As a city primarily known for its entertainment and hospitality industries, Las Vegas had plenty of food options – from every American restaurant chain I could name, to all the celebrity chefs each having 13 restaurants here, to reportedly some of the best Chinese food in North America. While many of them turned out to be more hype than substance, there were some gems as well. Bottom line is, we didn’t keep a very good diet this week.
Buffets
Maybe this is just one of those things only older people still consider ritual, but we thought eating at buffets was something one must do when visiting Las Vegas. Not just at one, either, because we must compare and contrast!
So we picked Bellagio and Wynn, to strike a balance between high ratings and not the most outrageously priced. It was still a lot of fun! But was it worth it?
Kids wouldn’t lie, right? Our girls, who had been spoiled all their lives with the wide range of delicious options in the Bay Area, gave these top-rated buffets a solid “meh”. They were so disinterested in the concept of an AYCE establishment having dozens of not the best dishes, that our morale took a hit as well.
The Buffet at Bellagio:
The Buffet at Wynn Las Vegas:
Eggslut
Supposedly an out-of-this-world egg sandwich place that people would spend hours waiting in line for. We dragged ourselves out the door before 7am just so we could beat the crowd and enjoy this ambrosia with a mere 30-minute wait. And we all gave it… a solid “meh”.
We paid them $23 for two menu items of some egg between some bread. It was more delicious than any sandwich that I was capable of fixing, but there really wasn’t anything earth shattering beyond that.
Our favorite thing about Eggslut was it being located in Cosmopolitan’s food court, a really cool place.
The Crack Shack
The Crack Shack was a fried chicken joint that happened to be around the corner from our hotel. It was one of those super hyped places on social media (reportedly; I wouldn’t know). Hong had it down in her notes, but the first time we came in was because it just started to rain and we couldn’t make it further down the street.
The fried chicken, I must say, was about as memorable as Eggslut’s egg. It was more reasonable in my book though because there wasn’t a constant line out the door. Ironically, Hong absolutely loved the egg sandwich here, preferring it way more than Eggslut’s version.
Johnny Rockets
This name came with a lot of nostalgia because, when we were young and free, Hong and I used to go to the Johnny Rockets in Forest Hills (Queens, NYC). Fast forward a decade, when we went to a wedding in Costa Rica, we found a location that was equally tasty and fun. Thus, when I saw this name on Google Maps, I was determined to go…
After dragging the whole family what felt like 15 miles through the Mandalay Bay casino, I was devastated to find a fast food counter in a mall food court. No happy waiters dressing like it was still the 50’s. No full menu. No random song and dance while we ate. It looked so appetizing that half of the family went next door for Nathan’s hot dog instead.
Mott 32
Uncle and Aunt Cheng treated us all to a fancy Chinese restaurant in the Venetian called Mott 32. Similar to Hakkasan and Crystal Jade (RIP to both in San Francisco), this establishment applied Western fine dining techniques to classic Chinese dishes and presented them in an environment where patrons show up in clubbing outfits. We tried our best but… yeah… were grossly under-dressed.
Supposedly this place was such a big deal that they had to pre-order the Peking duck months in advance. Aunt Cheng also worked her magic and got us a private room that was usually reserved for larger parties. It was a great experience. While I personally am more cut out to eat at restaurants for the masses, I’m really glad that people now are catering authentic Chinese food to the high-end diners.
Taiwanese Food
Shortly after picking us up from the airport, my aunt and uncle took us to this humble eatery in a suburban shopping center called Taiwan Deli. Our very first meal in Vegas – dare I say – was the tastiest. This place served a wide variety of dishes, though focusing heavily on Taiwanese breakfast and street food. We ordered table full of stuff, and were impressed by how authentic everything was. We brought the leftover back to the hotel (along with all the fruits), and I was forcing it down my throat because of how delicious it was. Taiwan Deli also had a location in Chinatown, which was much closer to the Strip. Unfortunately it didn’t open for dinner and we never found an opportunity to try it again.
We did take a field trip to the Las Vegas Chinatown with Hong’s parents, and ate at this restaurant called Noodle Pot. It turned out to be also Taiwanese, but oriented toward noodles and small plates of cold dishes. The meal made us all very happy. I mean, it was so good that, a few days later we used a delivery app to order from this restaurant again, and ate at the parents’ hotel.
Skybar (Waldorf Astoria)
One evening, Hong and I spontaneously decided that the kids were old enough to be left alone in the hotel room, and went on a date at the hotel bar. The cocktails were fine, but the view was the main attraction.
Las Vegas 2022 (3/5) – Hotels – Peter's Blog
July 17, 2022 at 1:06 am[…] Food […]