So I'm gonna be in Vegas November 13-16 and decided to make reservations for Joel Robuchon. They have an $89 fixed price menu that includes a main course and a desert. However, I started having doubts about the reservation and I'm thinking about changing it to L'Atelier.


Joel Robuchon ($89, bread cart + 1 entree + 1 desert + coffee + mignardises)
http://www.mgmgrand.com/restaurants/...estaurant.aspx
Pros:
- They pick you up in a limo (included no matter what you order)
- Probably only 3 star Michelin restaurant I'll ever be able to eat at
- Reviews are amazing but everyone says it's overpriced (although none of these reviews are for the $89 menu)

Cons:
- May not eat a lot as I saw the dishes are minuscule
- May be weird to eat by myself in such an intimate restaurant (I don't like eating by myself)
- I prefer L'Atelier's menu (not by a lot)


L'Atelier ($75, soup + appetizer + entree + desert + cheese)
http://www.mgmgrand.com/restaurants/...estaurant.aspx
Pros:
- I prefer the menu over the one at Joel Robuchon
- I can seat at the counter and may be less awkward to eat by myself

Cons:
- Only 1 star Michelin (this would be a huge pro in a different context)
- No limo
- No bread cart (famous at Joel Robuchon)


So you help me choose where to eat.

Important info:
- I can't eat at both
- I can't have a more expensive menu
- I'm not interested in another restaurant other than these 2

Sounds like the 2nd one is cheaper, less awkward, and a menu you like more. Choose that one.

Yikes, wonder which cheeks those are.

Price difference is negligible.

just b/c it's 3* doesn't mean you are going to have an amazing experience - in fact the $89 meal is probably a lot closer to a 1* experience. actually for $115 or so you can get 5-7 courses at a 1 *

for comparison, some other nice meals I have had this year:

at Picasso, a 2*, I got 4 real courses for $120, and they were full courses, not counting bread, coffee, etc. I would guess this is much better than 2 courses at Robuchon.

at Cyrus, a 2*, each course a la carte in the bar room is $20 ish. this meal was amazing.

at Gary Danko, a 1*, 4 courses is $83.

anyways, don't concern your self with 1* vs 3*, go where you think you'll ultimately have a better experience. also consider that at L'Atelier you can very comfortably eat by yourself at the bar. I have been twice and have had great meals each time.

I would pick L'Atelier every time over Robuchon.

Although portion sizes are going to be small at both shops.

If you are eating alone, I don't even know why you would consider Robuchon. Counter is a lot more fun - and someone behind the counter will probably take pity on you and talk to you anyway. Beats calling the waitress over to try and flirt with her.

In Tokyo where I've had this choice before, we didn't have the limo carrot though. But this is Vegas - limos are a dime a dozen anyway...

I considered Picasso (highly recommended by Viffer and other Bellagio degens).

Maybe I'll see how I'm doing with the budget and might sneek in a $39 meal at L'Atelier on the last day and leave Picasso for a future trip.

If you are going for a prix fix meal L'Atelier is the clear choice. Go go Joel Robuchon when you are willing to drop 3-4x this.

Go for L'Atelier. I would definitely feel more comfortable sitting alone at a counter, although that might differ from person to person. I know people who have no problem sitting alone in a high-end restaurant. The food will be good.

Going to a 3-star michellin restaurant and only have 2 courses is imo not worth it. Sure the food and service is good, but you probably won't really experience why it received 3 stars.
When I go to a restaurant like that I would definitely wanna go for the chefs menu (I think in this case the Menu Degustation), especially for the first time you're going to a restaurant like this. You'll be there all night tasting the best of what the chef has to offer. It costs a lot but it's an experience worth saving for.

Also why would you need a limo when you're going alone anyway.

Jusy wondering why they serve mignardises when they give you dessert at Joel Robuchon. It seems like you would be comfortable at L'Atelier so go for it. I wish I could take advantage of the bread cart

You get these standard with your coffee at the end of any meal at a top restaurant (I think confections, petit fours etc.). Not often written on the menu though, like bread. I think they put it on the menu here to make it look more than it actually is (a 2 course menu).

went to L'Atelier and i honestly did not enjoy it. my girlfriend, who isn't a food snob, was almost in tears it was so bad. there wasn't one palatable course for her. Personally i thought everything was meh across the board save one or two really poor courses. I know Joel Robuchon's restaurants are reviewed as among the best in the world, but honestly i did not enjoy my experience and i can't pretend the emperor has no clothes just because its a bajillion star restaurant.

go to picasso at bellagio. best meal of your life.

also did L'Atelier get a lot cheaper or something? i spent 700+ for two people (no alcohol)


BTW i had the 'discovery menu' i believe.

"LE SAUMON FUME
dans une gelée marbrée aux sucs d'herbes, crème légère au raifort
Smoked salmon in an herb gelée with a light wasabi cream" was the worst course iirc. salmon jello ftl

If your budget is only around 90$, then you are probably priced out of picasso.

I would try something like David Burke at the venetian (http://www.davidburkelasvegas.net/ this website is obnoxious but the restaurant is nice). Really good high end food with not quite as ridiculously high end pricing.

Also, last time i was at Carnevino (palazzo) they had an insanely good beef tasting menu for 95$.

I'm from Argentina. I've had more than my fair share of meat in my life and I'm only 22 lol. Thanks for the advice anyways. Hopefully some day I'll be able to afford all these in the same trip.

I think if I weren't dining alone, I would go for Robuchon just because the proteins on the Robuchon menu seems more interesting to me and their breadcart and mignardise cart are just ridiculous. What you should also notice is that on the Robuchon menu, all the main choices are the same whether you get the $89 menu or the $195 menu, which is a bonus. Dining alone though might sway me towards L'atelier.

For the limo, they pick you up, drop you off at the mansion and walk you through the high limit area.

I believe the 2 restaurants share a bakery. either way it's...bread

at L'atelier you just get some pain de epi, at Robuchon you get this



its a huge difference. But it might not be enough for make up for the lack of the soup + appetizer that you get at L'atelier, especially when the appetizer is La Langoustine. Earlier I think I misread since I thought the gazpacho was your appetizer, and La Langoustine was one of your main choices but actually the gazpacho and Langoustine are included at L'atelier and then you get a choice between salmon or pork belly which swings it towards L'atelier hugely.

I think cheese plate + selection of 4 tarts or selection of 4 sorbets (L'atelier) is roughly equal to single composed dessert + mignardise (Robuchon).

so yeah after thinking it over, go with L'atelier since soup + appetizer is >> better bread cart.

Just to throw something else in the mix, how about the taste of Wynn menu at ALEX?

http://newsletter.visitwynn.com/medi...ynn_082409.pdf

That's what I thought but in every Robuchon review people go crazy about this bread cart. Pics are pretty amazing too.

I'm with zod - bread is bread. I can get good bread at Subway for five bucks, meatballs included.

WTF? Subway's bread is the ugliest. And don't get me started on how crappy it tastes if you toast it.

I just checked out Picasso's menu and it seems so freaking pretentious. I hate eating **** like deer and veal. Check out Prime's menu, now that's some appetizing sounding food.

You probably haven't had good venison or veal.

Veal is pretentious?

Veal is DELICIOUS.

And yeah, if you're just a meat-and-potatoes guy (FTR, nothing wrong with that), you won't like Picasso/Robuchon/Alex/Guy Savoy etc. Prime's overrated though.

I'm a meat/chicken/lobster/shrimp/salmon/scallops/calamari/escargot kind of guy. I don't like game animals or pigeon, stuff like that.

Not to hijack the thread but I just checked out Table 10's and Mesa Grill's menu and it sounds amazing. Prices are reasonable for a higher end restaurant as well.