Eric White   San Ramon, CA
 Advanced Sommelier
 Posts: 9430
 | | 09-03-2007 09:23 PM |
| So my wonderful wife surprised my for my Birthday with a great gift - we're going to Vegas for a weekend to catch 'O' and Spamalot! Â I know there have been many threads on Vegas dining, and there a lot of great options available to us, but if you had only two nights to dine, and both are pre-show dinners, what would you recommend and why?
One option we were talking about was to do a nice long/late lunch somewhere also, thereby not be rushed through dinner. Would love thoughts on this as well.
TIA | | | 2008: the end of an error |
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Paul_H   San Francisco Grape Puncher
 Posts: 890
 | | 09-03-2007 09:44 PM |
| If I were going to Vegas (not likely) I'd be tempted to try L'atelier De Joel Robuchon at the MGM Grand. And then, of course, there's the perennial eBob favorite: Lotus of Siam of which I have never heard a disparaging word.
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mountainman   Mammoth Mountain Wine Addict
 Posts: 6156
 | | 09-03-2007 11:04 PM |
| | and then there is Pinot Brasserie at the Venetian....FREE CORKAGE .....part of the www.patinagroup.com | | | |
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Eric White   San Ramon, CA
 Advanced Sommelier
 Posts: 9430
 | | 09-03-2007 11:12 PM |
| Paul, the funny thing is - the only reason we are going to Vegas is for the shows. I am not a gambler, and have no interest whatsever in that aspect of things. The shows look great tho
BTW, there is a disparaging word about Lotus of Siam by Board-O over on the WinoDepot board... | | | 2008: the end of an error | |
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juggernt   Tampa, FL, USA Wine Bottler
 Posts: 3459
 | | 09-04-2007 08:19 AM |
| | Bouchon at The Venetian was impressive. We were quite pleased with the meal (certainly not the wine prices) at Eiffel Tower. | | | Visit The Butcher Block at http://www.butcherblocktampa.com/ | |
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Winetex   Austin, Texas
 Master of Wine
 Posts: 11028
 | | 09-04-2007 08:36 AM |
| | Eric, Lotus of Siam has no atmosphere (in rundown strip center) but the food was great. I don't remember if there was corkage but I think we opened something like 15 bottles of wine with the group. | | | |
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tanglenet   Oakland, California
 Wine Bottler
 Posts: 3265
 | | 09-04-2007 09:50 AM |
| Posted By Paul_H on 09/03/2007 9:44 PM If I were going to Vegas (not likely) I'd be tempted to try L'atelier De Joel Robuchon at the MGM Grand. Ditto. I had to cancel our reservation there the last time we were in LV, so I have not had the pleasure. This is definitely on top of my list.
| | | TN posted on Cellartracker"
I drink no more than a sponge." François Rabelais | |
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Skippy  
Grape Destemmer
 Posts: 65
 | | 09-04-2007 11:45 AM |
| I've had the pleasure of eating at many of the great restaurants in Vegas, and my favorite is Todd's Unique Dining.
http://www.toddsunique.com/index.html
Food is awesome and wine list is reasonable and very good. It's about a 10 - 15 min cab ride from the strip (which might sound far, but it's not considering it can take that long to get from one end of the stip to the other end in a cab) | | | Skippy | |
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Al HooKoo   Las Vegas, NV Wine Thief
 Posts: 2614
 | | 09-04-2007 12:11 PM |
| | Lotus of Siam has a $15 corkage fee. I go there all the time and have yet to be disappointed by the food. | | | |
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MikeW   Fremont, CA Grape Sorter
 Posts: 355
 | | 09-04-2007 01:48 PM |
| What a coincidence. We just returned from two nights in Vegas, and we also saw "O" and Spamalot. "O" was excellent - from start to finish, one of the best shows I've seen. Spamalot was very clever - we enjoyed it quite a bit.Â
For dinner, I'd recommend Alex (in the Wynn). This would fit really well with your plan to see Spamalot (which is also in the Wynn). We scheduled dinner at 6.00 pm, had the tasting menu, and walked over to Spamalot for the 8.00 pm showing. The tasting menu would normally take about 2 - 3 hours, but they were very accommodating, and we were able to finish within 1 1/2 hours without feeling rushed.  If I were Michelin, I'd give the experience a very solid 2 stars.
For the second evening, we dined at L'Atelier after seeing the 7.30 pm show of "O". We've been to L'Atelier in Paris about a half dozen times, so it's hard for us not to compare the two. Although the service was more friendly in Vegas, the food was not as compelling. The menu is different, which we expected, but the food seemed less interesting than the version in Paris. My recommendation is to save L'Atelier for you next trip to Paris, but take a pass when in Vegas. | | | |
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Al HooKoo   Las Vegas, NV Wine Thief
 Posts: 2614
 | | 09-07-2007 04:19 PM |
| We were at Lotus of Siam again last night, ok, so the duck in one of my favorites, Thai Curry duck was a little tough, but everything else was great as usual. | | | |
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Edward Bowers   Palm Beach Gardens Barrel Sampler
 Posts: 2072
 | | 09-08-2007 02:23 PM |
| Posted By mountainman on 09/03/2007 11:04 PM and then there is Pinot Brasserie at the Venetian....FREE CORKAGE .....part of the www.patinagroup.com Ah yes great memories & moments. Go there every time in Vegas, sometimes twice. Bouchon okay but service and food varies a bit. There sit outside by the terrace - QUIET!!!! Inside too noisy for us
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davidandrose   Aurora, CO Barrel Racker
 Posts: 1677
 | | 09-09-2007 01:46 PM |
| We had dinner last night at L'Atelier, and it was among the best meals we've ever had. The 9 course tasting menu had a broad variety, and when we asked to change an item that we weren't crazy about trying, there was no question at all. Service and pace were outstanding, and we weren't charged corkage when we  offered our server a glass of 96 Fisher Lamb that we brought. We were also fortunate to strike up a conversation with the couple next to us, who shared a glass of 90 Montrose that they brought with them. Made for a stupendous evening. | | | |
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dgoerisch   St. Louis Grape Fermenter
 Posts: 402
 | | 09-24-2007 02:25 PM |
| Posted By Winetex on 09/04/2007 8:36 AM Eric, Lotus of Siam has no atmosphere (in rundown strip center) but the food was great. I don't remember if there was corkage but I think we opened something like 15 bottles of wine with the group. My recollection was that they told us corkage was $15...when we got the check, the corkage charge for all 15 or so bottles was a total of $15.
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dgoerisch   St. Louis Grape Fermenter
 Posts: 402
 | | 09-24-2007 02:26 PM |
| Posted By Paul_H on 09/03/2007 9:44 PM If I were going to Vegas (not likely) I'd be tempted to try L'atelier De Joel Robuchon at the MGM Grand. And then, of course, there's the perennial eBob favorite: Lotus of Siam of which I have never heard a disparaging word.
L'atelier is one of our favorite restaurants in Las Vegas. We've been there three times and have had an amazing meal every time. | | | |
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rickym13   los angeles Wine Thief
 Posts: 2867
 | | 09-25-2007 02:43 AM |
| | if i only had two dinner in vegas...it would be los and rosemary | | | |
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Eric White   San Ramon, CA
 Advanced Sommelier
 Posts: 9430
 | | 09-25-2007 10:07 PM |
| Thanks for all the advice! We've decided to go with:
an early pre-show dinner at Delmonico on Friday ('O' is at 7:30, dinner is at 5) a post-show dinner at Alex in the Wynn (Spamalot is 90 minutes, and starts at 7, dinner is at 8:30 with a note we're coming from the show)
Can't wait! Now, bring wine and pay corkage? Or buy of the list............. | | | 2008: the end of an error | |
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mountainman   Mammoth Mountain Wine Addict
 Posts: 6156
 | | 09-25-2007 11:18 PM |
| | Bring wine, pay corkage. Winelist prices in Vegas are staggering. You should be able to drop off your wine at Alex before the the show too. | | | |
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Drew   Sammamish, WA
 Wine Bottler
 Posts: 3230
 | | 09-26-2007 12:27 AM |
| Posted By mountainman on 09/25/2007 11:18 PM Bring wine, pay corkage. Winelist prices in Vegas are staggering. You should be able to drop off your wine at Alex before the the show too. What he said. I paid $180 for an 01 Bressler at Delmonico last August.  And that was a relatively affordable bottle...Â
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J cocktosten  
Grape Fermenter
 Posts: 517
 | | 09-26-2007 08:53 AM |
| | Ate at Circo last night night in the Bellagio - wine prices were high. Ordered an affordable bottle of 2000 Fanti Brunello for the bargain price of $159. | | | |
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