It's kind of funny - on my last two vacation, 2 days in LA and New York felt too short, but somehow 4 days in Vegas felt like more than enough. Maybe it's because I'm not big on gambling? And not being a big gambler leaves little else to do but eat. (And see Cher.) So here are some of the food highlights. (I'll share Cher at another time!)
I've always dreamed that if I could choose any Iron Chef (American version) to cook me a meal it would be Mario Batali, hands down. (Choosing from the Japanese cast would be darn near impossible, it would be like choosing your favorite child, you just love them all). Batali has a few ventures in Vegas and we picked a casual spot, Otto Enoteca in the Venetian. Green Light: Delicious housemade Bucatini All'Amatriciana with spicy tomato sauce and cured pork was every bit as tasty as I'd hoped Batali's cooking to be, and was also the restaurant's most popular dish, says the waiter. Yellow light: the thin-crust pizzas with goat cheese/pancetta and guanciale (an Italian bacon made from pig jowls) and topped with eggs were fine, just not particularly as memorable as we had hoped.
But that's okay, as I have plenty of memories from Hash House A Go Go to make up for it. Spotlight: The. Best. Fried. Chicken. And. Waffles. Ever. It's at least a foot tall of sweet, salty, fried, fluffy goodness. With bacon BUILT-IN the waffles. Their open-face chicken pot pie was tasty too. We visited the Imperial Palace location, they are in The M Hotel and the Sahara too.
Also fun, if not a little schtick-y was Max Brenner's at Caesar's Palace. Everything, from the bright dictionary-of-a-menu (with names like Illegal Chocolate Pancakes and After Party Belgian Waffles) to fans artificially wafting in chocolate scents to our server named Hollywood (he swore that was his real name) seemed over-the-top. But appropriate. This is Vegas, after all. Green light: My favorite thing was the dark hot chocolate, served in an adorable vessel named the Hug Mug. Also tasty were the cinnamon apple white chocolate truffle cream French toast and the strawberry-topped waffles.
We also tried Top Chef Master Hubert Keller's Burger Bar in the Mandalay Bay and sampled a variety of burgers from the menu - from classic to fancy to mini (a trio sliders which included natural beef, Angus beef, and buffalo). I can't say it was the best burger any of us ever had, but paired with onion rings, sweet potato fries and a Kahlua shake, it was a fine, hearty meal.
Special Mention: I forgot my camera that day, but the frozen hot chocolate from Serendipity 3 at Caesar's was also a winner. I can't speak for anything else (the sandwich, salad and tacos we also ordered were just okay) but the FHC won't let you down!
Also fun, if not a little schtick-y was Max Brenner's at Caesar's Palace. Everything, from the bright dictionary-of-a-menu (with names like Illegal Chocolate Pancakes and After Party Belgian Waffles) to fans artificially wafting in chocolate scents to our server named Hollywood (he swore that was his real name) seemed over-the-top. But appropriate. This is Vegas, after all. Green light: My favorite thing was the dark hot chocolate, served in an adorable vessel named the Hug Mug. Also tasty were the cinnamon apple white chocolate truffle cream French toast and the strawberry-topped waffles.
We also tried Top Chef Master Hubert Keller's Burger Bar in the Mandalay Bay and sampled a variety of burgers from the menu - from classic to fancy to mini (a trio sliders which included natural beef, Angus beef, and buffalo). I can't say it was the best burger any of us ever had, but paired with onion rings, sweet potato fries and a Kahlua shake, it was a fine, hearty meal.
Special Mention: I forgot my camera that day, but the frozen hot chocolate from Serendipity 3 at Caesar's was also a winner. I can't speak for anything else (the sandwich, salad and tacos we also ordered were just okay) but the FHC won't let you down!
SAMIWICH'S TASTE RATING
2 comments:
I have to agree...Hash house has really amazing chicken and potatoes. Did you look up any restaurant.com offerings while you were there? I think they have hash house and hubert keller's restaurants in there.
Hi @Galen! We were going to try Mix (Alain Ducasse) through restaurant.com but ended up not going. But thanks for the heads up about HH and the other places...I'll totally use those next time!
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