Need some ideas

We have been staying down at Mandalay Bay for about the last 3-4 trips to Vegas. This trip we are down at the Mirage. We have never eaten at the Wynn or very many places at the Palazo/Venetian. We have eaten at EVERY restaurant in the Mirage as their restaurants haven't changed much over the years. So probably not that into eating there. But amazingly, we have not eaten at many of the Bellagio and Ceasar's restaurants as they have all changed quite a bit over the past few years.
Give me some ideas of great places at this end of the strip to try to eat that I have not eaten at yet.

I want one really nice place for Friday night dinner.
We have 4 lunches 3 dinners to cover (not really breakfast people). They must have decent cocktails or a wine list.

The only place I know I want to try is: Mesa Grill at Ceasars I"d love some suggestions from those of you who are more familiar with this end of the strip.

Here are some restaurants we really like:
Mon Ami Gabi
China Pablano
Estiatorio Milos
Sage
Fleur
Burger Bar
Mix
Ri' Ra
Spago


We also have eaten at:
Picasso
Aureole
RM Seafood
Stripsteak
Delmonico Steak House
Valentinos
Stack
Mizuya
Hash House a go go
Olives

 

can't go wrong at Craftsteak or Nobhill at MGM. Shibuya is also great if you like sushi.

 

If you like Mon Ami Gabi, I think you'll love Bouchon at the Venetian. Bouchon has outdoor seating too, but it's not strip-side, overlooks the relatively calm Venezia tower pool.

We really like Morel's at the Palazzo for breakfast and lunch - never tried dinner there, but imagine it would be good too. You can sit outside here too.

Depending on your budget, you might want to consider Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace for your fancy Friday night meal. Not quite as good as Joel Robuchon, but it's pretty damn close. Potentially very, very expensive though.

Another excellent - albeit potentially very expensive - choice for fancy Friday night is Bartolotta at the Wynn - you probably really need to enjoy seafood to appreciate Bartolotta [it's Italian with a focus on exotic seafood items], but if you do, this is another choice that we've eaten at repeatedly and always found to be consistently excellent. If you can snag a cabana overlooking the "lagoon", it is perhaps the most romantic dining experience you can get in Vegas.

Country Club at Wynn is a great choice for lunch or dinner. Sitting on the patio there, overlooking the Wynn golf course, is hands down my favorite outdoor dining venue in Vegas. Pricey, but consistently excellent. They have a Sunday jazz brunch that I hear is excellent, but we haven't had a chance to try it yet.

If you want steakhouse with an Italian flair, I'm a noted Carnevino devotee - I have posted a full review in the restaurants section you can seek out if you're interested, so I won't ramble on anymore about it here. Other good steakhouse choices in Venetian-Palazzo are Delmonico [especially if you like dry aging] and Cut. I haven't been to the Old Homestead in Caesars Palace yet, but I'm a regular at their AC location and it's been consistently great for years, so I'd imagine the Vegas location has potential. They also dry-age.

 

It appears you like Cosmos offerings, so I'd continue to explore there. Jaleo and Scarpetta are very good choices. If you go to Scarpetta be sure order the legendary spaghetti with tomato and basil dish. It is a very simple dish that is perfectly executed.

I think Jilly's Bouchon suggestion is also a good one. It's a great spot for both breakfast and dinner.

If you love cocktails, American Fish at Aria has one of the best craft cocktail scenes on the strip. Dinner and their happy hour bar menu are both great choices. Sage also has excellent craft cocktails, but you've already dined there.

 

Jillly,
Thanks for all that. Bouchon sounds GREAT!

I'm thinking We'd like to keep our fancy meal to around $400 for the two of us.
We are doing some home remodeling right now and don't need to go over the top while that is going on.
I was interested in Prime at Bellagio but was worried that might not be possible there.

I do like a lot of Cosmo's offereings. Not sure about spaghetti though...

 

I recommend Gordon Ramsay Steak, Sensi, Sage and Julian Serrano.

 

I hear you, but it is famous.

Here are a few spaghetti reviews, beginning with the new york times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/dining/reviews/30rest.html?pagewanted=all

http://newyork.grubstreet.com/2010/12/john_fraser_is_seduced_by_the.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/02/jonathan-gold-reviews-sca_n_791154.html

 

Depending on what you order, you could probably do either Guy Savoy or Bartolotta for two and keep it under $400 - I'm pretty sure Guy Savoy has less expensive, fewer course options, and I believe Bartolotta might also have prix-fixe menu(s) that could help keep the tab in line also - the primary thing at Bartolotta that pushes the price sky high is if you order one of the fresh seafood entrees a-la carte - and at both places, of course, wine would be another potential budget buster.

Personally, I wasn't impressed by Prime - not that it isn't very good - I know there's many here who swear by it - but I just found the menu to be very conservative, traditional steakhouse - not that that's necessarily a bad thing if you're going for steakhouse, but judging by the places you've eaten at & said you like, you seem pretty adventurous and willing to try places that are a little different or more cutting edge, which makes me think you'd enjoy Cut or Carnevino more than Prime.

I'll co-sign PopMegaphone's American Fish recommendation - we've had two meals there and both were very good, and we really like the vibe and look of the room, too.

 

Mesa Grill is good, I did lunch there, we liked it. Also hands down my favorite place is Bouchon at the Venetian for brunch, amazing! Also we enjoy breakfast at Society Cafe in Encore. It's also nice having lunch at Maggiano's in the Fashion Show mall, I like the view up there (same goes for Capital Grill), I know chains, but both have really nice atmospheres. Delmonico's in Venetian is yummy for steak, so is Morel's in Palazzo.

 

My all around favorite restaurant is Circo at Bellagio. Scarpetta at Cosmo is fantastic, but I also recommend DOCG. It's a bit cheaper and the pasta is just as good. Morels at Palazzo would be great for lunch so would Stripburger at Fashion Show Mall. Allegro at Wynn is a great late night bite. The pizza takes me back to Italy. If you're willing to go as far as MGM. Nobhill is fantastic.

 

so my first post was off because i thought you said you were staying at MB. now i realize you're staying at Mirage. so i would recommend Le Cirque for french food (which can be done for $400 if you don't do the full degustation menu) or Prime. maybe there are better steakhouses in Vegas than Prime, but the meat is great and what you can't beat anywhere is the fountain view out on the patio while dining. Circo is great if you want to do Italian.

 

Wow I'm getting some great recommendations here.
I have eaten at Circo and Nobhill (both a long time ago). Also have eaten at Delmonico and loved that steakhouse, that's how I image Prime to be.
Jilly reads me like a novice poker player I am. I do enjoy adventurous eating and I also wonder if I'd be "bored" with a steakhouse meal.
Mesa Grill is what I'm really looking forward to.
I have not eaten at La Cirque nor at American fish.
Sounds like I could do brunch at Bouchon and then still have an adventurous dinner.

Keep them coming Guys. Tell me about some of your favorite North to Center strip restuarants.

 

Adventurous eating on the strip is tough. Almost everything except the very high end is designed for mass market appeal. For high end dining, Twist by Pierre Gagnaire is considered the most challenging restaurant in Vegas.

Less expensive, but still adventurous, you really ought to try Jaleo. A lot of the dishes I've had there are really interesting. It's a Jose Andres restaurant, who also developed China Pablano and e. Personally I think Jaleo is better than China Pablano.

If you're willing to go off strip I recommend Lotus of Siam, which is considered one of the best thai restaurants in the country. Authentic Thai can get really funky.

Roku is another cool off-strip option where the food is interesting.