koi >>>> nobu. it's not even close.

Just got back from Vegas, so I'll add some information.

Whoever said that CUT at the Palazzo was the best steakhouse is correct. Far, far better than Delmonicos or Craftsteak. I had the Nebraska ribeye, and gf had the sea bass. Absolutely perfect from ambiance to appetizer to entree to wine selection to service. Will go back asap.

The next night, my gf and I wanted lobster.
Not lobster stuffed with foie gras on fennel rice.
Not lobster medallions with a plum compote sauce.
Not shredded lobster salad with a pistachio glaze.
******g lobster.
This was way more difficult than I would have imagined, and it looks like in the entire Wynn/Palazzo/Venetian area there is one restaurant that has it. Delomonicos. Answer: it was bland and uninteresting, much like their steaks the time I was in Vegas. I don't get that place at all.

It did, however, have the distinction of being the most expensive meal I have ever bought. For two people, with wine and appetizers, it was 500 dollars, pre tax. Oy.

I might put together a trip report for the rest of the meals and gambling and stuff, but that's the fine dining part of the trip.

Best place in vegas (definately best thai and apparently best thai in USA) is Lotus of Siam (off the strip). Best Pho (vietnamese noodles) is Pho saigon 8 (off strip). Often see minh ly or chau giang eating there when they are not at the tables.

meh, i had been looking forward to going for years. i finally go and its pretty good, would be nice if portions were bigger. this zagat 'best in america' stuff is nonsense though.

had a really good dinner at KOI last night. first time i went and really enjoyed it. good food, good service, good atmosphere. make sure that you sit in the lounge area with the sick view of the bellagio fountains if you go. like i said it was the first time i had been and guess we got lucky to get seated out there, but it's has to be so much better than sitting in the main area just because of the sick view and comfortable sofas.

i wish emeril would just open a portuguese restaurant out here, he's running out of idea anyways

just wanted to chime in to say that i ate at Delmonico twice during the WSOP and both times it was not as good as any previous dinner there. the service slipped noticeably, my first steak was half fat (not fatty beef but just plain fat), and my second steak was good but medium when i ordered medium rare. to be fair on the service i've been used to having Ross and did not have him either time, so maybe i was used to Ross-level and got normal. the potato chips remain the best chips ever.

we also ate at Bouchon. the food was solid and was cheap considering what we got. the wine list is strong if marked up hugely, especially on the low end.

I've been to Jasmine at Bellagio a couple of times and really enjoyed their prix fixe menu. Le Cirque was very elegant, but didn't like it as much as Jasmine.

Commander's Palace, owned by Brennan's of New Orleans, is quite nice for Cajun/creole food. They used to be in the shopping center attached to the Aladdin (now Planet Hollywood), but they're in the process of moving.

La Fiamma at MGM is good for casual Italian fare.

Gallagher's steak house at NYNY is very good, but expensive. The steak houses at Harrah's and TI are good values. The ribeye at the Grand Lux Cafe at Venetian was not very good.

Buzio's seafood restaurant at the Rio has a very good bouillabaisse.

The best 24-hour restaurants are Cafe Bellagio, Grand Lux Cafe at Venetian (operated by the Cheesecake Factory), and Raffles at Mandalay Bay.

Some places that I would not go to again, below.

The best Asian noodle soup that I've had was at a coffee shop located in the old San Remo which is now Hooters. Haven't had good Asian noodle soup since then. Tried Venetian, TI, Mandalay Bay, Mirage - all over-priced and not very good.

Rao's at Caesar's - supposedly an authentic New York style Italian place, but food was bad.

Il Fornaio at NYNY - skip it.

Emeril's at MGM - very inconsistent, very good some nights, not so good others.

I recently went to Todd's Unique Dining in Henderson (Sunsent/Green Valley Pkw). It's located in an innocuous spot close to the road that you would probably never find unless pointed to. It's more casual dining, but definitely one of the better options if you're a Hendersonian and don't feel like driving all the way down to the strip.

I had the Kobe Flat Iron and my date had the Seared Tuna. The portions were generous, the prices were reasonable, and the service was solid. The food was good and there's an evident amount of thought/creativity behind a lot of the dishes. I wasn't terribly impressed with the presentation, and it doesn't have the sleek ambiance many of the restaurants on the strip have. However, with all the other aspects being exceedingly above average I would give this place an 8/10. For reference purposes I would give Vox Wine Lounge a 7/10 and Nobu a 9/10.

Was in Vegas a couple weeks ago and we hit a few nice spots, most of which have already been mentioned here, and all of which I would recommend:

Nobu - Chef's choice Omakase was excellent overall, a couple courses were a little ho-hum, while a couple others were off the charts good. Best. Cod. Ever. The chef's choice was a good way to hit their menu if you have never been before. It can get a little squishy in there depending where you are seated, as we had our last couple courses with another couple practically on our laps - we ended up chatting with them for a bit, so it was all fine but may not be your thing. Service from the main waiter was excellent.

Table 10 - Walked in late with no reservations, got a lousy table but excellent service. Trio tartare starter was excellent. Mains were very good. Server did an excellent job suggesting a bottle of wine for us. Prices were very reasonable.

Bouchon - Walked in late with no reservations, got a fantastic table but the service was only fair at best. The food was outstanding, especially compared to the reasonable prices. My girlfriend had the braised rib and it was incredible. I was jealous and need to go back specifically to have it myself. I'm not sure if it was the wine or what but we both thought even the side dishes here were out of this world.

B & B - Pasta tasting menu with wine pairing was pretty incredible. Service was superb.

Michael Mina - By the time we got here we were both pretty sick of eating and drinking but everything was still excellent. We both had the miso glazed cod and while it was very very good it was dwarfed by the cod dish we had earlier in the week at Nobu. Starters, service and atmosphere were excellent. We would both love to return here to do a tasting menu plus wine pairing next time.

Grand Lux Cafe, Mainland and Asia Noodle at the Venetian/Palazzo were also good for some quick bites as was the BLT Burger at the Mirage.

I was reading thread and was surprised that no one had mentioned Emeril's at the MGM, until I saw the post about its inconsistency. I've only eaten there once, but I thought it was exceptional. Had the tasting menu (w/o wine parings.) Wife and daughter ordered of the menu and both loved it too. Absolutely would go back.

Also Stack at the Mirage needs to me mentioned. IMO better than Fix and a nicer, quieter room.

Has anyone eaten at the Luxor Steakhouse lately? Haven't been there in a long time, but always thought it was a great steakhouse.

I've never really had fine dining in Vegas besides Olive's and I don't think I plan on going back. The food was okay, but to be honest, it's incredibly overrated. My food was good but to put it on my fine dining list, it ranks below every place I've eaten at in San Francisco. Maybe we're a little spoiled here because San Francisco is one of the best places for fine dining in the country, but if you know SF food, it ranks below Boulevard, Frisee, Ana Mandara, Slanted Door, Michael Minna and others.

I know there's a Michael Minna in Vegas which I never personally tried, but the one in San Francisco is probably the best restaurant I've been to, so I'm sure it's more or less the same.

To all those that posted about the Vietnamese Restaurant Pho in TI, it's not even good OMG. I only eat there because I want Vietnamese food but it's not good one bit. You try to compare it to any other Vietnamese restaurant in the Bay Area and it ranks way and below everything else. I even went to a Vietnamese restaurant/ice cream parlor in Dublin and it was better than this. For whoever thought it was good, I feel bad for you guys, deprived of real good Vietnamese food.

Checking in on this topic, 6', 300lbs. FWIW.

My Favorites:

Rosemont Grill - place is classic, old school, smallest lobster in the house is 4lbs.

Joe's Stone Crab (Caesar's) - amazing...get you're 16oz. Filet done "Bone-In"

Smith & Wollensky - ask for Steve, that guy knows absolutely everythinbg about the steak you're abount to eat, including what color the cow's eyes were.

Benny Binion's Ranchhouse - (Horseshoe) REALLY old school, where Frank & Dean ate, i'm sure. Great view from the top of the Horseshoe. Ever had deep-fried Lobster tail before you went there?

Fix (Bellagio) - great little place, especially good for people watching. Food is fantastic.

Circo (Bellagio) - better than average Italian, holds sentimental value because my wife and I ate there the night we got married.

-scpj

I have been to Nobu in New York and I thought it was very impressive (Morimoto is a bad ass). But Bouchon has to be ranked above these. I have never been to Bouchon in Vegas but I apprenticed at the one in Napa Valley for 3 months and if I could pick anywhere in the world to eat it would be Bouchon (Thomas Keller is the best chef in this country by far!!!!!)

ps. If your ever in Napa try his other restaurant The French Laundry ( that is if you want to drop 1K/person on dinner)

I have eaten at many of the top restaurants in Las Vegas and around the world, so I feel somewhat qualified to comment here.

Alex: disappointing (I have only been once, though, so it might have been a bad night)
Michael Mina: average
SW: fantastic
Joel Robuchon: fantastic x 2
Nobu: hit and miss (mostly hit)
Picasso: fantastic
Aureole: average
Spago: fantastic
Sushi Roku: disappointing
BOA: disappointing
L'Atelier: average (I have only been to the one in Paris, France, so I am not sure how accurate this is)

I am sure there are others, but I cannot come up with them off the top of my head.

Yellowtail- Good food, felt very gimmicky. There's a roll with crab/pop rocks that is called poppin crab or something like that (not making this up -- it's bad). Way overpriced, you are paying for the decor and possibly the best location on the strip. That said, if you are with a girl that likes sushi and can get a patio seat it might be worth the trip. Just a spectacular view outside.

Naked Fish- Frankly I'm tired about how much everyone raves about this place, but it really is a great value. I don't think it's worth going to if you aren't spending more than a 4-5 days in Vegas as it's 20 minutes off the Strip which means it's $40 round trip and a pain to manage rides. If you are renting a car or living in LV you'd be crazy not to check it out. It's about half the price of Nobu or Yellowtail. The seabass is amazing as is the garlic tuna.

SW- I don't like steak as much as most do but I always look forward to this place. Not much to say other than you should check it out if you like steak and spending a lot of money

Okado - I prefer this place to Nobu/Yellowtail. It seems a little more traditional Japanese than the former two and has a more extensive sushi/sashimi selection than the others. Nothing bad to say about Okado at all.

Sushi Roku - Very annoying that it's in the back of Caesar's Mall -- I tried to not let that bother me but something about paying for an expensive meal while walking all the way to the back of a mall bothers me. That said it was good but not great, I doubt I'd go back unless I couldn't get a reservation somewhere else.

Isla - I really like this place. I don't know if it'd be classified as fine dining or not as it's pretty much a mediumish end place at Treasure Island. If you are looking for fairly low frills mexican food, good tequila/margaritas, and a fun atmosphere I definitely recommend this place. With drinks you are looking at 35-50 bucks per person, depending on how much you like to drink.

I have a few more but I have to run for now. Thanks to all who have contributed so far.

i'll say it again. koi > nobu/other sushi fusion places.

alize at the palms. tried a 7 course meal with wine pairing. pretty amazing with 56th story view of the strip as well.

Egg and I is the best breakfast joint i've ever frequented in any city i've ever lived in

has anyone here been to hugo's cellar, how does it compare to michaels?

I'm surprised no one has mentioned "Guy Savoy" at Caesars. An amazing experience! Very pricey, upwards of 350-500 per person with wine but well worth it.

We were just there last weekend for the second time and it was just as good as the first. My wife had a white truffle risotto appetizer ($140) an i had a white truffle pumpkin soup ($105) served by 4 soup minions. It was great! She had a Scottish wild game entree with White Pidgeon, Duck, and Pheasant. I had 4oz of Japanese Kobe that was too much. 3oz would've been perfect. but definately the best Kobe I've had. I've had Japanese Kobe at Badley Ogden, Austrailian Kobe at Craftsteak, and a few others but this was way beyond any of those.

In addition to the entree's, appetizers, etc. there's a bread cart, champagne cart, and desert trolley that are just amazing!

It's definitely not for everyone, but it is an experience. Their service is amazing and the food is like nothing we've had. And we've eaten at pretty much every restaurant mentioned here.

Give yourself about 3 to 3 1/2 hours for dinner.

Wood Pigeon, White Pheasant & Duck.....

We've also had the artichoke + black truffle soup, sea bass and veal there.... everything is amazing... although, the white truffle risotto was HUGE and I felt obligated to finish it since it was $140....def. for two.

Picasso is the best I've had in Vegas. Delmonico, nobu etc are fine but don't compare to any of the better restaurants on any level.

I've been practically everywhere and plan to continue that tradition next summer

Prime is very good food but lacks top quality service..

Joel Robuchon is higly recommended..

JR is the only restaurant in Vegas to receive 3 Michelin stars.

Has anyone been to Wynn's Wing Lei or Alex?

Yes, both, and enjoyed them highly.

If you are up for it, here is a really long recap of a meal at Alex from a couple years ago.

And from even further back, a report of the duck at Wing Lei.