The Most Decadent Restaurants In Las Vegas
To many, Las Vegas is synonymous with ostentatious displays of wealth and luxury. When it comes to the city's restaurants, this yields dining experiences more lavish than most can imagine; opportunities to sample some of the world's best chef's cuisines curated by expert staff in magnificently grand settings abound. There are many grand restaurants to choose from, so we have compiled our picks of some of the most decadent dining in Las Vegas.
Bazaar Meat
One of two new restaurants from James Beard Award-winning chef José Andrés, Bazaar Meat is located in the new SLS Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. This isn't your typical steakhouse, and although it shares the overall vibe of its sister restaurants in Miami and Los Angeles, the menu lists some dishes special to this location that are delivered with Andrés' signature joie de vivre. The "Some Little Starters" menu includes "José's Asian Taco" comprising Jamón ibérico de bellota, toasted nori, and flying fish roe, and a "Bagels & Lox Cone" made with dill cream cheese and salmon roe. Carabineros (grilled Spanish red prawns), and Pà Amb Tomàquet (Catalan-style toasted pan de cristal with fresh tomato) can both be found on the "Meat from the Sea" selection. There's an entire section of the menu devoted to vegetable dishes like roasted leeks with charred chipotle sauce, and smaller cuts of meat, like a four-ounce Japanese Kobe Eye of the Rib and an eight-ounce Lindsay Ranch flat iron steak, can be found on the "Not So Big Guys" list. Staying true to the restaurant's name, there's a "More Meats" section of the menu, which is where it really gets interesting and Andrés' talent and creativity shines, with dishes like Wagyu beef cheeks with mojo rojo and oranges; Morcilla (Spanish blood sausage) with uni; and a "Tortilla Sacromonte," whose menu description reads, "Egg omelet from the heart of the Gypsy neighborhood of Sacromonte, Granada, Spain, farm eggs, kidney, sweetbreads, bone marrow."
CarneVino
From the powerhouse restaurant duo Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich comes CarneVino, located in The Palazzo Hotel & Casino. This isn't your typical steakhouse, as the beef is aged for 30 to 60 days (and in some cases, more than a year, found under the menu section dubbed, "Riserva"), and is "super prime" meat, specially developed for Batali and Bastianich's restaurant group. Live a little and order the $144 dry-aged bone-in ribeye, or perhaps the $160 classic Florentine porterhouse. Not in the mood for steak? There is also anolini with lobster and tarragon; spaghetti nero with calamari, kale, and chickpeas; and an antipasto of scallops alla piastra with cauliflower, orange, and crispy kale. There's an opportunity to splurge on the wine list as well, which boasts such offerings as a $5,000 bottle of Super Tuscan Barolo Tenuta San Guido "Sassicaia" from 1985, a $7,500 bottle of Grand Cru Montrachet, Domaine Romanee Conti from 2007, or celebrate a special occasion with a $1,200 bottle of Champagne Boërl & Kroff from 2002.
CUT
Wolfgang Puck helped invent California cuisine at Spago pioneered Asian fusion food at Chinois on Main and somehow solved the conundrum of where to buy decent food at the airport with his many Wolfgang Puck Express outlets. He also reinvented the steakhouse, with CUT, at The Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino. The menu is a study in indulgence, with items such as Maine lobster, Maryland blue crab, and Carolina shrimp "Louis" cocktail with spicy tomato-horseradish; Prime filet mignon "carpaccio" with celery hearts, truffle hollandaise, and white truffles from Alba, Italy; and Snake River Farms Wagyu beef "Indian Spiced" short ribs that are cooked for eight hours. Oh, and don't forget about the 14 choice cuts, from Australian filet mignon to Illinois bone-in New York sirloin to genuine Japanese Wagyu rib-eye from Miyazaki Prefecture.
Guy Savoy
At the top of his profession, with a well-deserved three-Michelin-star rating, Guy Savoy has imported the best in contemporary ingredient-based French cooking to the world's most famous gambling mecca. The bresse chicken breast with foie gras, artichoke, and truffle dressing; iced poached oysters; lobster macaronade; and just about every other dish on the menu will remind you why French chefs have a reputation for producing some of the most decadent food in the world. In addition to a $258-per-person signature menu, the restaurant also offers a $750-per-person Krug menu (served in their private room) and a $120-per-person pre-theater menu.
Joël Robuchon
The cooking is exquisite and the dining room opulently furnished in the first restaurant opened in America by the famed, award-winning Robuchon. Situated the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, it maintains the highest standards, from its superb service and impressive wine list to such finely crafted dishes as truffled langoustine ravioli, and guinea hen with roasted foie gras and braised potatoes. The 16-course tasting menu is a truly memorable experience (priced at $425 a head, wine not included). However, their most popular tasting menu is the two-course, which costs $120 a head. They also offer six-course and four-course menus.
Prime
Jean-Georges Vongerichten's steakhouse in the Bellagio is the picture of decadence, sporting Tiffany blue velvet curtains, commissioned artwork on the walls, and a stunning view of the famed resort's fountains. The food served in the grand dining room lives up to expectations, as executive chef Sean Griffin's menu is full of the finer things in life, from Siberian Sturgeon caviar, seared foie gras, and steak tartare and carpaccio with tarragon aioli and grilled crostini, to A5 Japanese Wagyu beef. And if you're considering bringing along the kids, think again; children under five aren't permitted.
Kate Kolenda is the Restaurant and City Guide Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @BeefWerky and @theconversant.