Thursday, May 15, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Eat: Recommended Restaurants

Rooms with a view

By James P. Reza

Restaurants with a view were almost a requisite offering of old-school Las Vegas, with notable dining rooms ensconced at the top of the Dunes, the Mint and the Landmark capturing attention for their sweeping vistas of our radiant city, if not their gastronomic success. With those hotels long gone (the Mint remains as a Horseshoe addition) and a ground-floor dining renaissance well under way, view rooms are far less important. Still, a few offer expansive city views, while others provide special sights all their own.

Alizé

4321 W. Flamingo Road; 951-7000

Trendy/Black Tie; $$$-$$$$

Andre Rochat--proprietor of Andre's, one of the city's longest-running restaurants--has leveraged his success with the Cadillac crowd to somehow earn the hipsters. Alizé, atop the trendy Palms resort, offers arguably the best view in Vegas, particularly from the tables along the east window. The French menu (duck foie gras, braised veal shank and the like) and pricey wine list make this not for those with weak bank accounts.

Eiffel Tower Restaurant

3655 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 946-4433

Black Tie; $$$$

Seventy feet up the Paris' Eiffel Tower replica, this room is ready-made for romance, with nice views of the Strip and the Bellagio fountain show. The atmosphere is snazzy old Vegas (dress the part, ladies and gentlemen), and the menu--French, of course--features truffles and foie gras and beef. Clearly, this room is for those trying to impress their dates, but we just keep wondering why French cuisine is so darn pricey.

Garduño's

4321 W. Flamingo Road; 942-7777

$-$$; Casual/Smart Casual

A longtime Las Vegas favorite, Garduños is a product of a New Mexican family. Some of the recipes (including the chile stew and posole) and the ingredients (including the region's Hatch chile) are unique to New Mexico, but others carry more of a traditional Mexican influence, making most of the menu familiar. During warm months, outdoor seating overlooks the tan-and-toned Palms pool parade, and there are few better views in town.

Mon Ami Gabi

3655 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 946-4433

$$$; Smart Casual/Trendy

There are few Vegas places that were as quickly adopted by the power lunch and society gal set as this French sidewalk cafe at the Paris resort, with great views of the Bellagio fountains. Dining al fresco is clearly underserved in Vegas, for even the platinum prices don't keep people from using the tables here as dealmakers--just as on the real Champs Elysées. A steak fritte, a glass of wine...you are Bardot in waiting.

Olives

3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 693-7223

$$; Smart Casual/Trendy

Todd English's Bellagio eatery is not the place you go to "have a pizza," but we'll be damned if the pizz...--err, flatbreads--here aren't delicious and light and delightfully flavorful. A wafer-thin, crispy crust holds portobello, fig and proscuitto, mozzarella basil, or chicken sausage and ricotta, and the Greek Salad is among the best in town. Coveted balcony seating overlooks the Strip and the Bellagio fountains.

Panevino Ristorante

246 Via Antonio; 222-2400

$$$; Smart Casual

Architecturally impressive yet comfortable, Panevino features an open dining room with an expansive curving wall of glass with impressive views of the Strip, a seemingly unending bar punctuated by a comfortable lounge around a blazing fire, and a delicious menu of upscale Italian comfort food. Start with mozzarella campagnola, continue with insalata esotica (spinach, avocado, hearts of palm), and wrap it up with freshly made pasta (gnochetti, lobster ravioli) or risotto.

Simon

4455 Paradise Road; 693-5000

$$$; Smart Casual/Trendy

The hot new spot for the underdressed and overtressed, Kerry Simon's Palm Springs-style eatery is where beautiful design feeds the eye while good food satiates the palate. The comfort food trend launched years ago in New York and London makes old Vegas new again with super steaks, seafood and pasta. Meanwhile, signature desserts such as freshly spun cotton candy melt in your wet, lip gloss-covered mouth. Outdoor brunch seating lets you stare at the tanned hotties while noshing.

Top of the World

2000 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 380-7711

Trendy/Black Tie; $$$-$$$$

Revolving restaurants seem a gimmicky throwback to the heady, optimistic days of the World's Fairs, and the pricey continental cuisine only adds to the perception. But we cannot argue that the gimmick works when the view is as grand as this--a one-hour tour of the valley without abandoning your steak and lobster. Book at twilight, as the change to neon light is amazing.

Voodoo Cafe

3700 W. Flamingo Road; 252-7777

Trendy; $$$

The Rio's once-haute Voodoo Cafe is the restaurant that jumpstarted the dying view room trend, and still maintains a place among them with a Strip vista that rivals Alizé. With a New Orleans-style decor and menu similar to the House of Blues (but much more pricey), a bar that prides itself on its flair bartenders and a crowd of tan, tight mid-40s hotties and their men...you get the picture. Valet the Lexus, bypass the line with dinner reservations, and join the club.