Table for One: Las Vegas
In casino and convention central, it's essential to know where to eat alone.
Paul Smalera, Portfolio.com: Business Travel, 11/20/2007
In Las Vegas, the real high-stakes gambling is taking place where it always has: not in the casinos, but on the streets of the city. The gamblers are real estate magnates, and the pot continues to grow. As each new resort aims further upmarket than the last, the crowds Las Vegas is attracting -- and the meals they want to eat -- are keeping pace.
That's why every celebrity chef worth his fleur de sel has opened a Vegas restaurant, and some have more than one. (We're looking at you, Wolfgang Puck.) But often the chefs are merely lending a name, a menu, and an opening-night visit to their desert outposts, leaving the cooking to others, who may not have the chops to execute the master's vision.
When eating out in Vegas, it's important to know if the quality in the kitchen matches the caliber of the name on the door. With Vegas fielding tens of millions of visitors each year (nearly 40 million in 2006), it's all too easy for a subpar restaurant to survive on a glitzy dining room and steady influx of vacationing, never-to-return diners.
The good news is, there are a number of places, a few of which we highlight below, that definitely deserve a solo diner's discretionary dollar, even meriting return visits.
L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon
MGM Grand | 702-891-7358
Joel Robuchon practically reinvented high-end solo dining with L'Atelier, where every seat is focused on what's happening in the open kitchen. In Vegas, the restaurant features red-leather stools at a long, sloping bar that faces the kitchen. As for tables, there are just a handful, and they're farther from the action. The tasting menu is where you should roam. Succulent foie gras miniburgers are rich bites, tuna belly is accented with an aromatic broth, and lightly poached Kussi oysters taste not just of the sea, but of some magical body of water. The sommelier is extremely competent, the service is impeccable, and since it's tucked into a corner of the MGM Grand, fellow diners are likely to be there for the food, not the view of the casino floor.
Dress: Business casual
Prices: Expensive
Reservations: Strongly recommended
Strip House
Planet Hollywood Casino | 702-737-5200
Legend has it that the original Strip House in New York was named after the previous tenant's area of business. Actually, the name was just a play on the signature steak, but running with the conceit, Strip House in Vegas is decked with sultry red wallpaper, black-and-white burlesque photos, and leather banquettes. Naturally, the strip steak is the star. Thick, aged, and juicy, it stands tall on the plate with just a roasted clove of garlic. If you get one side dish, it should be the excellent creamed corn with pancetta. Though you can eat facing the TVs at the bar, the nearby communal table is the perfect place to get some work done.
Dress: Casual
Prices: Expensive
Reservations: Recommended for the dining room
Red Square
Mandalay Bay Casino | 702-632-7407
There's something to be said for a restaurant that will give you a goose-down jacket and a fur ushanka hat and let you drink high-test vodkas in the freezer -- next to a bust of Lenin. If you prefer your vodka cold but your nose warm, sit at the regular bar, which is embedded with a strip of ice on which to rest your drink. Though this is mainly a vodka bar, the food is surprisingly good. Stick to Russian favorites like caviar (complete with blini, toast points, creme fraiche, and diced egg), chicken Kiev, and steak tartare. These dishes might not be groundbreaking, but they are perfectly prepared.
Dress: Casual
Prices: Moderate
Reservations : Not taken
Hachi
Red Rock Casino Resort | 702-797-7576
For a night off the strip, drive about 20 minutes to Hachi, a sushi restaurant whose offerings match the quality of any raw fish New York or Los Angeles can offer. It's run by Linda Rodriguez, who studied with masters of Japanese cuisine like Nobu Matsuhisa. Her seared Wagyu-beef sashimi lets the main ingredient shine. The braised short ribs, served on daikon in a miso broth, are fall-apart tender. For dessert, try the lychee panna cotta with strawberry foam. Park at the sushi bar, make friends with the chefs, and take advantage of the huge sake menu -- and Hachi's knowledgeable sake sommelier.
Dress: Casual
Prices: Moderate
Reservations: Recommended
The Buffet
The Wynn | 702-248-DINE
Nothing says Las Vegas better than a buffet. Almost every casino has one, but the newest and nicest is in magnate Steve Wynn's resort. At the $35 weekend brunch, you'll get bottomless champagne and prime rib, dim sum, eggs a hundred ways, and about a thousand other things, including sweets made by a chocolatier. If you gamble at the Wynn, even a little, ask a pit boss for a line pass. You won't have to wait to be seated, and since you're solo, you'll probably get a coveted two-person table in the fantastical atrium, rather than in one of the blander side rooms.
Dress: Casual
Prices: Moderate -- depending on how much you can eat
Reservations: Not taken, though a line pass will get you seated immediately
In-N-Out Burger
2900 West Sahara Avenue | 702-786-1000
For a certain set of East Coast road warriors, a trip to Vegas means one thing: a stop at In-N-Out. This California burger chain may look like any other fast-food joint -- except it's clean, the staff is polite, and the food is fresh and cooked to order. Before you go, familiarize yourself with customizations available on the "secret" menu. (Look for it on Google.) For example: Double-Double (two patties, two slices of cheese) and Animal-Style (lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, mustard, and special sauce). Top it off with a black-and-white milk shake and french fries. Sit anonymously in a booth or in the parking lot and try to catch a glimmer of the old Las Vegas.
Dress: Shorts and flip-flops are fine
Prices: Affordable
Reservations: Not taken
