Here Goes:
The Tunnel. The "tunnel" connects the airport to I-15 and is the most common form of fare gouging in Las Vegas. The tunnel adds 3-5 dollars to the average fare, and in some cases a lot more! Drivers may say that it will save time, however in my own tests, it actually added over a minute to the average destination. The tunnel is recommended to many residential areas, but not to the resorts. The exceptions to use the tunnel (by taxi) are to Silverton, Vacation Village, the Klondike,
Mandalay Bay and the
Luxor .
Rita Rudner at NY NY.
MGM GRAND:
Free admission to the Lion Habitat. The three-story habitat is located near the Studio 54 entrance and showcases a variety of lions and cubs, including Goldie, Metro and Baby Lion, a direct descendant of MGM's Studios' famous marquee lion. The Lion Habitat, a truly magnificent state-of-the-art showcase, features four separate waterfalls, overhangs, a pond and Acacia trees. The Habitat is encased with skylights and walls reaching heights of 35 feet to provide maximum viewing for guests. Guests are afforded the opportunity to be encircled by lions at any time via a see through walk-way tunnel that runs through the habitat, allowing lions to prowl above and below. Hours of operation of the Habitat are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. Tel.: 1-800-929-1111.
Trop
Calypsos: This is an above-average coffee shop. Prices are average, but you are getting better quality food, and lots of it. It's open 24 hours and the late night specials are a pretty good deal. One nice touch is the fresh tropical fruit served with sandwiches. It will help clear out the grease that accumulates in the average stomach during a trip to Las Vegas.
Bird Show Show times 11 am • 12:30 pm • 2 pm FREE in Tropics Lounge
MandalayBay
Bay Side Buffet: It's a good buffet for a good price for an upscale buffet in the mid-teens of dollars. This is not one of the best but it is very good and a definite recommendation. It's a little smaller than Aladdin or
Paris, but it's also much less crowded and lines are shorter. The desserts are on par with the best (except for the heavenly delights at
Bellagio and Resort at Summerlin). The Bay Side Buffet has a spectacular view of the pool.
Border Grill: Yum-yum. It's Mexican food by way of some American translation. That means it's not authentic, and yet they still manage to make it fresh and yummy. Servings are generous and you get to look out on the swimming pool and all the pretty people while you eat.
NYNY
Chin Chin: It's a branch of the very good Chinese American restaurants under this name. Pricey? No, not bad. You can get out for under $20 a person. Good? Yessiree. They also have a breakfast buffet. 8am to 11PM.
Gonzalez y Gonzalez: Add another fine eatery to the
New York New York lineup. This is slightly expensive Mexican food in a nice small dining room. For value, Tres Lobos at the Stardust is better. But, for quality, this is one of the best on the Strip.
Greenberg and Sons Deli: A New York style deli that is pretty true to its namesake except for the WASPy kids making the sandwiches. Sandwiches are mostly under $10 and they have overstuffed matzoh ball soup.
MGM
Ricardo's: 11 to 11.
Stage Deli Express A walkup style deli for the guest on-the-go. It offers typical New York deli fare with mouthwatering pastrami, corned beef, chopped liver, turkey and brisket sandwiches, as well as matzo-ball soup and kosher hot dogs. Breakfast choices include Danishes and lox and bagels. Famous from its sister restaurant in the Big Apple, the Stage Deli Express offers traditional deli sandwiches, Kosher hotdogs, lox and cheesecake.
Grand Buffet: This buffet gets high marks for its ability to be average at al times of day. This is not a great or even good buffet, just middle of the pack. It can have long lines during mealtimes and for the prices you'd be wise to walk up the street to the Aladdin's delightful spread. Buffet Breakfast: 7am – 11:00am Lunch 11:00am - 2:30pm Dinner 4:30pm - 10pm Breakfast: $9.99, Lunch: $10.99 Dinner: $17.99
Dessert at the Coyote Cafe
It may seem like a bit of a stretch to have dessert at the Coyote Cafe after you've had dinner at Emeril's, but trust me, it can be done. The answer is timing. Fortunately, the Coyote Cafe stays open late (well past midnight / or 10:30PM), which gives you ample time to work off your dinner at the MGM's casino and then return for a late-night treat. The Coyote Cafe is the baby of chef Mark Miller, who opened his first location in Santa Fe. Numerous cookbooks later, he's brought his unique brand of southwestern fare to Las Vegas. The food is good, indeed. The desserts, however, are irresistible. You can feast on a canela cheesecake with bourbon caramel sauce and candied pecans or a silky-smooth lemon tart with fresh seasonal berries. Chocoholics will enjoy the chocolate-kahlua flan with a savory ancho-peanut brittle. The undisputed king of desserts, however, is the Venezuelan chocolate spoonbread, a dense, moist chocolate square drizzled with vanilla Anglaise and topped with creamy vanilla ice cream. Bow to the sugar gods, and Mark Miller. Coyote Cafe at the
MGM Grand Hotel is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days.
Luxor
Nile Deli has nova platter, pastrami, Challah French toast, etc opens at 7 or 8
Pharoah's Pheast: A friend of ours ate 21 pieces of chicken here and liked every single one of them. If you are at the South Strip and don't want to go far, it's as good a buffet as you'll find.
MGM Grand might be slightly better, and the new Mandalay is definitely better, but for more money. If you want the best in town, go to the
Bellagio,
Paris or Aladdin. Breakfast - $9.49 (6:30am - 11:00am) Lunch - $9.99 (11:30am - 4:00pm) Dinner - $15.99 (4:00pm - 11:00pm)
Pyramid Cafe: Stop in for your morning fix of food and coffee, but don't go way out of your way for this slightly-better-than-average experience. Menu looks good. nova platter , cobb salad, grilled chicken breast, SPAGHETTI MARINARA with MEATBALLS, etc
Tropicana - Casino Legends Hall of Fame ( find free tickets/coupons in the casino magazines) 1-800-GO2-Trop; Be sure to give the wheel out front a spin you might win some FREE show tickets; (702) 739-5444
Tropicana - Birdman of Las Vegas puts on a great bird show three times a day (10 a.m., 12 noon, & 2p.m.) in the Tropics Lounge (closed Thursday) (702) 739-2411; GREAT SHOW!! Free
Tropicana - Air Play - Arial acts performed overhead in the casino; 3 p.m., 5 p.m., 7:30 p.m. 9:30 p.m. daily(702) 739-2411; GREAT SHOW!! Free
Las Vegas Strip Distance
0.0
Mandalay Bay
0.2
Luxor
0.4
Excalibur, Tropicana
0.6 New York-New York,
MGM Grand
And a lot more.
Have a good one
