Where to eat and drink around Las Vegas this week
(Editor’s Note: Tasty Tuesday airs on KTNV Channel 13 on Tuesdays at 11:20 a.m.)
This week, the god of all buffets is back, a Downtown pizzeria has good secret pasta, and langoustines and cocktails at Costa di Mare are worth the Sunday splurge.
Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace
Last week, one of the most highly-lauded buffets in Las Vegas returned with a new look. Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars’ nature-inspired design with organic textures and materials like glass and stone woven throughout, is meant to be reminiscent of ice caves and mountains. It has undergone a major renovation with enhancements to the seafood, carving, American and Latin kitchens, as well as the entrance and dining room.
Within the nine interactive kitchens, there are 100 new dishes in addition to the 100 vegan and vegetarian options. Guests get to see the state-of-the-art equipment and open-fire roasting grills, while new steaming and refrigerated display systems ensure dishes like crab legs are served market-fresh.
Now there are also dim sum-style food carts roaming the dining room offering dishes like foie gras PB&J, spicy seafood boil bags, Japanese wagyu hot dogs, as well as traditional dim sum. Standout dishes include mushroom truffle pizza, carne asada street tacos and juicy wet brisket. On the more exotic side there are innovatively composed dishes such as cheeseburger bao, chipotle bourbon barbecue oysters, duck carnitas quesadillas and a new mezze bar with Mediterranean dips. Bacchanal now takes reservations through OpenTable.com.
Good Pie Gets Even Better
Good Pie has always been a champion of bringing the best vegan ingredients to pizza lovers in Las Vegas and now they even have a secret vegan bolognese pasta dish. Recently, I took part in an experimental “vegan dinner” at the Main Street pizza shop and I got to try a variety of items that are both on the menu and off the menu. The vegan bolognese is available only by request with quinoa pasta and there is also a gluten free option.
And while you are there, you must try Vincent Rotolo’s four varieties of vegan pie all made with Numu vegan mozzarella. They include the Brooklyn Vegan Cheese, with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) and basil; the Vegan Detroit, a square pizza with with local organic tomato sauce, basil and vegan parm, 8-inches by 10-inches with four slices; the Grandma Vegan Cheese, a thin-crust square with garlic oil and imported Italian tomato sauce, finished with basil and vegan parm, 12-inches by 18-inches in a square pan with eight slices; and the Sicilian Vegan, a Sicilian-style crust topped with imported Italian tomato sauce, garlic oil, finished with EVOO and basil, 6 slices and 10-inches by 14-inches.
Looking for a Sunday Splurge?
Costa di Mare at Wynn is an experience to remember any day of the week, but why not finish this week off with a bang. I popped in to check out the cocktails by new property mixologist Mariena Mercer last Sunday and two of my favorites were the “Fish Out of Water,” an Italian take on the margarita with Patron reposado, apricot liqueur, Sicilian citrus and Mostarda—served in a adorable glass fish.
Another notable selection was the “Vespa” with Belvedere Mango Passion, cardamom, bergamot, lemon, ginger and basil topped with a Cham-feign foam. Pair these drinks with the Live Langoustine, as Costa is the only restaurant in the Western Hemisphere to offer live, fresh caught langoustines from European waters.
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