The Foodie Fantasy
Don't unpack - there's time for that later. You've just arrived in Vegas and already you're hungry for a taste. Maybe a light afternoon snack of Parmesan paprika popcorn at Hubert Keller's approachable new small-plates concept, Fleur. Replacing the formal French restaurant Fleur de Lys at Mandalay Bay, Fleur's also mixing frozen cocktails tableside, compliments of a little liquid nitrogen magic.
Popcorn not your thing? Planet Hollywood's Strip House is serving up a new gourmet beef jerky appetizer that will take both you and jerky to places neither of you have ever been.
It's almost time for dinner. Here's where the options can overwhelm. But don't stress - you're in Las Vegas now, and there are no bad choices.
If you're with a group - head to Jaleo. Chef José Andres' Spanish restaurant at the all-new Cosmopolitan features an eight-seat inner sanctum with a 10- to 12-course dinner of tiny bites eaten sans silverware.
For a side of show with dinner, choose Switch Steak at Encore. With the walls moving every 20 minutes, it's like eating each course in a new restaurant.
It's time for dessert, but don't expect the choices to get any easier. The Wynn's Lakeside Grill has a dessert cart named Desire. And on that cart is where you'll find the bacon chocolate bar - made with creamy milk chocolate, fleur de sel and, of course, apple wood-smoked bacon. They'll dip anything in chocolate at Max Brenner in The Forum Shops at Caesars. But why bother dipping when you can just order a huge syringe filled with a chocolate potion you can squirt directly into your mouth.
If you're a cellar dweller, how about socializing in a place where you can choose from 160 wines by the glass, using a prepaid tasting card to enjoy drinks of one, three or five ounces? The Hostile Grape at M Resort offers a contemporary, hip atmosphere with boutique wines and handcrafted cocktails along with the unique samplers.
If it all seems too much, perhaps you're better off ending the night at ARIA's Sage, where you can inhale absinthe vapors. Shots range from $20 to more than $100. The cost for a shot of one special variety goes up each time it's ordered because once the bottle's gone, it's gone forever. Or enjoy a meal at Kerry Simon's Cathouse at Luxor, designed to look like a 19th century European bordello.
It's probably for the best because you've got brunch plans. The hugely popular pajama brunch at Simon inside Palms Place offers a Bloody Mary bar, cotton candy, chicken and waffles, a junk food plate, and - of course - a sushi bar
In This Experience
Fleur by Hubert Keller
LakeSide
Simon Restaurant and Lounge
