L'Atelier at MGM Grand fits your specifications pretty well. That would probably be my choice.

For upscale me-hee-can?

Try Diego at the MGM Grand
http://www.mgmgrand.com/restaurants/...estaurant.aspx

I have not eaten here but sat with friends that ate here and the food looked pretty solid. Not a huge mexican fan though.

Not sure they can do L'Atelier on budget.

'Upscale' Mexican - Diegos @ MGM (easy walk, meal nothing special) Isla @ TI (not an easy walk, marginally better eats) still basically Tex-Mex.

'Not Upscale' Mexican - Diablos @ Monte Carlo or Gonzalez Y Gonzalez @ NYNY

How about Il Fornaio? I wouldn't necessarily choose to eat there any other night, but with 1 glass of wine, seafood/chicken/pasta, easy walk to Zumanity and sensible $ as the remit, it would do the job nicely.

Border Grill at Mandalay Bay is also upscale Mexican that's usually well received.

Anyone try Gordon Ramsey steak at Paris yet?

Old Homestead trip report.

New steakhouse at Caesars, in the place of Neros. I have not been to the original Old Homestead that has apparently been in NY for a million years, this was my first trip. It was kind of a joke, mostly due to price. Just like everything else at Caesars, it's overpriced even by Vegas standards. I had a cheaper ribeye at Cut and it was much better. Still a good steak, good apps and sides, no reason to go back. Call it a standard upscale steakhouse at ridiculous prices. Glad I wasn't paying. Couple of other nits to pick:

- I ask the waiter if they have any rye at the bar. I'm at an old-school NY steakhouse and I want a Manhattan, and if they don't have rye it means they don't know how to make a proper Manhattan. Waiter doesn't know the answer, cites three whiskeys that aren't rye, then goes to the bar to check. Comes back and tells me they have Bulleit but it's 20 questions for me to figure out whether it's Bulleit bourbon or Bulleit rye they have, and meanwhile I'm looking like a giant tool of a whiskey snob, so I'm glad I wasn't on a date. Manhattan shows up and it is good, so thank god for that.

- Example #47056347801560347 of how Caesars (the corporation) is a chintzy, low-class WalMart of casinos and doesn't understand the first goddamn thing about luxury: every item on the menu has two prices. One is the normal price, and the other is if you whip out your shiny Total Rewards card. Wow, you mean that $82 steak is only $79 if I show my card? WHERE DO I SIGN UP!!! I'd be embarrassed if I worked there. Give the discount at Starbucks and the food court, not a supposedly high-end restaurant you dummies. Wonder if they have the same thing at Guy Savoy.

L'Atelier has a fixed price menu, I believe.

Can anyone give me a up to date rundown of all the fine dining restaurants on the strip that have a fixed price menu?

L'Atelier's tasting menu will run you at least $200 a person, all in (tax, tip). Get the wine pairing and it will be a lot more.

Virtually every fine dining restaurant in Vegas will have some type of fixed price offering, whether it is a chef's tasting/degustation menu that could have anywhere from 4 to 8 or more courses and optional wine pairing or a pre-show three course menu (app, main, dessert) where you get 2-4 choices per course. The former will tend to run more in price ($100+ per person) where the latter usually is in the $45 per person range. Which are you looking for?

Deciding where to eat based on their pricing model seems like putting the cart before the horse. Decide what kind of food you want, how much you want to spend, pick a few that meet that criteria and check online or call to ask about their fixed price options.

Maybe I'm thinking of the wrong restaurant. L'Atelier is near Nob Hill Tavern in the MGM isn't it? If so, the last time I was in Vegas, L'Atelier was advertising a fixed price (pre-show) menu for under a $100 per person and if memory serves, significantly under a $100 per person.

Seeing this started the idea of going to Vegas for a food tour instead of gambling and we're looking more for the pre-show three course menu as we will have a budget.

My apologies as I didn't realize fixed price could mean two different types of menus.

Are thinking about lunch or dinner ?

Could be either or as we've decided to add some poker tournaments into the mix so if a tournament with a good structure is going on during the day, we'll have dinner. If a tournament with a good structure is going on at night, we'll have lunch.

Any discernible difference between SW and Prime?

SW has a gigantic animatronic singing frog, that's about it

I'd fit right in as people have said my singing voice reminds them of a frog.

^^^Vegetarian ITT

SW is better than Prime. Many steakhouses in Vegas are better than Prime.

Where can I get the best roast prime rib on the strip??? "Au jus" if possible...

Lawry's just off the strip is pretty great. Dunno what places on the strip have it.

that's correct! SW is better than prime, because it has a giant animatronic frog!

you may have other reasons for saying it's better, but i think that 95% of people would find almost all high end steakhouses indistinguishable from each other from a food perspective, and the other 5% of people make a big deal out of minutia.

the best way to choose a steakhouse is to find one with apps/sides that appeal to you

Where do you foodies think the best place(s) is for a meal for 2 for right around $100

Thanks.... I've looked it up on google map and it doesn't seem too far away and walkable, I'll give this a try.

Quick question as well, I've just book a surprise dinner for my wife and I at Picasso for thursday night at 7 pm. I've asked for a patio table with a fountain view (it's gotta be very romantic) but now I'm second guessing myself because I'm afraid it's gonna be too hot outside at this time of the year. What do you guys think?

once the sun goes down, it's lovely. and picasso faces away from the setting sun! well done

I think she'll love it!

To help plan our next trip, I'm going to research all the restaurants on the strip that have a fixed price (meaning before show three course) menus and I will post it when done if people care to see it.

This thread or a new one?

let me add to this ; place can include tasting menu for up to $150 total w/o drinks.

I did the $159 seasonal discovery menu last night w/ $109 pairing. Things have changed at L'Atelier, prices have dropped, options are more approachable now. Dégustation menus are now available for as few as 5 courses for around $60 IIRC, and the room was not jammed like it used to be. In the past there were just two tasting menus, now is just one discovery menu and there was more than one smaller dégustation menu to choose from.

I love L'Atelier, but I think for now on I will order by the dish rather than the tasting, I'd prefer to choose my own path.


PS: If anyone can correct my pricing above please do, I was too busy praising Bacchus for the fruits of the vine with the sommelier to take notice ;-)