Another Trip Report

It seems that the same folks continue to post on here, but for the sake of updating some of my prior posts, here is a quick trip report from my past week in Las Vegas. We did a lot of great eating, trying a few new places and sticking with tried and true old favorites to fill out our week.

We started with the three course $28 lunch at Lago since we were staying in the Bellagio and it was convenient after our long flight. We've been there a few times before and the food is very good (with a few duds if you don't choose wisely). The atmosphere is pleasant, overlooking the fountains, and the service is great. They have some nice craft cocktails which we enjoyed with the fixed price lunch. We were pleasantly surprised that the portions were full sized. All that we chose from the somewhat limited prix fixe lunch menu was excellent. For dinner that night we went to Chada Thai and had a variety of dishes that we shared. I still maintain that their oysters are some of the best anywhere. For dessert we drove over to their new dessert place, Patio Desserts and Drinks, but the menu didn't excite us so off we went to Gelatology where the daily flavors were delicious and interesting as always.

The next morning took us to Hexx as my husband likes that place (a lot more than I do) because he wanted one of their awesome bloody marys and I had coupons for BOGOs from myvegas.com so breakfast it was. The service is always great there although I find the breakfast menu nothing awe inspiring. I ordered a fruit plate which is the second time I've had one there and I must confess that its nicer than most in that they always include unusual and seasonal fruit. This time, along with some of the usual summer fruits, it included dragonfruit and mango. The fruit plate is quite large and includes three mini banana muffins. My husband had the hash which he loves there. Add to that the beautiful weather and great people watching, I couldn't complain. Dinner that night was at Picasso. This was the third time we've eaten here. The first was nice and the second was on Christmas Eve which I've previously complained about on this board. The manager bent over backwards to insure that our Christmas Eve dinner was but a distant memory. Comped champage plus one comped dinner, a great table, awesome service, and terrific food, made for a very pleasant evening.

The next morning we again used some my vegas bogos for the Bellagio buffet. Nothing great but enough choices to make a satisfactory meal. That evening took us to Therapy. I had been trying to get there for awhile now and finally got everyone on the same page. The menu and instagram pix had looked interesting and it did not disappoint. Everything the four of us ordered was enjoyed by all. Highlights were the gnudi, the brussel sprouts and the empanadas. Being right near Container Park made for some interesting wandering around and people watching.

Friday morning was just stuff from the Bellagio, pastries from Jean Philippe (my husband loves their blueberry brioche) and I had a terrific farro and fresh turkey salad from cafe Gelato. Dinner was at the Veranda in Mandalay Bay/Four Seasons as we were going to see Dave Chappelle there afterwards. We had eaten dinner at the Veranda on our last trip and were pleasantly surprised by how good it was. The food was still excellent although the service was not very good. This was extremely frustrating as we were somewhat limited by time constraints but overall, an enjoyable meal.

Saturday we were off to Babystacks. I am not a pancake lover yet there is something about their pancakes that I just love. This time on my recommendation, my husband had the red velvet pancakes which he enjoyed, my son had his usual hash, and I tried the lemon ricotta pancakes which were also delish. That evening we had dinner at Twist which has now moved to the top of my favorite Las Vegas restaurant list (knocking out Joel Robuchon). This was our second time dining there and again it did not disappoint. For the money, I think it is a much better value than Guy Savoy and Robuchon (although nothing compares to their bread and dessert carts). The food is always interesting, beautifully plated, and the service is top notch. The cocktails are quite nice, as well. We did the wine pairings this time and they don't skimp on either the quality or quantity.

On our last day we again got miscellaneous goodies from the hotel and for dinner got take out from Pizza Rock to eat at our son's house. The two pizzas we ordered were good, although nothing that you can't find in any city around the country.

Overall, another great week of eating and weight gain!