Tag Archives: Encore Hotel

Top Ten Restaurants in Las Vegas

01/24/2020 Shirley

I’ve been going to Las Vegas with different groups of people, such as friends, family, and co-workers in the past years (why I like to go to Vegas). After trying so many restaurants on the strip, I came up with my top ten list of restaurants in Las Vegas. Depending on who I am going with, my top restaurant list might vary. Below is a list ideal for trips to Vegas with anyone who enjoy great dinner.

It is in no particular order. I will go into details in my future posts.

Allegro at Wynn
Bardot Brasserie at Aria
Harvest at Bellagio
Joel Robuchon at MGM Grand
Le Cirque at Bellagio
The Mansion at The Mansion
Michael Mina at Bellagio
Picasso at Bellagio
Sinatra at Encore
SW Steakhouse at Wynn

Las Vegas has way more great restaurants than I could fit into my list. There are three more I would have considered to add to my top ten list, except that they were closed in the past few years, mainly for economic reasons. They are: Restaurant Charlie by Charlie Trotter, David Burke, and Switch. I will explain why I like them later.

LasVegas Restaurant AquaKnox — American Red Snapper from AquaKnox at Venetian

LasVegas Restaurant Allegro at Wynn — Osso Buco D’agnello from Allegro at Wynn

All Posts, Food, Travel

Five of My Favorite Places for Brunch in Vegas

02/13/2019 Shirley

I love Las Vegas. When I am in Vegas I often eat breakfast, which is something I don’t normally do at home. Here are five of my favorite places to eat breakfast in Las Vegas.

1. The Mansion at MGM Grand

The Mansion is a semi-secret, very exclusive invitation-only restaurant. I was offered the chance to eat breakfast at The Mansion when I stayed at the Skylofts at MGM Grand. The Mansion was unbelievable!

2. Tableau at Wynn Hotel

Tableau is a fantastic restaurant at the Wynn hotel. The breakfast menu is incredible and I love some of their unique items including White Chocolate and Orange French Toast.

3. Bardot Brasserie

Bardot Brasserie is a French restaurant, by Michael Mina. Bardot Brasserie opens for brunch only on Saturday and Sunday. Among all the amazing food it offers, the French Toast is a must-have. It’s made with brioche bread and vanilla mascarpone, toped with the almond brittle, and orgeat syrup on the side.

4. Zen Kitchen at Waldorf Astoria

Zen Kitchen at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel was an unexpected surprise. One morning when I was at the Mandarin Oriental I wasn’t feeling like going out and so I ate there and I was pleased. The restaurant was casual but elegant and everything on the breakfast menu was great!

5. Bouchon at Venetian

The Bouchon at the Venetian was a bit hard to find, at the fourth floor overlooking the pool area. The restaurant is mostly French inspired but the breakfast items are all fantastic!

Fiave Favorite Breakfast Places in Vegas

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My Favorite Regular Las Vegas Hotels

08/26/2014 Shirley

Some time ago I posted a blog that describes my favorite upscale / luxury suites in Las Vegas. But I don’t always get to stay in upscale rooms; I sometime stay in what I’ll call ordinary hotel rooms (even though Las Vegas is far from ordinary).

So, here are my current top 10 places to stay in Las Vegas, assuming I’m not going to stay at a luxury suite of some sort.

Encore – I love the Encore Hotel. It’s at the north end of the Strip which means I can’t walk to a lot of venues, but other than that, Encore is just about perfect. It’s hard to describe, but the Encore just feels right. The prices here are a bit higher than most hotels, but well worth it in my opinion.
Wynn – The Wynn and the Encore are practically the same — the two hotels are connected and many times are referred to as Wynn/Encore collectively. I love the Wynn, especially the restaurants, which I think, as a group, are the best of any hotel in Vegas.
Bellagio – The Bellagio has a different feel than the Wynn and Encore — it’s hard to describe, but the Bellagio is a bit more conservative in some ways, mostly the décor I think. I’ve noticed that staying at the Bellagio either before or after staying at the Wynn/Encore makes the experience at all three hotels seem even better.
Palazzo – The Palazzo has great rooms — essentially all suites. And the Palazzo is directly connected to the Venetian which has a lot of great restaurants and shopping.
Aria – The Aria doesn’t seem to have one characteristic that makes it really stand out, but the property is good in a lot of ways. Nice location near the center of the Strip, nice rooms, good restaurants, and one of my all-time favorite bakeries (Jean Philippe).
The Venetian – Every time I stay at the Venetian I recall one of my all-time favorite shows, The Phantom of the Opera. I like the rooms at the Venetian (all 700+ square feet), and the shopping arcade with restaurants by the indoor canal.
Cosmopolitan – The Cosmopolitan is a nice hotel, but clearly a notch below the hotels I’ve listed above. The Cosmopolitan tries a bit too hard to be trendy, but it’s still a good hotel, and much better than older properties like the Luxor and the Tropicana.
The MGM Grand – the MGM is maybe one of the best values in Vegas. On the downside, MGM is near the very south end of the Strip which makes it impractical to walk to many other places. But the MGM has a lot going for it, and I’ve often stayed there.
Mandalay Bay – The Mandalay Bay is a good hotel, but not in the same league with my top five Vegas hotels. Mandalay has good (but not great) restaurants, good (but not great rooms), good (but not great) service, and so on.

All Posts, Food, Travel

Sinatra at Encore in Las Vegas

10/10/2012 Shirley

Out of my list for top ten restaurants in Las Vegas, Sinatra at Encore property is the BEST. I am a fan of Frank Sinatra music. I love the decoration and Sinatra’s music they play in the restaurant, not to mention the delicious Italian food, cocktail drinks, and great services they have.

For starter, I recommend Polpettina (housemade meatball and polenta fries). For entrée, I recommend Lasagna Bolognese (fresh pasta layered with veal, pork and beef). It’s served in a little hot metal pan. I always wondered how they keep the handle so cool while the pan itself was hot. I finally asked them on my most recent visit. It turned out that the lasagna is baked in the little pan in the oven and they cooled the handle with ice before they serve the dish. If you like rib eye, try Tagliata (bone-in rib eye grilled with cherry tomatoes, capers, and basil). I am usually a filet mignon person, but the Tagliata I had in Sinatra last time was so juicy and tender; I really like it.

If you drink cocktails, try Sinatra Smash; it’s mixed of whiskey and blackberries. It’s fruity and refreshing. If you have room for dessert, try the tiramisu. The tiramisu is made of mascarpone cream and espresso soaked ladyfinger biscuits, served in a martini glass. The texture is so smooth; it melts in the mouth with every bite.

I’ve been going to Sinatra every year since they opened (near the end of year 2007). I love the restaurant so much because of their food and the atmosphere. Frank Sinatra played an important part in the history of fabulous Vegas. What can be more classic than a restaurant tribute to his music and achievements!