Food for the Non-Buffet Crowd
So there�s tons of places to eat in Las Vegas. You can spend anywhere from $1.25 for a steak & egg breakfast to several thousand for a lobster the size of a small Mexican. (If you don�t believe me, look for the Rosewood Grille signs on every bus stop and billboard on the strip!) So we�re gonna try and make it easy for you. We�ve eaten quite a bit in Sin City and here are the places we frequent:
Samba Grill (The Mirage) - We�ve eaten there twice and it�s highly recommended that you make reservations. If you�re going to spring for a meal, save for this one. The drinks come in glasses the size of those typically used for business card drawings. As far as the food, you can either go two ways, order a meal or the Rodizio, which is basically a sampling of the entire menu. The service there is excellent, which makes the rodizio option quite appealing. You are served several meats such as grilled steak, pork, chicken, as well as some nice Brazilian sides such as plantains and rice & beans. In all, good eats!
Rumjungle (Mandalay Bay) - Rumjungle is no Samba Grill, but if you can't get in at Samba, Rumjungle has the other Rodizio in town. The atmosphere is far superior, but the food isn't so great. Mike ordered the Rodizio and submitted- he couldn't eat all the courses. K.C. got the skirt steak and it sucked- and I told the waiter that. And I quote "How is the steak", "It's O.K.", "Just O.K.? - Would you like something else?", "No, I'm fine, thank you." End of dialog for the night...I think I offended him becasue he didn't come back to our table until he gave us the check. They boast a huge rum list, and have these awesome waterfalls than run down hanging pieces of glass. Very hip and cool.
J.J.'s Boulangerie (Paris) - You have to keep your eyes open for this place. No big signs or anything, but it is located across from the Buffet at the Paris. It's a great place to get breakfast, lunch, or a snack on the go. We ALWAYS get the fruit plate and an Orangina (one of the few good things to come from Canada). They also have fresh baked bread and sweets. Right outside there's also a little crepe stand which K.C. calls "THE BEST IN THE WORLD."
Blondie's (Aladdin - Desert Passage) - Blondies is a Sports Bar. Basically like a poor man's Hooters with better food. It's probably a step up from Hooters because our waitress was really good, gave us plenty of free refills, and did not have a sweaty butt. We recommend the boneless wings.
The Range Steak House (Harrah�s) - The Range is basically a steak lover�s paradise. Sure, there�s steakhouse chains in Vegas like Ruth�s Chris, Smith & Wollinsky�s, & Morton�s, but you can get them in really any major city in the world. For an authentic atmosphere and a thick and juicy steak the Range is tops. Added bonus�large windows that overlook the strip below.
The Grand Lux (The Venetian) - Think Cheesecake Factory on steroids. This restaurant is eerily similar to the Cheesecake Factory in d�cor & menu, but dare I say the portions are bigger?! Rumor has it that the owner of the Venetian ate at a Cheesecake Factory once and loved it so much he wanted one in Vegas. Well, as with all big business, legal issues arose, so in typical Vegas style he basically said �screw you, I can do it better,� and did. Try the chocolate cake for dessert. You�ll get a slice the size of VW Beetle.
Cheeseburger at the Oasis (Aladdin - Desert Passage) - We went here for breakfast one morning. The setting is sort of like a Hawaiian TGI Friday's with all sorts of Island knick-knacks on the walls. K.C. got French Toast and a Raspberry Smoothie, Mike got a Hawaiian Omelette with home fries. It was a taste of tropical paradise.
Rainforest Caf� (MGM) - It�s just cool. It�s good for kids and adults with entertainment and a fun menu. It�s not really different than any other Rainforest Caf� around the country, but it�s not everywhere that the trees talk to you and there�s a real rain shower every half hour. That�s good no matter how many times you see it.
In-N-Out Burger (Tropicana Blvd.) - A bit off the Strip, it is clearly visible from NY, NY or MGM Grand. But don�t be silly and try to walk, you�ll never be able to cross the highway overpass and get there in one piece. Truly a western institution, In-N-Out Burger�s fast food is far superior to McDonald�s or Burger King. The French fries are hand cut and the hamburgers are wrapped old fashioned in wax paper. One Warning, all burgers automatically come with Jungle Sauce, it�s like Thousand Island Dressing or something , unless you clearly state you don�t want it! (It�s a west coast thing, they put mayo on almost everything) If you can�t make the trek to the In-N-Out, may we also suggest the Fatburger which is on the strip. The burgers are huge and you may be lucky enough to meet frequenters such as M.C. Hammer & �Manny Mo� Emmanuel Lewis.
America (NY, NY) - The best thing about America is the map. It takes up the entire ceiling of the restaurant. It�s a raised map of the United States (think 3rd grade geography) with mountains, valleys, rivers, train tracks, as well as lights & oversized trinkets placed on the map representing major cities or landmarks. An example is the spouting oil wells deep in the heart of Texas. Other than that, the food is pretty average and the service borders on poor, but the map is worth the visit.
Kahunaville (Treasure Island) - Home of the dancing waters. Okay, they are in front of the Bellagio, but the poor man�s version goes off in a back corner of the restaurant about every half hour or so. There�s a slushy bar in the front with plenty of Tvs and fun, and in the back is the restaurant seating. Food follows the tropical trend, however K.C. suggests staying away from the coconut chicken tenders. They tasted good going down, but not too great coming back up later in the night. But she�s got a funny tummy sometimes, and overall, the food was pretty good.
Studio Caf� (MGM Grand) - Like the rest of the MGM Grand this restaurant/diner is very �Old Hollywood.� There�s a lot of brushed metal and black & white pictures and floor tiles giving that retro appeal. You can either sit at a table or slide into a booth and the menu is very American�burgers, chicken, fish, salads, etc� However we must say that the portions of food were quite large. K.C. got a chicken Caesar salad which was, �HUUUUGE!�
Food Court (Near Sports Book, Venetian) - A lot of different choices not to be confused with the food court in the Venetian Shops (which is ghetto). There�s Italian food (of course), sandwiches, salads, and basic stuff like that. It�s just pretty good quality. Plus the fact that it�s actually in the casino pretty much on the gaming floor is sweet too. You can eat your food and spy on all the gamblers lose all their money. Plus since it�s Vegas you never know who (or what) will stroll by. Personally, this was a good stop for me in the AM after a night of boozing. The breakfast bar served fresh fruit, cereal, and bagels, which cleared the haze quite well.
Chipotle (Harrah's) - This is quite possibly K.C.'s most favorite restaurant in the world. It is a "fast food" style mexican joint where you place your order at the counter and then take a seat and eat there or can get it to go. This was first discovered by K.C. in Lawrence, KS, and has several franchises across the country, but none in the Philly area. The Las Vegas location is no example of any other location in the US. I was extremely disappointed. It's in the food court next to Harrah's by the McDonalds and Panda Express. Chipotle is probably most famous as the place where Ozzy Osbourne gets a burrito, but I prefer the chicken tacos. The food is great, the portions are HUGE and the environment (except for the Las Vegas location)is very cool.
Ricardo's (MGM) - In Memory. This was my favorite place in Vegas. Ricardo's lost their lease and closed. The salsa was "the best in the world". Maybe one day it will open again, but I doubt it.
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