LOL

I've been to a bunch of places near the Rio the last week. Criticize my likes or orders if you will:

Shang Artisan Noodle: Chinese noodles elevated according to their site. Probably should have gotten a little more creative with my order, went with Spicy Wontons and Chicken, Mushroom Noodle. 7-8/10, will go back to try other things on the menu. Staff was really good. Watching them prepare the noodles was cool..

Jinya: I go here on dinner breaks because I know I can get in and out in the time I need. Always enjoy it even though its a chain.

Izakaya: Probably my least favorite meal I had. I got a chicken wing skewer that was pretty bad, ramen wasn't to my taste. Its highly rated so perhaps I didn't order the right things

Oodle Noodle: Went here with my wife. I thought the food was outstanding, we got a the salmon/uni crudo, tofu/mushroom salad and then Kimchi Udon. Definitely will be back again to try other things

Big Wong: Went twice, got the shrimp wonton and salt and pepper wings both times (thanks for the suggestions). Salt and Pepper wings were A+, damn those things are good. Got door dashed once, went on dinner break the other time. On dinner break I was rushed and the wings were hot as hell (temp) so didn't enjoy as much. Staff was friendly.

Weera Thai: Solid Thai food. Usual pickup Thai order from these places is a curry and Tom Yum soup.

Krung Thai: Another door dash because I'm lazy and free delivery. Good enough Thai. Think Weera was slightly better. Definitely miss Chada but I love Thai food so almost anything will satisfy me.

Umiya: Typical AYCE sushi, thought it was good, ate a lot of 2 piece sushi orders. I'm sure they see more impressive feats though.

Smashed Pig Gastropub: Not by Rio but downtown. Heard about it so stopped in for a late lunch, ate at the bar. I got the burger on their limited lunch menu, thought it was good and they had one of my favorite IIPAs on draft which was a plus. Bartender told me that they just sold to someone else and that a bunch of changes were going to happen over the next few month. They want to improve their curb appeal was one of the take aways.

Nobu: don't like eating on the strip but had the Diamond $100 voucher and I love sushi so ate at the sushi bar. I like watching the chefs do their work and order directly from them. Obviously its extremely overpriced but it was well presented and good. Voucher didn't come close to covering the meal.

Chinatown is just an awesome place for food. As you can see, I'm not very picky and rarely have a bad meal. There were so many other places I want to try but just didn't have time.

It is good. Trip report?

Nothing wrong with it at all. I guess some think that you need to impress on the first date and then reveal your real self later. Each to his own.

Food is decent, I didn’t think it was as good as the hype. Not very romantic, plus it’s at Orleans which has a generally dirty vibe. Go somewhere downtown with good drinks/food, plenty of spots. Oak and ivy for drinks, kitchen at atomic, eureka, Carson kitchen, Esther’s kitchen, therapy, etc.

Apparently 8oz Korean bbq has legit A5 wagyu ribeye for only $180 for 16oz. Strip steakhouses charge $50-60 per ounce. Gonna have to try that next time I go back.

It’s at Gold Coast, not the Orleans.

Plus, it's a great place for a date -- lots happening to converse about. I think dim sum is all the time...

Yes, Ping Pang Pong is at Gold Coast. It's not as nice a casino as the ones on the strip, but it's not bad, and many locals (like my date) don't like driving to the strip. I can't imagine they would love driving downtown either, which I don't even enjoy doing myself (though I enjoy being there). We were meeting there, and it was halfway between where we live, and I've wanted to try it, so it seemed like a good time to go.

The environment wasn't perfect, but it was fine. A bit loud acoustics, but most casino restaurants are like that. I had read here and elsewhere that the dim sum was great, but that they could be out of things or not fresh at dinnertime, so I didn't really want to order those. And I wasn't feeling adventurous enough to try the oddball things like oxtail or crispy frog, so we just ordered two things we knew we were both ok with to share, Kung Pao Chicken and Orange Chicken. Both were good but not unusually great. Oddly, they didn't automatically come with rice, but the waitress made sure to ask us if we wanted some at $1 per bowl. That didn't bother me as even with the extra the dishes were less expensive than I expected, but I thought it was not a great way to handle it. I heard a guy at a nearby table ask why his meal didn't have rice after it was served, so I guess the waitstaff doesn't always remember to ask. They also didn't have brown rice which was disappointing.

They seemed to be uncoordinated in the staffing, as after someone took our drink order another person came by not a minute later to ask us the same thing. At the end it also led to us being felt a bit rushed as two different people came to ask if we were finished with not long between them.

I'm not of the mind to go for a fancy expensive place on the first date myself, so this was fine. I generally save that for the third date or so. Things did generally well date-wise; she wanted gelato for dessert so I drove us both to a place she likes at Venetian (she's ok with riding to the strip). We sat in the St. Marks's Square area where they had live instrumental classical-is music played by a quartet, so that was kind of romantic. Ended up sitting and talking in the gondola ride area until they threw us out because they were cleaning the floors. So I drove her back to her car at Gold Coast. We talked a little more in the car. It didn't lead to a whole lot, as she said she didn't like to make out on the first date, but I got a few kisses and some cuddling while she rubbed my head, which was a decent substitute.

Yeah, that’s even worse

Ping, Pang, Pong is NOT at the Orleans.

A lot of this is very similar to my recent experiences there at PingPangPong. Went twice for dinner solo after busting a WSOP deepstack. First time I had the hot and sour soup which comes in a MASSIVE bowl and tastes great. Main course was Mongolian Beef which I also rated highly. I don't like rice, but I'll nibble at it if it comes free. At PPP I got asked if I wanted rice but I needed to ask if it cost extra (upsell without stated prices annoys me greatly). Also the servers were very confused and didn't seem to have dedicated table areas, so I'd get asked my order when I'd already ordered. One of my servers was more Latin than Chinese and didn't seem as in-tune with the process as the others. Also, and I know this happens a lot at Chinese places, but my main course arrived about a minute after the soup so was getting cold during that time. At the old PPP location I once got the main course before the soup which was a pain.

On 2nd visit I went straight to the main course (Orange chicken) which I wasn't 100% happy with during or afterward. Also got the Creme Brulee for dessert which broke my rule of never getting dessert in Asian/Indian places as they're generally a let down and this was no exception. Just a plain Creme Brulee in, from memory, a foil cup. Overall, I'd recommend PPP but be ready for some odd service if you're fussy.

Also tried the Ports'O'Call buffet at Gold Coast and it's a solid value option (with decent selection) if you're in the area

Did Yama Sushi. Quality was fine for AYCE, great service with zero bitching about an absurd amount of ordering.

You’re right. It’s at Gold Coast which is even more run down than Orleans. My bad.

The casino didn't seem run down at all to me.

I agree. However, for some it now seems that the Wynn/Encore environment seems to be the new standard for the casual dining thread (something under $40 for a slice of pizza and a beer). I don't know what this does to the fine dining thread.

Again, it is fine. I'd say that it is actually excellent for a date unless your wallet thickness is the best part of your personality. It isn't like you took your date to Subway or PF Changs. You took your date to a place that is potentially interesting to see how you and your date interact.

Again, trip report please.

Edit: Apparently, I don't know how to scroll up and definitely cannot be bothered to remember that I read what you previously wrote. You probably shouldn't have gone for American dishes like orange chicken, but if the date went well, then there is that.

I'm pretty sure that we've been mostly touting quite inexpensive places in this thread for the most part.

If you take your date to Ping Pang Pong you really can't expect more than heavy petting

Lol, that's fine by me, I was tired that night anyway. If there's a third date I'll take her someplace fancy to seal the deal.

Tried Sapporo. Pretty chill spot if you want something just off the strip. Quality is OK but the prices are great. Awesome happy hour deals if you want to get food late night.

I went again the other day and was surprised how good the black garlic ramen was....gotta get it again next time

Checked out Andres Bistro this week for lunch. Really was exactly what I was looking for living in the southwest, just a more upscale lunch that I could get to go and eat throughout the day while grinding online. The lobster roll was the best combo of value and taste that I have found in Vegas. I'm not sure it was on the menu for lunch but they also had no problem adding a side of duck fat fries. I can think of a number of similar lunch options downtown or on the strip, but this was definitely a nice alternative and a close drive. They also have a happy hour menu that looks like a great deal.

Went to Mesa Grill to get rid of some comp money. Got the 24oz porterhouse (restaurant week was still going on). Steak was absolutely delicious. Friends got the chicken which was also delicious. Pretty expensive though - standard for Caesars I suppose.

Virgils BBQ in the promenade is pricey and not that great.

Whoa

I'm officially priced out of the Casual Dining thread.

I know Mesa Grill isn't really 'in' today, as many other nice restaurants on the Strip are, and some people just like to hate on Bobby Flay, but I have had some really good meals there over the years, especially during brunch hours..