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photo credit: John Griffiths

Long known more for cheap buffets piled high with mass-produced food-stuffs, Las Vegas has exploded into the cuisine scene in recent years with celebrity chef after celebrity chef opening posh restaurants. Though cheap buffets can still be found, today’s diners are more likely to dress up and step out for a dinner of haute cuisine from a famed chef. The Strip is jam-packed with big-name chefs, though you’re more likely to find the chef signing books than preparing your dinner. Still, a trip to Vegas can feel like a world tour of culinary hotspots in a week.

photo credit: Zesmerelda

Day one: Can’t skip your mortgage payment this month to swing Thomas Keller’s French Laundry, or will never get the algorithm quite right for nabbing a reservation at his California dining temple? Ask your hotel concierge to book you – that night – at Bouchon, Keller’s French bistro in the Venetian. Keller, known as America’s top chef, is one of only two chefs in the world with two simultaneous three-Michelin star restaurants. Bouchon offers reasonably priced access to hearty and flavorful French cuisine under the Keller name. Try the perfect golden pomme frites (that’s what they call French Fries that cost six bucks) or the Moules au Safran et à la Moutarde (Maine mussels steamed in white wine, mustard and saffron). Be sure to sit facing the grand oyster bar for the most sumptuous experience. Far from the clang and crowds on the gaming floor, you could pretend for a couple hours that you’re in the French countryside. And isn’t pretending what Vegas is all about?

photo credit: ÐIÐËO

Day two: Not headed to Paris anytime soon for a three-Michelin-star dinner at Plaza Athénée or in the Eiffel Tower’s Jules Verne? Check out chef/demi-god Alain Ducasse’s Vegas outpost, Mix. Set dramatically atop THEhotel at Mandalay Bay, Mix brings signature dishes from Ducasse’s legendary Paris and Monte Carlo restaurants to diners overlooking the Vegas strip. Luxury floods the menu, with offerings in the appetizers alone ranging from Seared Duck Foie Gras with Date and Meyer Lemon Marmalade to Tender Potato Gnocchi with Asparagus, Parmegiano and Summer Truffle. And if the food or birds-eye view of Vegas doesn’t keep you captivated, just lean back and gaze up at the 24-foot chandelier of 15,000 hand-glown glass spheres.

photo credit: A Touch of Glass

Day three: If you’d like a front seat view of the fountain shows outside the Bellagio without the jostling crowds, be sure to book a table at Olives, where Todd English has replicated his success with the Boston-based Olives. Impeccably attentive and accommodating servers take the divine dining to even higher levels of bliss. Their attention to detail means you’ll have a black napkin unfolded into your lap rather than white if you’re wearing a dark color. We mustn’t have that pesky white lint after all! Plan to while away a long evening taking in the fabulous water show as you sip wine or Bellinis and savor the Mediterranean cuisine. It would be a crime to go to Las Vegas and miss out on Olives’ Tortelli Of Butternut Squash With Brown Butter And Sage. English’s own favorite dish, the plump little pasta pillows filled with perfectly spiced butternut squash and bathed in a voluptuous brown butter and sage sauce could lure the most dedicated high-roller away from a winning table. Tables outside overlooking the water are hard to score, but dining inside in the dim and intimate dining room is pretty spectacular in its own right so don’t skip Olives even if you don’t land an outdoor table.

photo credit: Zesmerelda

Day four: Fans of southwest cuisine should not miss Bobby Flay’s Vegas take on his New York flagship restaurant, Mesa Grill. The bright and vivid colors inside the Mesa Grill clue diners in right away they’re in for Flay’s signature style. Known and loved by Food Network fans, Flay brings on big bold flavors at his restaurant in Caesars Palace with dishes like New Mexican Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin, Ancho Chile Rubbed Chicken and Mango and Spice Crusted Tuna.

Day five: A compilation of some of Vegas’ hottest restaurants begins to looks like a Who’s Who of the world’s chefs, with legendary French chef Joël Robuchon joining the ranks of chefs setting up shop in Vegas. “Chef of the Century” Robuchon’s elegant L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon offers Vegas diners tapas, a tasting menu, and wines from around the world. Signature dishes include Pommes Purée (mashed potatoes), L’Agneau en Carré Doré à la Fleur de Thym (miniature lamb chops) and Le Rumsteack en Tartare et ses Frites à L’ancienne (Steak Tartar). Located inside the MGM Grand, L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon is more than dinner, it is its own show, as exquisite French cuisine is prepared right at the counter while diners watch.

photo credit: avlxyz

Day six: Though fine dining with celebrity chefs at the helm abound, diners in search of buffets that go beyond the basics still have options. If ever an all-you-can-eat buffet can be termed elegant, it would have to be The Bellagio Buffet, known for its endless array of tempting cuisine. At live action cooking stations, diners (who’d better come famished) choose from Italian, Japanese (including sushi, though sashimi is only available at dinner), Chinese, seafood and American cuisines. Food is of exceptionally high quality for a buffet. Even those who would never set foot inside a Golden Corral or Ryan’s buffet will find much to please them. If you’re on a tight budget after too much time in the casinos, try arriving just at the end of lunch time. You’ll save a few bucks and if you take your time, dinner goodies like crab legs and the sashimi will come out.

Day seven: For those who make breakfast the biggest meal of the day (or if you’re ravenous after an all-nighter), the top breakfast buffet is Le Village in the Paris. Be prepared to wait – this place is no secret. But once you’re seated, take in the cutesy Vegas take on French villages theme, and wander from Normandy to Burgundy to Alsace to Provence and back to Brittany (which you mustn’t miss) for the made-to-order-crepes. If you don’t go expecting an array of French frommage, you won’t be disappointed. Just be sure you’re hungry, have at least an hour to spare, and plan to not eat again for hours. In fact, the perfect buffet day might just be Le Village for a late breakfast and The Bellagio Buffet for an early dinner.

Tags: Las Vegas | Nevada | North America | restaurants | United States