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One of my favorite things about traveling is dining out. No having to plan out a menu, buy the groceries, slave over a hot stove, or wash dishes afterwards. Ah, heaven. Due to the current economy, I haven’t been eating out as much at home, so I had fun indulging myself in Vegas. During my recent trip, I tried to eat at as many new restaurants as possible, so I could review them for this blog. Obviously, one of the major factors for me was how solo-friendly the restaurant was. Here are my reviews, in descending order from best to worst. (Note: b/t stands for “before tip”.) I’m sorry I don’t have any photos of the food I ate. I planned on taking pictures, but once I was there realized how very awkward it feels to be dining alone and taking pictures of your food. So I chickened out. Maybe next time.
Fiamma, MGM: I had the best meal of my seven Vegas trips at this Italian restaurant in the MGM Grand. The decor is really lovely, though it’s a bit dark. There’s a nice lounge area with a fire pit behind glass. I give it a great score for solo-friendliness. It has a nice long bar with a TV behind it. I have a tendency to dine early for dinner, so for me, 7:00 pm was late, but apparently, by Vegas standards, that’s too early. There were only a couple of other people at the bar and not that many people in the restaurant itself. The bartender, Kerry, was a gem. He was prompt, professional, friendly, and very helpful about offering his advice for dinner. I was going to order the lobster gnocchi, but he convinced me I had to have a seasonal special that was going on. So instead, I had the asparigi salad with bacon and parmesan (with a cute little duck egg on top); the fois truffle ravioli in a red wine reduction; and the gellato trio (cappuchino, mocha, and walnut crunch) in little sweet wonton cups for dessert. Everything was perfection. The portion sizes were ideal for me (normally, the portion sizes in restaurants are so mammoth, I can only eat an appetizer or an entree, and even then I can’t usually finish it). Being able to have a salad, entree and dessert in one meal without exploding was a treat. The flavors of each course were bold; I felt like I could taste every ingredient. When I asked for lemon with my water, Kerry did something I’ve never seen in a restaurant before: Instead of adding a lemon wedge to the glass, he used a press to squeeze the lemon juice into my water. No sticky fingers! What a concept! In all, this was not only the best meal I had this trip, it’s one of the best meals I’ve ever had, anywhere. And I felt very well-taken care of as a solo diner. Cost: $42 b/t.
Wolfgang Puck, MGM: I had lunch here on a Tuesday and sat at the bar. This is a great restaurant for solos. There are about 10 counter seats, plus 2 communal dining tables (though these are sometimes reserved for large parties) and a great view of the casino for people-watching, as well as a view of the chefs in the kitchen preparing food. Again, my bartender/server was great. (I wish I remembered her name.) She chatted with me when she could and took care of me quite well. I asked her which entrees were small, and she helped me pick out something appropriate. She refilled my iced tea before even half of it was gone, and asked me if I had any allergies before she placed my order (which was a fish dish). I thought that was a nice touch. I had the fish special, a striped sea bass over diced vegetables (corn and zucchini), surrounded by a shallow pool of delectable sauces. It was a work of art and the perfect size for my appetite. I would gladly eat here again. Cost: $35.83 b/t.
Triple 7 Brew Pub, Main Street Station: This was actually my third choice for Downtown eatery, so I’m really glad the first two fell through. My first choice had been The California’s Market Street Cafe (where I had hoped to try their prime rib special which comes with unlimited salad bar and cherries jubilee–I do still want to try that sometime), but the line there was ridiculously long. My second choice had been Main Street Station’s Garden Court Buffet (which gets great reviews online as being the best buffet downtown). But when I got there, I realized I wasn’t really in the mood for another buffet. So I tried the Triple 7. Next to the Planet Hollywood hotel, this might have been the most pleasant surprise of the trip for me. What a comfortable, home-away-from-home feel it had to it! It really feels like your neighborhood bar and grill. I sat at one of the very long bars and had their prime rib special, which was fantastic. For just $7.25, I got a good sized slab of prime rib with real horseradish and an excellent au jus, a baked potato, and green beans. The bartender (Brandon) mixed me up a vodka and lemonade that was pretty good, too. This was easily one of the best meals I had in Vegas, and what a deal! I was only one of three people sitting at the bar, but I felt perfectly comfortable there. I will definitely be back. Total cost (includes drink): $11.81 b/t.
Trevi, Caesar’s Forum Shops: I know, you’re wondering how the heck Triple 7 Brew Pub beats out a classy restaurant like Trevi. By being a more comfortable place to dine, that’s how. On my last night, I went to Caesar’s for dinner. Again, my dilemma was that I tend to eat dinner fairly early by Vegas standards. I was looking for a place to eat at around 6pm. Well, all the more expensive restaurants were EMPTY or nearly empty, which felt uncomfortable to me, and I couldn’t eat at the Cheesecake Factory because I swore I’d eat somewhere new. Finally, at a little past 7pm, I settled on the Italian restaurant Trevi, which had some nice menu items. The bar was empty, so I didn’t want to sit there, but I figured if I sat on the “patio” next to the “Fountain of the Gods”, at least I could people-watch. I just drank water and ordered the Linguine al Frutti di Mare–shrimp, lobster, scallops, tomatoes and scallions in a cream sauce over linguine. The food was terrific, though the portion size was way too big, of course. They served one single roll with a mild dipping oil. My waiter tried to be nice, but seemed a bit awkward at it, and consequently, I felt a little awkward. I’m not sure if this was because English was not his first language, if he wasn’t used to serving a solo diner, or if he was an introvert in an extroverted job. There was just something off about him. I was glad to get out of there, despite the great food. I think this restaurant would be a much better dinner locale later at night, when there would likely be more people at the bar. Cost: $28 b/t.
PF Changs, Planet Hollywood: Since I wanted to see the new Planet Hollywood anyway, I decided to have lunch there at PF Changs. This is a chain, but I’ve never eaten there. I really loved the decor. It’s got a contemporary Asian feel. I sat at the bar with two or three other women. Lunch bowls here are plentiful and cheap. For $7.50, I had the crispy honey lemon chicken (tasty!), my choice of rice, and a cup of soup–more food than I could actually finish. The bartender initially got my order wrong–I asked for the egg drop soup, and he brought me hot and sour. When I made him aware of it, he apologized and replaced it quickly. I also had a nice iced tea with some fragrant spice in it. I had a good time chatting with the bartender and another customer. I recommend this as a solo-friendly restaurant without hesitation. Cost: $10.50 b/t.
Studio Cafe, MGM: This is the coffee shop at MGM. I had breakfast here one day and found it to be far superior to the buffet, and for the same price range. My waiter, Yoseph, was really efficient and super polite. I had an omelette with spinach, peppers, and mushrooms that was fantastic. It came with my choice of bread (English muffin) and hash browns, which were my favorite (shredded). The coffee here was really good. (I’m very fussy about restaurant coffee.) I also ordered orange juice. I would eat here again any time. There’s no counter to sit at, but I was perfectly comfortable at my two-top table. Cost: $25.11 b/t. (The omelette was only $14.55; the rest of that represents the coffee and OJ, believe it or not!)
Flavors Buffet, Harrahs: I had breakfast here on my last day. This buffet is far superior to MGM’s, though not as nice as Bellagio’s. There was a terrific variety of foods, the quality was very good, and they served vegetarian options, which is a huge plus in my book. I’m not a vegetarian, but I do like to eat healthy. They had tomatoes, spinach, and mushrooms (which were yummy!). They also had two different kinds of grits (I had the cheese, which was kind of bland–is it supposed to be?). I also had a pancake with yogurt instead of syrup on it (my quirk), watermelon, peaches, bacon (good), an apple crepe (very good), and shredded hash browns (good). Everything that was supposed to be hot was, and everything was fresh. Highly recommend this buffet. I don’t really remember my server, Paula, much, which is a good sign that she made sure everything happened without being intrusive. Cost: $16.15 b/t.
Quark’s, Las Vegas Hilton: There’s really no point in reviewing this place, since it doesn’t exist any more. Sob. But I did eat there on its last night of being open and had a great time. The coconut shrimp were great, and our waiter was a real gem. I hope he’s found another job by now.
The Cafe at Harrahs: I had breakfast here one day. This was the first time I’d eaten here in years, and the first time since their renovation. I really loved the new decor–the mosaic tiles, the warm earth tones. I also liked the fact that the tables were spaced far enough apart that I didn’t feel uncomfortably close to neighboring tables. Service by Cara was fine. I had the fresh veggie omelette which came with shredded hash browns and my choice of bread (English muffin), plus coffee and water with lemon. The food was good, the coffee okay, but not as good as MGM’s. I forgot to bring my journal or a book to read, so I was a little bored waiting for my food to arrive, but that was my fault. Cost: $15 b/t.
Grand Lux Cafe, Palazzo: I have eaten at the Grand Lux Cafe at the Venetian before and was very pleased with that experience. This time, while I was touring the new Palazzo, I decided to have lunch at their Grand Lux Cafe. What a different experience it was! First off, the service was amateurish. I’d have to rate this THE solo-UNfriendliest restaurant I dined at in Vegas. The (very young) staff need to be better trained in how to handle solo customers. The first seat they tried to give me was in the crowded interior dining room at a little two-top that was crammed in a corner too close to a larger table of four or five people. There was nothing to look at there, and the thought of sitting practically on top of other patrons where I could overhear their entire conversation while sitting alone at my table was very uncomfortable to me. So I asked if I could sit at the bar instead, but there was no one staffing the bar. Finally, I asked if I could try a table on the patio (which is actually indoors, but faces the casino), so at least I’d have something to look at while I waited for my food to arrive. There was a 10 minute wait for a table. When they finally brought me out to the patio, I realized all the tables were for four people. So now I got to feel uncomfortable for taking up a table for four all by myself. It got worse before it got better. They had put the lone place setting in the seat where my back would be to the casino, facing the other diners. I moved it to the opposite spot. My waitress didn’t even ask me if I wanted anything to drink for 10 minutes. Finally, just after she took my order, her replacement (Scott) showed up. He was much more attentive and professional. I wish I could say the food made up for the service, but it didn’t. I ordered the chopped salad because it supposedly had avocado in it, which I love. I think I dug up three tiny pieces of avocado in the whole salad. I won’t be rushing back to dine here any time soon. Cost: $14.49 b/t.
MGM Grand Buffet: I tried both lunch and breakfast at the buffet and was greatly disappointed in both. Service was terrific (Sandra was my waitress for lunch), but the quality and variety of food was lacking. During lunch, almost everything I tried tasted dried out, like it had been sitting out for some time. Taquitos, chicken potstickers, sweet chili chicken–all dried out. The marinated mushroom salad and beef ragout were good, as was the creamed spinach, but none of them were exceptional. The desserts I tried were good (and since they were tasting size, I could have more than one)–a custard with fruit on top and New York cheesecake. I was disappointed, though, that I couldn’t find more that was appetizing to me. But I thought maybe it was a fluke, so I gave it another chance for breakfast. Unfortunately, breakfast was even worse. I tried the very mediocre french toast and cheese blintz, some fruit (fresh, thank God), a good poached egg and bacon, tolerable hash browns, and quite possibly the worst eggs benedict I’ve ever had in my life. The coffee, at least, was very good. I was disappointed there were no veggie dishes for breakfast (unless you got a made-to-order omelette). I guess I have been spoiled by the Bellagio in that regard. I’m sorry I cannot recommend this buffet. Cost of lunch: $18.86 b/t. I misplaced my breakfast receipt, but I believe it was around $15 something b/t.
