Yes or No: New and Old Experiences in Las Vegas February 24-26, 2024

So off we went to Las Vegas in late February.  This was supposed to be a girls' trip in honor of my middle child turning 21, but the young lady that was supposed to join us wound up bowing out in early January, so we asked Ally's dad to join us instead.  Now we have been to Vegas a lot over the last few years, so sometimes it is hard to find new stuff to experience and therefore new stuff to write about.  Well, we did manage a few new adventures and also repeated a few, some of which we still enjoy and a few we have just had enough of.  

Smoke on the Boulevard

I'm not quite sure how this happened but more than two months in advance of our trip, my daughter was able to get us a table at Gordon Ramsey's restaurant, Hell's Kitchen, a very hard reservation to come by.  Now we don't watch the show, so we really had nothing to go on, but we knew the reputation, so we decided to go.  Well, the food was absolutely delicious.  Two of us had the signature dish, Beef Wellington, and two of us had the lamb chops, which we then proceeded to divide up and share. Prior to dinner we all had beautifully presented cocktails including the 'Smoke on the Boulevard' which arrived in a smoky glass box.  With dinner, we shared a bottle of wine we brought from home that was opened for a corkage fee of $50.

The service was impeccable.

The decor has a lot of pitchforks and fire.  I feel like I would like this place more had the decor not been so hell related!  It wasn't disturbing, though, like demons and voodoo and stuff, just a lot of pitchforks and fire.

The location on the Caesar's property with a view of the Las Vegas Strip is desirable, though we did not have a view of the strip at our table.

Is it worth it? 

Well, I guess it is worth it to go once and say that you actually got a reservation and went.  We broke our record for expense for dinner for four.  We did not have an appetizer or dessert.  The bill was over $150 per person.  I do not think we will make an effort to go there again.

Hell's Kitchen Menu
Yes, those sides (carrots? mashed potatoes?) are $16.95 each

The prior evening we went to a lovely off strip restaurant called Herbs and Rye, the same Herbs and Rye that was in my Las Vegas: Off Strip Discoveries post in 2021.  We all had steaks, 2 cocktails apiece, and the best calamari we had ever had.  The total price for our dinner for four was $381 and change. The food and drinks were fabulous and the drinks delightful.  There are so many off strip and downtown finds that don't break the bank!

Now that's a meal!!

Sometimes I think its hard to find a good breakfast place in Las Vegas.  Worth mentioning, however, is a super yummy breakfast complete with margaritas at Nacho Daddy, near the Miracle Mile Shops.  We made a reservation for for a Saturday morning at about 10 am but when we got there the place was pretty much empty.   Anyway, Nacho Daddy has great service and good food; huevos rancheros, breakfast burritos, breakfast enchiladas, the good stuff.  Pair this with a delish margarita and your day is off to a great start.  Breakfast for four with drinks-- $175.81.  Not cheap, but gosh, what in Vegas is?

Now while on the subject of breakfast I think I can move along to one thing that I think we will skip in the future, and that is the overrated and expensive Hash House a GoGo in the LINQ. I have been here four times now and I just gotta say there are better options. Hash House is just too long a wait (over an hour if you don't get there by 10), too expensive (breakfast for four w/o drinks-$115), and just too much food.  There is a fair drink selection, but most of the drinks come with a souvenir cup, the last thing you really need or want, with a definite upcharge.  The food is delicious but there are just so many other breakfast place right there on the LINQ Promenade that it might make sense to give something else a try.

Another thing I'm pretty much done with is the High Roller.  The 550ft, 360 degree observatory wheel is a MUST DO if it hasn't been done, and every time I have gone, which has been about 5 times now, I went with someone who had never been to Vegas, but at 40$ a pop, going just to go is not paramount anymore. 

The Sphere is pretty magnificent from the High Roller!

Now onto things that continue to please and will likely continue to be included into any upcoming Las Vegas weekends are The Golden Tiki and Brunch at the Wynn.  On this visit, we visited the off-strip Golden Tiki, located at 3939 Spring Mountain Road, for about the fourth time.  Since the last time we visited the Golden Tiki has made some upgrades, both to their food and to their drink menu.  The drinks are delicious and strong, and the atmosphere is fun, so I feel like it is still worth the Uber ride out and back to spend a few hours lounging in this campy kitschy establishment.  The word seems to be out about this place.  The time limit of 90 minutes is enforced.  Make sure you make a reservation or you are going to be out of luck.  Happy hour starts at 4pm with drink specials for 8$.  Open 24 hours.

One Mai Tai, one Navy Grog, 

one Hemingway's Ruin and a Piranha Punch, please!

This is the Happy Hour Menu

The regular menu is much more extensive

Another worthy repeater is brunch at the Wynn, which we visited for the third time.  It's not cheap at 55$, but it's pretty easy to eat enough food to make it worth it.  It is easy to reserve a time which requires you to pay in advance and I have no idea why a lot more people don't do this, because it cuts off a lot of time standing in line.  Many do not prefer buffets because they seem to be an exercise in gluttony, and this can be true.  At the Wynn, however, I see it more as an opportunity to taste just about every type of food.  Our family used the handy trick of trying things off each other's plates instead of going to get a whole serving.  This likely saved a lot of tummy ache.  Juices and coffee come in huge glasses and cups, but the bottomless mimosa is also an option. No rush to get out of there. The environment is bright and airy.  The one thing I would say is lacking is the number of bathrooms (three women's stalls for the whole place) and that the servers, while very pleasant, seem to be a bit overwhelmed, making it hard to get refills on coffee and juice and get your plates cleared.

Thank you for reading this post!  Since I started on this post, I have also been to Scottsdale for Spring Training!  Hoping to get a post going about that too!

Here are a few more happy pictures in lovely Las Vegas!

So you never see the strip quite like this!
Las Vegas Blvd closed for the 
Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon

Drinks were lovely..and pricey...
at the new Juliet Cocktail Room in the Venetian
(formerly the Dorsey)

And going downtown is just fun and a NTBM!!