Orbitz Blog

Certified Natural Angus burger at Simon (Photo: E.C. Gladstone)

By E.C. Gladstone

Gourmet burgers are hot everywhere you turn these days. But the top restaurants of our Las Vegas hotels may be the most competitive anywhere in trying to create the finest formula. Rating them (for flavor, texture, and presentation) proved serious business — several perfectly good (and popular!) choices didn’t make my cut, and to be fair, differences from one number to the next were often minute. For the record, numbers one through three below are all absolutely excellent in their own right, the next five all very satisfying, and the final ones I’d happily eat every day (if my doctor would let me). Most are $12-$19 dollars unless otherwise noted. In my opinion, medium-rare cooking is strongly recommended.

10. Wolfgang Puck Solara, Palazzo

When I began this odyssey a few months ago, I accidentally had a chance to try the burger at Solara, Palazzo’s poolside café, and was shocked to experience a flavorful but tenderly toothy thick patty, cooked with just enough char and covered with thin melted cheese, onions browned to oblivion (virtually remoulade), crisp sweet pickles, lettuce and a beefy tomato slice on a soft, sweet egg-glazed seeded bun. Not a thing wrong with it. If a pool burger can be this good, anything at a more serious venue certainly needs to top it.

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Martorano's meatballs (Courtesy: Harrah's Entertainment)

By E.C. Gladstone

Vegas has long had a healthy Italian population, so naturally it has always had more than a fair share of Cucina Italiano. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it had good Italian food. It wasn’t until the arrival ten years ago of Valentino (Venetian), Circo (Bellagio) and others that Las Vegas hotels began offering truly elegant, inspired, Italian food with gourmet ingredients.

Now, fancy fritto mistos are everywhere you turn, but to be frank, all are far from equal. Your intrepid blogger set out to try them all, but to be honest — at a certain point, I had to cry uncle and let a few pass (based on other reliable reviewers, I don’t think I missed much).  Of the top four here, each has so many strengths that I’d strongly recommend all. From there, there are some with particular strengths, and for the more adventuresome, a list of some well-regarded local places.

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