CES 2019: 5 places to dine in Las Vegas when the boss is paying
If an expense account is part of your travel package, there’s no better time to treat yourself to a luxurious dining experience than during CES, when Southern Nevada restaurants pull out all the stops. Several studies have found Las Vegas to be the most expensive restaurant city in the country — yes, even more than New York — so you may as well enjoy it while somebody else is footing the bill.
Joel Robuchon
Joel Robuchon was named chef of the century by the Gault Millau guide and at one time held more Michelin stars than any other chef in the world. While he sadly passed away last year, the culinary lion’s work lives on in those he trained, and his three-Michelin-starred spot at MGM Grand is a fine example of Robuchon’s attention to the smallest detail. The nine-course tasting menu, which comprises 17 small dishes, costs $445 per person (without wine), but there are less-expensive options if you want to spare the boss. Along with countless delicacies, you’ll find the best mashed potatoes on the planet.
MGM Grand, 702-891-7925, mgmgrand.com
Restaurant Guy Savoy
Guy Savoy is a fine French chef in his own right with a raft of Michelin stars, although today he may be most popularly known as the guy who honed Gordon Ramsay’s obsession with perfection. His 14-course Prestige Tasting Menu will set you back a comparatively slim $385 per person, but everyone at the table needs to order it, so get that credit card ready. Expect such dishes as a seared foie gras and unagi Napoleon with cherry extraction and green almond, and the chef’s justly famous artichoke and black truffle soup.
Caesars Palace, 702-731-7286, caesars.com
Vetri Cucina
Marc Vetri’s new restaurant at the newly refurbished Palms may be Italian, but it’s definitely not your neighborhood Italian. Vetri has said he wants his 56th-floor restaurant — with broad expanses of window to fully take in the view of the Strip just a block away — to be a special-occasion, destination spot, and indeed it is. Don’t expect spaghetti and meatballs; do expect chestnut fettucine with wild boar ragu and whole roasted smoked baby goat with soft polenta.
Palms, 702-944-5900, palms.com
The NoMad Restaurant
The newly reimagined Park MGM has a hotel-within-a-hotel in an offshoot of New York’s NoMad, complete with a “Grand American restaurant.” The refined interior is over-the-top refined, with a collection of books reportedly once owned by David Rockefeller. On the menu you’ll find a firm dedication to the classics with the likes of Lobster Thermidor, tableside steak tartare and Beef Rossini, Escoffier-style.
Park MGM, 702-730-7685, parkmgm.com
Scotch 80 Prime
Scotch 80 Prime is not only a restaurant to see and be seen but also to occasionally spot a celeb or two. And it’s perfect for dining with friends, with a mesquite-fired crustacean tower in two sizes, an elaborate golden osetra caviar presentation and a by-the-ounce tomahawk ribeye, minimum 42 ounces. Or get A5 Japanese Kobe, at $49 an ounce.
Palms, 702-942-7777, palms.com
Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at Hrinella@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0474. Follow @HKRinella on Twitter.