Las Vegas restaurants offer delectable summer deals

By E.C. Gladstone

Las Vegas, as you’ve probably heard, has gotten pretty impressive when it comes to food. In fact, it’s now one of the world’s greatest restaurant towns, with a number of world-renowned chefs who have opened up here, access to the world’s most amazing wines, seriously dedicated servers, and a spare-no-expense attitude toward interior design. And you can even get a table at the Rao’s in Caesars Palace!

But let’s face it, eating well can get pricey fast — a dinner for two at many of our best places could easily be more expensive than your hotel room! Thankfully, since most of us are watching our wallets these days (even on vacation), many spots on the Strip have prix fixes meal deals through the month of August. These are great opportunities to try more than one place, as well as avoid the temptation to overdo it!

Let me save you the legwork, and point out some of the best among the Las Vegas hotels:

• Craftsteak at MGM offers a $60 per person meal that includes a first course option of grilled quail, entrees of American Kobe sirloin or diver sea scallops,and some delectable side vegetables and desserts. You will be happy.

• L’Atelier du Joel Robuchon (MGM) has a $75 five-course meal that is remarkable in its completeness for the price, and Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars also has a $90 three-course menu with fish and a cheese plate (consider that these are two of the world’s great chefs, and their dinners can typically reach $300 per person).

• MGM‘s Shibuya offers an impressive five-course Japanese meal for $60 (it’s another $30 for pairings from their expansive sake list) and Fiamma has a family-style selection that includes carpaccio, seafood risotto and short ribs (also $60).

• Mario Batali’s Carnevino (Palazzo) and B&B (Venetian) as well as Napa legend Hubert Keller’s gorgeous Fleur de Lys (Mandalay Bay) all have “pre-theatre” deals — meaning, you have to get there before6:30 p.m. All offer three courses of tantalizing options; Batali’s are each $49; Keller’s is $59 — but if you combine his with Fleur de Lys’ Friday night happy hour (free h’ors d’ouvres and cheap cocktails), you’ll really strike it riche!

There are similar specials at Caesars Palace‘s Bradley Ogden and Nero’s; Mandalay Bay‘s StripSteak, Red Square and Lupo; MGM‘s Nob Hill and SeaBlue; And the Flamingo‘s Steakhouse 46 offers one of the best bargains, at $40 for a full meal in an elegant room.

Insider tip: Keep in mind, you can also sit at the bar at many of our best restaurants, order something small with two glasses of wine, and be perfectly happy. Try Onda (Mirage), Mix (THEHotel), or Social House (TI) — just to name a few!

Related Orbitz resources:

• Las Vegas hotels

E.C. Gladstone is a former editor for AOLVegas, and interviews top Strip entertainers, restauranteurs, moguls and behind-the-scenes players for VEGAS Magazine. Like many Las Vegans, he sleeps only when absolutely necessary.

Tagged: Las Vegas