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A little help deciding on a spot for fine dining

Discussion in 'Restaurants & Buffets' started by agh1856, Feb 13, 2014.

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  1. agh1856

    agh1856 Tourist

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    Hi everyone, first post here. I could use (and would greatly appreciate!) a little assistance in selecting my Tuesday night of fine dining and Thursday's classy/quality lunch for my upcoming trip in March. I'm going with a good sized group of friends, but I'm the only one who's really interested in fine dining for most of my meals. I'll be arriving late at night on Sunday, and leaving Friday afternoon, and staying at the MGM Grand. I've got the following schedule lined up:

    Monday: Country Club (lunch) & L'Atelier J.R. (dinner)
    Tuesday: Olives (lunch) & ????? (dinner)
    Wednesday: Plans all day, eating casual w/friends
    Thursday: ????? (lunch) & CraftSteak w/the whole crew (dinner)

    So a little about my tastes, I like pretty much everything and cost isn't really an issue. I won't be spending a small fortune on a bottle of Chateau Latour, but a $200-$300, even $500 food bill is fine.

    I will be dining solo, but I plan to sit at a table (no bar eating for dinner, but that's cool for a good lunch spot.)

    So far for Tuesday dinner I'm debating between American Fish, Mizumi, Cirque, and the 16 course adventure at Joel Robuchon. Any preferences on these four? Any other places I should consider? Thank you for your time and input, I greatly appreciate it!
     
  2. dankyone

    dankyone VIP Whale

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    Consider Milos, Mesa Grill, and Julian Serrano for your lunches.

    I prefer Guy Savoy to Robuchon if you are going to do the major menu degustation.
     
  3. Username

    Username VIP Whale

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  4. Bommen

    Bommen High-Roller

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    Definitely do Milos for lunch on thursday. For dinner tuesday i would do Jaleo or Julian Serrano.
     
  5. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    Since you are staying at MGM, I would look at options there. Many fine dining places right in house.

    Emerils I think does lunch there. Michael Mina Pub 1842 is a bit upscale for a beer pub. The peanut butter crunch burger is awesome. Strange, but awesome.
     
  6. smartone

    smartone VIP Whale

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    LOVE the Thursday night dinner at CraftSteak... super choice!
     
  7. sageblue

    sageblue High-Roller

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    Having done both degustations at Guy Savoy and Joel Robuchon, I'd definitely recommend the latter over the former, though both are excellent and will be some of the best food of your life. However, I don't know if I could handle dining solo for those rather long meals (JR was five hours for us).

    I might have recommended Milos for their bargain of a lunch, were it not for a very disappointing experience there for their happy hour (poor service, middling food).

    Would you consider taking a cab? Lotus of Siam was a great experience if you like Thai food.

    When it comes to places that combine great food with a great setting, where it might be nice to just sit and enjoy the ambiance, I would recommend Bouchon (especially for lunch, because it's a great sunlit space) and Sinatra.
     
  8. agh1856

    agh1856 Tourist

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    Thanks for the advice, everyone! I also realized I'll need a legit lunch on Wednesday (we've got a lot of plans but we'll be on the strip for lunch, so I'll be taking advantage of one of spots recommended above, depending on what I feel like at the time). Going to try Emeril's for lunch of Thursday because I live in Boston and we don't really have a lot of Creole up here. I just checked out Julian Serrano as well and I find the menu really interesting, going to have a tough decision to make here!

    Definitely willing to cab it for a good meal, I will look it up - I'm a big Thai food fan.
     
  9. JB in MN

    JB in MN Low-Roller

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    Have you considered trying to get into é? Based on your post/perceived taste/budget I think you would love a Tuesday dinner there. Call Jaleo the day of and/or check in at the reservation stand shortly before the seating. If you can't get into one of their two seatings then 'settle for' Jaleo ... or try a $20 trick at the reservation stand, I know for a fact that even though é is oh-so-exclusive and "only seats eight" they squeeze in 10 when duty calls... amazing how two more seats fit right in/magically appear when the reservation desk screws up. The seating is at a bar, so if that really is a deal-breaker then forget I mentioned it, but it really is a unique experience not to be missed.

    I'd echo what others are saying: Jaleo, Serrano, Bouchon... Jaleo doesn't get enough props here, it is really, really fantastic.

    I am also a big fan of the riserva steak at Carnevino. Only had it once but I swear, that steak was so amazing and delicious, it comes up in conversations with friends at least once a month.

    I had a solo dinner at American Fish last year and it didn't do much for me. Aureole hasn't been mentioned here; wife and I were really disappointed there a few years ago and wouldn't return. The NYC version is far superior.

    Solo table at Bouchon would be great for lunch or dinner. I like sitting at the bar but a table would work great too. It's a beautiful space and the food is top notch at either service.

    IMO the bar is the best way to experience Julian Serrano. Love the place, but to me, something about it just doesn't feel right at a table/more 'formal' setting.

    Whatever you decide on please post afterward. I love reading other's food experiences [I'm lookin' at you, Imondun!].

    --JB
     
  10. jdvegas

    jdvegas VIP Whale

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    I love Lotus of Siam, and go for dinner almost every time I am in Vegas with a group. The food is amazing, but the fun is in sharing all the dishes. I would not recommend it for a solo meal, but make it a priority next time you get to pick the spot for a group dinner for sure!
     
  11. DK528

    DK528 Low-Roller

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    I'd also mention Verandah at MB/Four Seasons for a late breakfast on Thursday.

    For Tuesday dinner, I'm a big fan of Sage at Aria. Also, if you can get into e, it's a wonderful experience!
     
  12. agh1856

    agh1856 Tourist

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    So I figured I'd post my update - my friends and I rescheduled our CraftSteak for Tuesday, and I quickly fired off an email to é to see if they had a seat available on Wednesday or Thursday night. Fingers crossed!
     
  13. TNScaper

    TNScaper Newbie

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    Trust me, hop in a cab and go to Michael's at SouthPoint. We've considered it a "must" every year for the past 10+ years. Started going when it was at the Barbary Coast, and was a bit concerned when it moved to SouthPoint....shouldn't have, as it was a perfectly seamless transition. Everything from the service, to the food itself can not be explained until you experience it. Gotten to know the staff pretty well after all of these years, and they always remember what we all have, and won't let us deviate from our "regular" choices, LOL
     
  14. lmondun

    lmondun Low-Roller

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    Thanks for the mention, JB. I still need to finish my latest trip report, which will also include Fleur at Mandalay Bay. Probably won't get to it till later this week, though, as I have some work-related stuff on my plate at the moment. (Even us part-time-only-for-now employees have responsibilities, don't ya know.)

    I agree with everyone else's recommendations in this thread . . . Lotus of Siam might be the ticket for the OP, I think, since it's so different from the others. Jaleo and Julian Serrano are also on my personal top 10 list. (Milos and Joel Robuchon are still on our "to do" list, however, and we've never tried Michael's, but I've read good things.)
     
  15. agh1856

    agh1856 Tourist

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    I'll be sure to post reviews of my trips and the fine places I stopped to dine at. As a side note, I got a seat at é for Thursday night... Can't wait for it!
     
  16. undathesea

    undathesea Grandissimo

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    I would really skip Olives on Tuesday and replace it with Mesa Grill. Olives is really mediocre. It's the atmosphere that has people raving about it... definitely not the food.

    Perhaps Picasso, Le Cirque, American Fish, or Michael Mina?

    I really enjoyed Scarpetta by Scott Conant at the Cosmopolitan. It doesn't get a lot of recognition around here, but it's really excellent Italian food and highly rated. It overlooks the Bellagio Fountains as well. Scott won Chopped All-Stars and has been a judge on Top Chef and Chopped.
     
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