Las Vegas! Special Travel Edition

We just celebrated our 10 year anniversary, so we decided to go to Vegas and renew our vows with Elvis!


Gordon Ramsey Steak
Just like with any trip, this one revolved around the food! We knew that we wanted to go to a celebrity chef restaurant, so we started researching. As soon as I found out that Gordon Ramsey had a restaurant in Vegas with Beef Wellington on the menu, I was sold! We went to Gordon Ramsey Steak on our first night there, which also happened to be Ivan's birthday. We started off with a bread plate. There was a lemon flavored bread (on the right), a bacon roll (in the middle), and some sort of berry baguette (on the left). The one in the middle was the winner for me. It was like a cinnamon roll, but with bacon!!
We didn't plan on getting appetizers...then I saw the Kobe Beef Sliders (sharp English Cheddar, carmelized onions, brioche bun) go to someone's table and they looked delicious, so we ordered them. The sliders are a little on the small side, but they were some of the best I have ever had. The meat was very tender and flavorful.


When it was time to order our main entree, our server brought out the meat wheel. It gives a visual representation of every steak they offer! This is our server Dennis doing his best Vanna White impression :)

Ivan ended up getting the Bone-in New York Strip 18oz. I was lucky enough to get a bite and I can honestly say this was the best steak I have ever eaten. It is so tender that it melts in your mouth, and that was even with it cooked medium well!
 
Of course I had to get the Beef Wellington. It was served with glazed root vegetables, potato purée, red wine demi-glace....and it was everything I had hoped it would be, and more!! The meat was a little on the rare side, but that made it extremely tender and flavorful. The dough casing was thick enough to give it texture and the potato purée was a nice addition to the plate. I know this sounds crazy, but one of the best things on my plate were the glazed root vegetables! You can't really see them in the picture (in the back), but they were phenomenal.


We also ordered sides to go with our meal. Ivan got the Loaded Baked Potato (smoked Gouda béchamel,
sour cream, bacon, chives) and I got the Mac & Cheese (blue, cheddar, parmesan, truffle). By the time we got to the sides, we were really full...but they were so good that we kept on eating! The potato was unlike any other potato Ivan has had. The cheese is what made it really stand out. Same with my mac and cheese. The different types of cheeses complimented each other and set this dish apart from all others.

Even though it was pretty pricey, we both thought that it was worth the money. You can tell it's a Gordon Ramsey restaurant because of the really high standards. All of the servers and workers are extremely friendly, and the atmosphere is great. I would definitely recommend this restaurant if you are looking for a great food experience in Vegas.



Gordon Ramsay Steak on Urbanspoon 
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Wicked Spoon
You can't go to Vegas without hitting up a buffet. After searching the web and asking around, I came across Wicked Spoon located in the Cosmopolitan. If anyone asks me where the best buffet is in Vegas, I now know. This place was foodie heaven! There are multiple food stations and even a huge dessert area. I took pictures of every single station so you could get the full effect!! Enjoy drooling...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
And my personal favorite...desserts!!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

Wicked Spoon on Urbanspoon 
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No Name Pizza Kitchen
Also in the Cosmopolitan, you will find a hidden pizza place. It has no name, no signage, no website, nothing! You only know it's there if you are looking for it. It is located to the left of Jaleo, down a small hallway lined with photos. And at the very end is a pinball machine.
The place is really tiny, but very charming!
We initially got a slice of mushroom and a slice of pepperoni/meatball.

Ivan ended up going back for another slice and found a winner, the white pizza! OMG it was delicious! I totally forgot to take a picture first, so here it is with a bite out of the bottom :)


NNPK on Urbanspoon 
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Le Thai
Our limo driver from the wedding gave us a recommendation for Le Thai, which was great because we were already looking for a Thai place and it just so happened to be in the Fremont Street area and we were headed there the next day!
 For our appetizer we got the Spring Rolls and they were served with a yummy dipping sauce.

I got the Pad See Ewe with shrimp. Everything about it was tasty, and there were good portions of everything in the bowl.

Ivan got the Fried Rice with Steak. The rice they use if not a basic white rice, but more of a brown rice/wild rice combo. It gave the dish a wonderful flavor and really jazzed it up.

Le Thai on Urbanspoon 
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 Jean-Philippe Patisserie
If you are looking pastry paradise, look no further. Jean-Philippe Patisserie is the place to go!
Here are all of the goodies that we got:
 
 
 
 And here is the awesome selection of everything:
 
 
 
 
 
 

They even have the world's tallest and largest volume chocolate fountain!

Jean-Philippe Pâtisserie on Urbanspoon 
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  Tacos El Gordo
This was our hidden gem of the trip. We were looking for a good, non touristy Mexican place in Vegas. Tacos El Gordo is a little out of the way (in front of the Encore), but it's worth the ride down the strip. This is an authentic, truly delicious taco joint. I mean really, they hand carve the meat when you order:

I got 2 spicy pork tacos, and a steak taco. The shells are all homemade and the meats are fresh and plentiful. And the best part...at $2 a taco, I finally found a cheap place to eat in Vegas!! If you are visiting Vegas, you have to check them out! You won't be disappointed!
I also got a spicy pork quesadilla. Kind of an unconventional quesadilla, but still yummm.

Tacos El Gordo on Urbanspoon 
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BURGR by Gordon Ramsey
After going to Gordon Ramsey Steak on the first day, we were pretty excited to find out that he opened 2 other restaurants recently. We were already looking for a burger place, so we decided to check out BURGR by Gordon Ramsey. While we were there, there was a bit of a commotion going on. We looked over and saw that the Miss America contestants were there! They were very gracious and posed for pictures with people. I thought it was pretty funny that they were there one day before the big competition. you would think that they would be eating nothing but salads before the swimsuit competition...I know I would!
We got the Truffle parmesan fries for our appetizer. This was a big pile of cheesy goodness. They were served with homemade ketchup and aioli.

I got Uber Cheese Burger (fontina cheese, racllette cheese, and goat cheese). I think what makes these burgers great is the blend of beef shortrib, brisket, and chuck. This was a great burger!!
 Ivan got the Farm Burger (duck breast bacon, English sharp cheddar, and fried egg). He also loved it!
 
BURGR by Gordon Ramsay on Urbanspoon 
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Serendipity 3
 I was really excited when I found out that there is a Serendipity in Vegas. I have always wanted to try the famous Frozen Hot Chocolate! Yes, it was as good as it looks!

Serendipity 3 on Urbanspoon


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Comments

  1. One of the reasons why I love traveling and visiting new places. I got to experience new dishes, which uses a lot of different ingredients in it. Last time, I visited a place where they've got some weird looking pancakes but it isn't a pancake but it taste very good, I must say. Oh! how I love foods.

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