By Yvonne Newman
10 Most Expensive Restaurants in Las Vegas
If you're an epicurean, a visit to
Las Vegas allows you to indulge in the city's dazzling food culture. You'll find everything from celebrity chefs to fearless fusion cuisines. Naturally, a high price tag comes with culinary genius---but it's worth it because these fine restaurants give you something extraordinary to chew on.
Picasso at Bellagio
Pablo Picasso's artwork is the centerpiece of this gourmet restaurant, which has received the AAA Five Diamond Award for eight years in a row. Chef Julian Serrano's menu is also inspired by the regional cuisines of France and Spain, where the famed painter spent much of his life.
Bellagio
3600 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
(702) 693-7223
http://www.bellagio.com/restaurants/picasso.aspx
Andre's Restaurant & Lounge at the Monte Carlo
This is one of the city's best French restaurants. It's so popular that it even spanned a sibling, Alize at the top of the Palms, which keeps Chef Andre Rochat very busy. Visitors consider the escargot in rich garlic butter to be a mandatory appetizer---and no meal should end without a bite of creme brulee. There's also a 12,000-bottle wine cellar.
Monte Carlo
3770 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
(702) 798-7151
http://www.montecarlo.com/restaurants/restaurants_andres_restaurant_lounge.aspx
Benihana in the Las Vegas Hilton
There's no shortage of Asian delicacies in this restaurant. Ingredients are fresh and plentiful, and the dishes are made before your eyes on hibachi grills. The dining experience consists of part food, part showbiz. You can choose among Japanese entrees that include chicken, sukiyaki steak and filet mignon prepared by the masterful chefs.
Las Vegas Hilton
3000 Paradise Road
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
(702) 732-5755
http://www.lvhilton.com/Eat/Dining/Benihana-Village
Aureole at Mandalay Bay
Chef Charlie Palmer has created a marvel of a menu with dishes featuring dry-aged beef and fresh seafood. But what is most astounding is this restaurant's skyscraper-like stainless-steel wine tower. It's four stories tall. Nearly 10,000 bottles of wine are stored in the climate-controlled structure, inspired by a scene from the movie "Mission Impossible." Mechanical hoists gently lift wine stewards (called "wine angels") up the tower to retrieve them.
Mandalay Bay
3950 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, Nevada 89119
(702) 632-7401
http://www.mandalaybay.com/dining/aureole.aspx
rumjungle at Mandalay Bay
Dishes from this restaurant's tropically inspired menu are served on flaming skewers. The rodizio cuisine includes chicken, beef and seafood. Be sure to try the blue-corn fried calamari, which comes with a dangerously hot salsa. The entrance to rumjungle is also hot. It features a wall of fire and volcanic mountains of rum rising in the illuminated bar.
Mandalay Bay
3950 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, Nevada 89119
(702) 632-7408
http://www.mandalaybay.com/dining/rumjunglelounge.aspx
Alex at Wynn Las Vegas
This is the signature resort restaurant. It features the flavors of the French Riviera as translated by Chef Alessandro Stratta. It has won numerous awards, including the Mobile Travel Five Star Award, the AAA Five Diamond Award of Excellence and the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef in the Southwest. To make the most of your experience, try the tasting menu.
Wynn Las Vegas
3131 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
(702) 248-3463 or (888) 352-3463
http://www.wynnlasvegas.com/#dining/alex/
Bouchon at the Venetian
Thomas Keller, the only chef to receive two straight Best Chef awards from the James Beard Foundation, helms this restaurant. Situated in the resort's beautiful Venezia tower, it's known for bistro-like service and cuisine. You can enjoy delicacies such as oysters, clams and caviar, as well as roasted leg of lamb and slow-cooked veal. A selection of mouthwatering confections and artisan breads are produced daily for the restaurant's bakery kiosk.
The Venetian
3355 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
(702) 414-6200
http://www.venetian.com/Pages.aspx?id=832
Top of the World at the Stratosphere
This is one of the most beautiful restaurants in Las Vegas. It's located 800 feet above the desert valley, and revolves 360 degrees every 80 minutes. The menu boasts fresh seafood and succulent steaks. The Colorado rack of lamb is unforgettable---as are the desserts. There's a miniature chocolate-sculpted Stratosphere Tower filled with Belgian chocolate mousse that's to die for.
Stratosphere
2000 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, Nevada 89104
(702) 380-7711 or (702) 380-7764
http://www.stratospherehotel.com/dining/top_of_the_world.cfm
CUT at the Palazzo
Wolfgang Puck has several restaurants in Las Vegas, but this one is his newest---and possibly his best. This chic steakhouse is a blessing to beef lovers, who can order everything from USDA prime Nebraska corn-fed, dry-aged steaks to Japanese Wagyu beef. Among the great appetizers are the mini Kobe beef sliders. It was recently named one of the top three steakhouses in America by "Bon Appetit" magazine.
The Palazzo
3325 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
(702) 607-6300
http://www.palazzolasvegas.com/cut.aspx
Eiffel Tower Restaurant at Paris Las Vegas
You'll enjoy the breathtaking view in this restaurant, which is located 11 stories above the Strip in a 50-story replica of the Eiffel Tower. The cuisine is also lofty. Chef J. Joho has put together a classic French menu. Among his featured items are a grand seafood platter, roasted rack of lamb and a selection of fluffy souffles.
Paris Las Vegas
3655 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
(702) 948-6937
http://www.eiffeltowerrestaurant.com/
About the Author:
Based in Las Vegas, Yvonne Newman spent 16 years writing for one of the city's popular visitors' guides. She has covered a variety of topics, including travel, shopping, sports and the arts. Newman is currently working on a book about tea houses. She earned a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Nevada and a master's degree in Anglo-Irish literature from Trinity College.
Photo Credits:
Picasso at Bellagio: courtesy MGM Mirage
