Staying Fit
Vegas has transformed into a world-class dining mecca where marquee chefs, including Wolfgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse, Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Michael Mina, burnish their brands. And, yes, some high rollers toss out many hundreds (thousands, even) of dollars on a meal out, but frugal gourmets can still find plenty to chew on.
Indulge in cuisine by world-renowned chefs for less at an upscale food court on the Strip like the Block 16 Urban Food Hall at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and Famous Foods Street Eats at Resorts World. Or sample a handful of the city’s most popular restaurants in VIP style for as low as $125 on a Lip Smacking Foodie Tour. (Note that standard food courts and chain restaurants offer lower prices, but they’re still marked up from the menu in your hometown.)
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And check out restaurants, breweries and cocktail bars off the Strip, where prices are much lower. Tiny Le Thai dishes up tongue-tingling curry and $10.95 lunch specials. The Park on Fremont does low-cost brunches in a funky outdoor garden. Head to burgeoning Chinatown Las Vegas on Spring Mountain Road for food, karaoke and a tropical cocktail at the delightfully quirky Golden Tiki. The three-mile stretch of strip malls boasts more than 100 restaurants at all price points and wonderful Asian cuisine, including Japanese charcoal grill Raku, a favorite of Strip chefs.
If you want to try higher-end restaurants, look for cheaper pretheater menus as well as early and late-night happy hours with discounted eats.
Reliable splurges
It’s a good bet you’ll have a memorable night at Julian Serrano’s serene Picasso, savoring tasting menus amid genuine Pablos and flashes from the Bellagio resort fountains. The best buttery mashed potatoes — a signature dish — beckon at Joël Robuchon in the MGM Grand resort. Emeril Lagasse’s Delmonico Steakhouse at the Venetian serves spectacular slabs of dry-aged beef as well as Creole-style seafood. Bobby Flay brings his bold Southwest flavors to Mesa Grill at Caesars Palace as a less-pricey option. And that famous $5,000 burger? It comes with truffles, foie gras and a bottle of rare Petrus Bordeaux at Fleur by Hubert Keller at Mandalay Bay.
