar is excellent. It'll definitely come in below your $60 budget.

 

It ends up that I won't dine solo on my birthday - three of my friends are going to join. We plan to go to Tender steak house at Luxor (with $75 credit from MyVegas). After dinner, we plan to go to Mix lounge for some drinks. Is it ok if we go to Mix after dinner just to get some drinks and not for food? Also, should we make any reservation for Tender and Mix? Thank you.

 

Mix will be happy to serve you just drinks. As for reservations, probably depends on the time and day of the week. I have never been to Tender, so no idea how busy it gets

 

Unless you are going to be there during a busy time (Super Bowl weekend, March Madness, etc) it's no problem to dine without reservations at Tender. If you want to dine at a specific time, call and make a reservation.
Enjoy your trip!

 

For your Monte Carlo deal I would definitely look at Brand Steakhouse. Our group does it every time we go to Vegas and did my bach party dinner there this past July.