Las Vegas- The Food Capital Of The World

Youstolemyname

Youstolemyname

Youstolemyname

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A bold titled thread; Vegas, the food capital of the world? Surely not I hear you say, it's all burgers and steaks. Stick with me and I will explain why I think it is.....

We spent two weeks in Vegas (7-14 July) flying with Thomas Cook out of Manchester. Thomas Cook were awful, as expected, but got us there and back safely. We stayed in The Cosmopolitan for 4 nights, M-Resort for 3, 4 Seasons for 4 Nights and The Mandarin Oriental for 3.

We started the trip by grabbing a quick In and Out Burger. For the uninitiated, In and Out Burger is a cook-to-order fast food joint with a secret menu. Double double animal style is the way to go. After being awake for almost 24 hours we forgot to take pics!!! Google is your friend though ;)

After a good sleep, this was our view



The Cosmopolitan has some great restaurants in it and our one bedroomed terrace suite was huge and perfect. Holsteins and Blue Ribbon Sushi being amongst the best restaurants they have, we decided to pay them a visit.

Holsteins is a burger bar with some great choices. The Gold Standard (a burger made from steak and topped with cheddar and bacon) was ours, we thought we would share one for lunch with a 'side' of onion rings and a 'starter portion' of chicken tenders.


Needless to say we didn't eat again that day! I think you will do well to find a better burger on this planet though.

Blue Ribbon Sushi was on the list not just for its sashimi and sushi but for its famous fried chicken with honey/wasabi dip and wagyu beef sliders




The chicken was crisp and dry on the outside with a moist inside and the dip was unreal! The wagyu sliders melted in your mouth and the sashimi was just to die for, so so fresh. Their fish is flown in every day!

Hash House A Go Go got a visit from us while we were at the M Resort. Hash House do 'home style cooking with a twist' Their twist? Stupid portion sizes!




We had a pork loin in breadcrumbs and a chicken and bacon waffle thing due to a BOGOF offer. While the dishes were nice, the sheer size of them puts you off and nobody ever finishes them as can be seen from our leftover pic!

The next day we also tried Hash House for breakfast as the Mrs wanted to try a snickers pancake. I made do with a S'mores coffee....




The pancake was delicious but again, too big. I ate her leftovers to be gentlemanly :)

The M Resort is a great hotel if you want to chill out. About 20 mins from Vegas and a lot more laid back than the party atmosphere of the Strip. We had a lovely three nights there including a day renting a poolside day bed. This meant we had our own private waitress but had to spend $150 on food and drink all day. Challenge accepted! I made a good dent in it by taking a tour of their beer selection!

We then transferred to the Four Seasons, supposedly one of if not the best hotel in Vegas. While it was nice, the decor is very old fashioned and not to my taste. But again, it's much more chilled out than the rest of the strip hotels.

A trip to The Orleans' Prime Rib loft was in order for some meat:



Prime Rib Loft 1 Toby Carvery 0. This was melt in your mouth off the scale good roast beef as it should be, putting our efforts in the UK to shame. Not super cheap but not expensive either.
 
BBQ is something that the Americans just do better too. Memphis Championship BBQ do it one of the best.

Our appetiser plate of Fried Pickles, Loaded Potato Skins, Burnt Ends and Smoked Chicken Wings was followed by a sharing plate of ribs, brisket and pulled pork:




The fried pickles were off the scale good, as were the ribs....so we thought until we got to Rollin' Smoke BBQ a few days later.

Rollin' Smoke's Ribs and Pork are simply the best I have ever had. A crisp bark and moist meat on the ribs with melt in your mouth chopped brisket:


No trip to Vegas is complete without a trip to Hot n Juicy Crawfish. This place is well known but basically you get a bag full of steamed seafood of your choice in the sauce of your choice. I couldn't wait to take pics an was so messy after I couldn't touch my camera!



It's the best tasting sauce with lovely well cooked huge prawns that gets me going back time and time again.

Good seafood in Vegas? In a desert? Yes, it's flown in daily. Like the lobster meat for this lobster roll I scoffed at Lobster ME in Miracle Mile Shops

Or this crispy Chilean Seabass at Fleur

Or this little feast at American Fish, Scallops, Squid stuffed with Chorizo, Lobster 'Rolls' and Truffled Mac n Cheese





All amongst the finest seafood I have ever eaten bar none

Our two standout meals were at Cafe Society and Botero, both in Encore.

Cafe Society was where we had our wedding meal so I had to go back. I had a corn chowder, mac n cheese bites, bone in ribeye and the Mrs had a fillet steak on a bed of mash followed by ice cream sandwiches.







All out of this world good.

Botero was something else though. Starter of tempura soft shell crab followed by a dry aged bone in sirloin topped with foie gras. Mrs had a fillet with the biggest scallops you have ever seen and a peanut butter 'sandwich' dessert







Places we also visited but didn't snap included Cosmopolitan and Bacchanal Buffets (Bacchanal was awesome!) M Resort breakfast buffet, various breakfast diner style places.

Now back to my statement, Vegas being the food capital of the world. Where else in the world can you in a 3 mile long street get pretty much any type of food you want, from budget to Michelin starred, all served by staff who 99% of the time are amazing at their job. I've travelled a fair bit and the closest is Manhattan but it's so big that I think Vegas edges it for the proximity and choice of restaurants.

Vegas, I'll be back
 
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Hot and Juicy Crawfish done properly :p

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Flights are the most expensive part at around £700 per person. Hotel rooms, well anything from £20 per night to £20,000 per night depending on your taste and budget. £60 a night gets you a decent room and upwards of that gets you a luxury room. Most we spent per night was at the Mandarin Oriental which was £120ish a night for the room from memory, hotels are more expensive at the weekend. M Resort was £60 a night and put to shame most hotels in the UK

Spending money, depends on what you intend to do when there. Alcohol can be expensive to buy in bars but it's about UK price in the supermarkets.

Restaurants, breakfasts can be had for under a fiver. Lunches, same again but it just depends if you want to go upscale or cheap and cheerful. Two of you can easily eat a solid dinner without alcohol for under £30 at somewhere like Outback. That said, eating at Botero cost us a pretty penny but it's a memorable experience. You would never look back and say 'Oh do you remember that time we went to the Harvester' but it cost you £20.....

Two weeks in Vegas isn't like your two weeks all inclusive or two weeks in Europe trips. Theres so much to do and so much choice you can spend as much or as little as you like.
 
Good advice. Thanks :)

I'd probably be travelling solo. I dont need to know how to drive to have a good time, do I? I know American public transport is meant to be a bit of a joke. But I've heard that most of the good stuff to do in Vegas is on the main strip, so you could probably get around by walking, yes?
 
First time in Vegas you can totally do without a car. We like having a car as it means you can get to the good off strip places easily. You can cab it to off strip places or get the tourist bus but that all adds up.

It's also handy to have a car for scooting up and down the strip. It's 3 miles+ end to end so if you are in a hotel at one end and want to go up to Encore and back it's a fair old trek. Especially in July heat!

It can be done without a car but we just like having one, used it every day apart from one or two.
 
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