A SURE BET: Las Vegas is a mecca for foodies and fine dining
Article content
There was a time when massive buffets took their rightful place in hazy casinos along the Las Vegas Strip. Even if you lost big at the slots or roulette table, there was consolation found in the form of a relatively cheap and plentiful buffet.
Recommended Videos
tap here to see other videos from our team.
A SURE BET: Las Vegas is a mecca for foodies and fine dining Back to video
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Today, legendary chefs and restaurateurs ply their trade in Vegas. Celebrity chefs like Michael Mina, Wolfgang Puck, Nobu Matsuhisa, Gordon Ramsay, Masaharu Morimoto, Bobby Flay, Thomas Keller and Emeril Lagasse have made Las Vegas a destination for foodies.
Dining out is no longer a crap shoot — it’s a sure bet you’ll be satiated and fascinated at the same time.
A simple brunch can be an occasion, especially at Sadelle’s inside the Bellagio Hotel & Casino. The sprawling dining room overlooks a tranquil indoor Conservatory & Botanical Garden. An awe-inspiring 14,000-square-foot garden is resplendent with colourful plants and shrubbery reflective of the season.
Haley Ben Moshe of MGM Resorts says a team of about 50 horticulture and engineering staff transform the space five times a year. They re-plant and repurpose as much of the living plant material as possible, honouring the resort’s commitment to sustainability.
The private Garden Table is a coveted reservation for discerning diners.
“It’s something you can’t find anywhere else on the Strip,” says Alexis Leal of MGM Resorts.
Server Michael Villalvazo arrives at the private table with Sadelle’s signature Salmon Tower, featuring layers of exquisite smoked salmon and capers, fresh tomatoes, cucumber slices and refreshing avocado toast on sourdough. All served with a selection of bagels and pastries flown in from New York.
“All seafood is flown in daily, so you’re getting the freshest of everything,” says Leal.
Lip Smacking Foodie Tours guide Trey Williamson is in his element as he leads a hungry group of visitors through the Fremont East Entertainment District, situated on the outskirts of the bustling Strip.
“This downtown area is known as historic Las Vegas. Fremont Street was the original strip. When the current Strip started to evolve, people stopped coming to this area,” he recalls.
Enter multimillionaire Tony Hsieh, entrepreneur and co-founder of the Zappos.com shoe and clothing empire.
Beginning in 2009, Hsieh spearheaded a revitalization of the dying downtown area, incorporating similar core values from Zappos into his strategy: Make it a place where people can live and enjoy activities to build better relationships.
“Despite being a millionaire, he lived in an Airstream trailer park and had a pet llama,” says Williamson.
The first project was an overhaul of the abandoned John E. Carson Hotel, transformed into a complex of hip restaurants and unique shops. Local artists were recruited to create murals on buildings to add vibrancy — each year at the local art festival, another building is chosen.
Its centrepiece is Carson Kitchen, a partnership between chef and restaurateur Cory Harwell and legendary celebrity chef Kerry Simon, dubbed the Rock ‘n’ Roll Chef by Rolling Stone magazine. (Simon died in 2015.)
Among its reimagined comfort foods are crispy chicken skins with smoked honey; savoury Devil’s Eggs with crispy pancetta and caviar; and zest Killer Shrimp with rocoto and Amarillo pepper cream.
“It really helped to ignite the downtown dining scene,” says Williamson.
Next stop is Eureka, a California-based chain dishing out scratch American classics backed by a solid roster of local beverages. The double-fried firecracker wings or Dorito-crusted shishito peppers are solid choices.
Walking off some calories, Williamson’s group treks to Container Park, an outdoor shopping centre built from — you guessed it — massive shipping containers (or manufactured cubes).
“Hsieh envisioned it as an incubator for local business people,” says Williamson, adding the Downtown Project offers incentives to start-ups. Once successful, some move to open brick-and-mortar spots outside the park.
Bin 702 is the perfect spot to take relief from the heat and enjoy one of local brewer HUDL’s chilled pints.
The final stop is 7th & Carson, voted restaurant of the year in 2018 by the Nevada Restaurant Association. The lightly spiced curry pasties are delightful, but the standout dish comprises pillow-like gnocchi smothered in a creamy mushroom sauce, then topped with shredded short rib braised for nine hours.
“We want the opportunity to show people the best places we think they should go and some of them are low-key local spots,” says Williamson.
Away from the bright lights, bells and whistles, visitors can indulge in several thought-provoking exhibits.
The Museum of Illusions offers an intriguing visual and sensory experience.
At ARTE Museum, visitors wander through a 30,000-square-foot digital art space of moving murals.
The Titanic exhibit at The Luxor resort displays artifacts recovered from the luxury liner’s watery gravesite, including the largest piece of the ship ever recovered — a 15-tonne piece of the enormous hull.
Sporting types might take in a Vegas Golden Knights hockey game, where there’s as much entertainment at the arena pre-game as there is on the ice.
Visitors can also catch a game at Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Sports Kitchen at Horseshoe resort. Wall-to-wall TVs broadcast various sports (and a few spin re-runs of the Food Network star’s Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives show).
For sharing, fresh-baked pretzel bread is blanketed with cheese and bacon and nestled in a pool of sharp cheddar beer sauce. The signature Crispy Cheese is a beast of a burger, taking its name from a cheese skirt dwarfing the patty.
General manager Corey Forrest says Fieri is the same guy you see on TV.
“When he’s here, he’ll take time to chat with guests and go behind the bar to pour shots of his (Santo brand) tequila,” says Forrest.
“One time he noticed Charlie, one of the staff, here and asked about him. When told he had back issues and couldn’t work, Guy made a get-well video that brought Charlie to tears,” he adds.
It wouldn’t be Las Vegas without some razzle-dazzle and that’s what you’ll experience during “vibe dining” at Papi Steak in Fontainebleau resort.
Made famous in Miami by founders David Grutman and David ‘Papi’ Einhorn, the Papi concept is part showbiz and all-out decadence, with an unrivalled stockpile of the world’s greatest cognacs.
“A lot of vibe dining places may sacrifice quality but at Papi, the food is a priority,” says PR rep Emily Clayton. “There’s such a high demand to dine here — it’s one of the hardest reservations to get.”
It’s no wonder. The music delivers nightclub energy as formally attired staff work meticulously to engage diners.
Each dish is a showcase of culinary excellence, but the piece de resistance arrives at the table with staff cheers, flashing lights and a branding iron. An exquisitely marbled 55-ounce Tomahawk steak, carved from premium MS9+ Australian wagyu, is unveiled in a gold-plated “beefcase” to guests and then branded tableside before heading to the grill.
“It’s like butter melting in your mouth,” says server Chris Bando.
Another hotspot at Fontainebleau is Komodo, an acclaimed venue where upscale nightclub meets out-of-this-world sushi and South Asian-inspired cuisine.
Staff-recommended favourites include truffle honey salmon sashimi and the spicy Bluefin tuna roll crusted with chili. The star of the show is the Maine lobster kamikaze — expertly grilled, stuffed with a creamy blend of earthy enoki mushrooms and osetra caviar, then drizzled with a spicy aioli.
The Venetian Resort & Casino, founded by Sheldon Adelson, celebrated its silver anniversary in 2024 with the announcement it would undergo a $1.5-billion renovation.
“When it was built, (Adelson) sought to recreate the experiences he and his wife had in Venice,” says PR rep Claudine Grant. From ornate sculptures and water fountains to the recreation of St. Mark’s Square, complete with gondola rides, it’s a marvel of construction.
The Venetian is home to Wakuda, aptly named for double Michelin-starred chef Tetsuya Wakuda. The cosy spot delights with modern Japanese fare like tantalizing Tobanyaki scallops plated with mushroom shards in garlic yuzu butter.
It’s a prelude to dinner at HaSalon, guided by Michelin-starred celebrity chef Eyal Shani. The Mediterranean-influenced menu highlights vibrant Israeli cuisine.
Must-haves include grilled octopus on butter beans; beetroot carpaccio with creme fraiche; forest mushroom pasta; and baked phyllo spinach pie.
Looking for a quality quick bite? Look no further than Proper Eats Food Hall, an elevated food court and bar inside Aria Resort, where you’ll find London’s acclaimed Seoul Bird.
Chef and television personality Judy Joo instils Korean flavours into contemporary dishes like fried chicken.
“It’s extra crispy and almost like a tempura batter if it’s done right,” says Joo. “People love the sauces; from sticky and sweet to spicy, it’s quite different than Nashville hot chicken.
She says the Las Vegas food scene has “become much more global. You can absolutely eat your way around the world at one resort.”
Trey Williamson of Lip Smacking Foodie Tours sums up the Las Vegas culinary scene best.
“Years ago, there was a buffet in every resort. Now we have some very famous chefs opening restaurants here. We’ve become a food mecca.”
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.