Vegas, baby

[CalHorn]

The girlfriend and I are hitting Vegas this weekend. The itinerary is pretty much set. However, we don't really have plans locked down for dinner on Friday. We're looking to do something relatively casual as our "splurge dinner" will be on Saturday night.

Any recommendations for a good, casual restaurant, either on or off the Strip? We're staying at Mandalay Bay but will have a car, so we can travel. (In fact, I'd probably prefer to go off the Strip so that we're not fighting hordes of other tourists.)

[ClendonRoss]

We usually try to hit Batista's (behind Bill's/old Barbary Coast) when we go. It's casual, old-school, old Vegas Italian (atmosphere feels like a place mobsters or the Rat Pack would have frequented back in the day; a little like the original Campise's in Dallas) with bottom-less table wine included with the meal. Good food, not great, but we like the overall package.

[CalHorn]

Clendon --

We didn't make it to Battista's, but we did find a really good Thai place on Sahara Ave., just east of the Strip. The name of the place is Lotus of Siam, and it's in a kind of funky strip mall type of location along with several other Asian businesses and restaurants. Food was very good and the service was excellent. If you're in the mood for Thai the next time you're in Vegas and you don't want something from a casino, I definitely recommend this place.

[ClendonRoss]

Thanks for the recommendation, Cal. Scheduled to be in Vegas in June for almost a week, so definitely will want to get out of the hotel/casino for food some...

[zairaong]

any other recommendations?

[ClendonRoss]

Originally Posted by zairaong

any other recommendations?

From a couple of other threads here on the Travel board:

Vegas restaurant recommendations

Golf in Vegas

[CalHorn]

Originally Posted by zairaong

any other recommendations?

Rosemary's, a relatively high-end restaurant west on Sahara Ave. (another one off the Strip) was quite good. The menu has a bit of a Southern tinge to it, probably because the chef trained in New Orleans.

http://www.rosemarysrestaurant.com/

And if you're looking for a cool treat, try some Luv-It custard. The GF and I had some after taking in a spring training game between the Cubs and the White Sox at Cashman Field. Tasty stuff.

http://www.luvitfrozencustard.com/

[ClendonRoss]

Came across a place I'd like to try next time in Vegas (saw it on a feature at the Travel and Leisure website on the top 50 new restaurants in the U.S. for 2009, a bunch of which were in Houston, plus one in Dallas: link if you're interested: http://www.travelandleisure.com/slid...rants-2009/1):

http://www.raku-grill.com/index.html

Basically it a Japanese tapas restaurant. Check out the menu on the link above, and look at the pictures of the food. Looks awesome.