Vegas ... for my mom
So over two years after I leave my home area to move west ... my mother is FINALLY coming to visit me. She wants to do a little road trip to Vegas, which is fine by me. But this makes scoping out good food a little more difficult than usual.
She's very, how do I put it without sounding like a b*tch ... country/non-traveled/meat&potatoes. She vetoed this place for my college graduation lunch/dinner because it wasn't "normal" food (we ended up going to McCormick & Schmicks). She likes places like Red Lobster, but I don't want to eat fatty chain food the whole trip.
I'm thinking maybe a nice hotel buffet will do the trick for at least one meal, and while I would LOVE to do Lotus of Siam or something else pretty decadent, I don't think I'd be able to get away with it, at least not more than once given her more, um, simple tastes. I looked through the other Vegas food posts but couldn't get too good of an idea of what a lot of the restaurants served aside from price range.
Any 'normal' food (or close enough) recommendations that would still please a foodie palate? We're also not looking to drop cash like it's our job either, at least not for every meal. Also, she's diabetic so anything that leans towards healthy/whole foods I think would be a plus.
Thanks!
*side note: I'm not trying to sound like I think poorly of my mother - I don't. She's actually quite a good cook, but our tastes dont' match up too well last time I checked, and she's not adventurous with food.
Hotel rec's also welcomed :)
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5 Comments:
Try this website..
http://www.lasvegas-eating.com/
We were just in Vegas a month or so ago and went to Emerils at MGM, the Buffet at the Bellagio, Breakfast Buffet at the Paris, Mon Ami Gabi at the Paris, Margaritaville near the Flamingo and the Carnegie Deli at the Mirage.
The food at the Paris was outstanding but I would skip the Bellagio next time...
Have fun!
sammie at 3:22PM on 05/14/09
Burger Bar at Mandalay Bay..she can have a regular burger & fries and you can have the Kobe burger (or salmon buger) and their awesome sweet potato fries. Reasonable prices and the shops are right outside of it to do some window shopping afterward.....the buffet at any of the major casinos should please you both, they're all pretty much the same price, quality & selection these days. Then there's the Nine Fine Irishmen Pub in the NYNY casino which is a personal favorite. Check out their menu on line to see if it would suit her (there's good free live entertainment on Saturday & Sunday afternoons. We recently dined at Gallagher's Steahouse at NYNY and highly recommend it if she's a meat eater and enjoys a good steak and classic side dishes.....this is just a start, I don't think you'll have a problem finding a great place no matter where you're staying. All of the major resorts on the Strip have a good selection of dining choices, you can go to the web site of each casino to see which restaurants they have and to view sample menus.
kathyvegas at 4:12PM on 05/14/09
Thomas Keller's Bouchon - since it's bistro food, there's enough recognizable stuff like fries, roast chicken and great seafood for someone who isn't so adventurous, but also items like brandade, foie and charcuterie (it's a Keller restaurant after all). The prices are also pretty reasonable. Hope that helps!
http://www.bouchonbistro.com/
misterhee at 12:02PM on 05/15/09
Craftsteak in the MGM is a perfect choice because it is upscale "normal" food, and it is exquisite. (Plus, it's James Beard winning celeb chef Tom Collichio (so there's some glamour to it). On the same note, avoid Emeril's and Michael Mina's outposts- not good. Batali's restaurants are wonderful, but way too out there for your folks, sadly.
The Hardrock Cafe and Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill at Caesar's Palace are probably safe bets, although Bobby uses a lot of flavor and heat in his cooking.
The buffet at Bellagio is one of the better buffets in Vegas (buffets are a dying institution in Vegas these days). It is has a lot of "weird food" mixed in (i.e., sushi, fish, etc.), but still they would be able to find plenty of "normal" stuff.
I haven't been to Strip Steak, because I don't like char on my steaks, but if your folks like a good char grill, you will get both a Vegas feel, and very normal food there.
Also in the MGM is Wichcraft for sandwiches - a lot less expensive that the other options.
Enjoy your trip!!
Cheers,
~ Paula
Paula Maack at 5:03PM on 05/15/09
Try the coffee shop at any hotel. You will be surprised at the selection. You can get breakfast, lunch, dinner or munchies 24 hours a day. My favorite is the Bellagio for two reasons. First the food is very good. Second, you can get a table looking out into the conservatory which is always gorgeous, not to mention a great people-watching spot!
lindy123 at 12:50AM on 05/16/09