Restaurant Spotlight # 1 - Las Vegas Strip (and a Grand Canyon Picnic)

There is only one rule whenever we hit the road, we always eat at restaurants we don't have at home!  Join us as we hunt for the best, help y'all avoid the worst, and hopefully pick up some cooking tips along the way.  

Border Grill in Mandalay Bay, Rice & Company in the Luxor, The Buffet in Excalibur, The Buffet in the Bellagio, Rhumbar in the Mirage, and a lean-to picnic in the Grand Canyon Valley were all a part of this adventure.  We want to keep our posts shorter than this list allows, so this episode will be posted in 2 parts.

If you fly into Vegas at night, you have a chance to take the classic photo; the airport is right next to the strip.

The Luxor was a nice hotel, but we want to find some food!

The only casino past the Luxor is Mandalay Bay.  We went there first where they have a massive shark exhibit, but the scarier sharks are the restaurant owners in this hotel $$$$.

Walking back past our hotel, the next casino is Excalibur.  We usually start on the low end and work to nicer dinners later in the trip (after getting local advice); and hey aren't all Vegas buffets supposed to be good?

No.  No, they are not!  I thought she was photographing the food; I was sad.  Everything was dry and overcooked.  We didn't waste much time here taking pics, save yourself the trouble and skip this $36/ plate disaster.  The Excalibur Buffet an F/10!

After meeting many local folks, we learned the best buffet on the Strip is at the Bellagio.  (This is the only one on the list we didn't actually eat at; I did go take a look and it was packed.) 

Desperate to get that taste out of my mouth, we ducked into a cigar bar in the Mirage called Rhumbar.

It is a modern themed place, slick and bright white.  The cigar was excellent, and the drinks were good.  Just weaker pours compared to an average drink in Vegas.  Rhumbar 7/10.  If you like a stronger drink, you can find one near the tables or of course at Fat Tuesday!

Given the rough start to our culinary adventure, I stepped outside to offer a quick prayer to the Gods (and Ringo).  Singing, "Don't let me down!"..., "Don't let me down!"  Take a minute young ones, some bands are eternal...

https://steemit.com/music/@irainman/the-beatles-don-t-let-me-down

In an effort to pull up, we decide we would go to a TV Chef's Restaurant next that we had seen back at Mandalay Bay.  The Border Grill.  We will pick up part two there and get a good start salvaging our opinions of the food in Vegas.

Right now, our votes for best restaurants in the country are Siam (its in a little house in Telluride, CO - Reagan) and Little Jerusalem Cafe (in Vancouver, WA; not to be mistaken for Vancouver, BC which has the best Chinese food - Amanda).  If you live near one of these places, go check them out.  Both are small, and the owners and families still do the cooking. Two close seconds: White Mountain Cider Co. (a gem you have to get lost to find in Glen, NH - Amanda); and Adolph's (in Park City, UT; its ok! he's Swiss not German - Reagan).

Hope you enjoyed this post and thanks for visiting our blog.