encore. sushisamba. dos caminos.

I didn't think one Saturday would be enough to properly peruse the dining and drinking options in Encore, Wynn, Palazzo and Venetian, but we actually managed to cover quite a bit of ground.


While browsing menus at Encore, trying to decide where dinner would be taking place, a question struck: why don't these swanky Strip super resorts have cool little joints to stop in for a quick bite? Casino tapas bars. Where are they? The thought had little time to mature before we found what we were looking for: the Lobby Bar & Cafe. Like everything else here, it's red and gold. We took a seat a cozy little table surrounding a giant golden tree person statue. Don't you like how normal that sounds? This nook appears to be a place for coffee or cocktail, but it also serves perfect desserts and small plates. We shared a tapas tree consisting of three of them: tomato and mozzarella skewers, cheese and bacon croquettes, and prosciutto-wrapped, almond-stuffed dates. Also, we ordered a hummus sampler, which was actually a small tasting of hummus, creamed feta and completely non-bitter babaganoush. All bites were delicious and accompanied by mimosas and pear ginger martinis.


That was breakfast. Yes.


Before leaving Encore we stopped for an additional cocktail at the nearby Eastside Lounge, another cool place with a shitty name. This bar has lounge seating overlooking the pool, or outdoor patio seating right on top of the pool. The unseasonably warm weather took us outside. A munchies plate of homemade, greasy-but-good potato chips and spicy little Japanese cracker snacks arrived, and we drank weird drinks: a raspberry-tinted version of a French 75 (vodka and champagne) and a cherry-tinted Tom Collins. Encore, you are a good place to drinky.


Sticking with the theme of out with the old, we completely bypassed Wynn Las Vegas and moved on to Palazzo, wandering through expensive, empty shops. Despite the fact that it opened at a terrible moment in time, despite the fact the restaurants and nightclubs inside of it have already shuttered or been horrifically re-done, I have developed a strong affinity for this place. Not sure why.


For no reason, we decided our next stop would be SushiSamba, a restaurant I previously had no interest in. Think of it as a sort of mini-Tao: a menu with multiple personality disorder, a scattered, urban decor, and generally a place selling experience over food. But after a few of the best Caipirinhas I've tasted in Vegas, I'm ready to give this shit a try. To snack on, we ordered sweet coconut rice, black beans and crispy plaintains, and it was solid. Other dishes swing Asian or Latin, but overall the menu looked interesting enough.


After more walking and store gazing through the busy Grand Canal shops of the Venetian, we decided to come back through Palazzo and have dinner at Dos Caminos (pictured), a New York transplant and product of the same company behind Fiamma in MGM Grand (which is great). After weaving through the dark, hipster lounge, we found ourselves in a truly massive dining room that included a private space where a wedding reception was taking place. Other than that, business was light in the early Saturday evening. Started with the obligatory guacamole and asked for it spicy; it did not disappoint. Feeling the effects of a day spent boozing and noshing, we decided to keep it simple. Tacos.


On the menu, they were called Tacos en Cazuela. Chipotle chile roasted chicken tinga tacos came with corn done Mexico street-style, spicy slaw that was not very spicy and simmered pinto beans with a bacon kick. Tamarind braised beef shortribs tacos came with sweet potato croquettes and a useless zucchini salad. Both dishes were great, particularly the shortribs. The meat was tender and crazy rich. Dos Caminos is officially on the map and ready to challenge Border Grill for the title of Best Mexican Restaurant on the Strip.

another try at ti.

It's easy to shit talk a joint on the Strip and say there's no reason to go, especially if it's older and less hip and not overflowing with exciting restaurants or clubs. But when you want a mini-vacation and you don't want to pay $300 a night (or when the economy sucks and every hotel is reducing room rates, and you want to find the best value), you might find yourself doing a weekend in a place just like that. A place you just shit talked.


But even though we had a lot of fun with our two-night stay at Treasure Island, the original assessment still holds true. Most of that fun was spent roaming, drinking, shopping and eating at Encore, Wynn, Palazzo and Venetian, TI's superior neighbors. Although it was beautifully sunny and probably warm enough, the TI pool was closed. A Friday night dinner at Isla was once again reliably good, but outdone by a Saturday night dinner at Palazzo's Dos Caminos Mexican restaurant. The standard king bed hotel room was nice enough (the bed was great), but obviously an old room with a few modern touches (flatscreen TV) and not really a room renovated. Skipped room service, didn't do the spa ... because we were too busy enjoying the amenities of better hotels within a short walking distance.


There is something to be said for TI's steakhouse offering, however. Boringly named The Steak House, we paid it a visit for a late snack Friday night, crashed the bar and received superior service from our barman. He let us sample wine, speedily brought more plus martinis plus a shrimp cocktail, garlic whipped potatoes and a delicious endive salad with slab bacon, and capped it off by advising that the best dessert in the house was actually served at the coffee shop next door. Then he sent somebody to grab one. (It was chocolate cake, not that special. But it's the effort that counts.) Let this be a lesson: When in doubt, head to the hotel steakhouse bar.


Perhaps the best example of TI's stature is its respected but now sleepy sushi restaurant, Social House. Buzzed about for months when it opened in 2006, the place seems to be a shell of its former fast-paced self. (Full disclaimer: I've never eaten there. I'm sure it's great. But it looks like it's been forgotten completely.) Last year you couldn't squeeze your way in to get a drink in the lounge downstairs. That lounge was crickets Friday night, and the staff was slow, too.