Vegas in January.

My husband and I went to Vegas weekend before last. We stayed at the Aria, in the City Center, and loved it! Our usual places are the Wynn, Encore, or MGM Grand. However, we decided to check out Aria since we had never stayed there. The vibe was very chic and hip, and it was a younger crowd than I was used to seeing at many of the casinos. The City Center is amazing, with several hotels/casinos, dozens of restaurants, fabulous shopping, and a couple of great spas! We shopped at Crystals, which is the shopping area within City Center. The stores there include Fendi, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Marni, YSL, Gucci, Hermes, and many more!

We started out our trip with lunch at Lemongrass in the Aria. Lemongrass is a Thai restaurant that was really good and SPICY! They serve their meals on a spice level from 1-10. Now I love spicy food and ordered mine at a 7...to which the waitress just laughed. She advised me to back it up to a 5, and boy am I glad I did! The 5 was perfect, if not on the "too" spicy side, which says a lot of my high tolerance of spice. So tread lightly here!

One of my favorite steak places in Vegas might come as a surprise. It's Vic & Anthony's at........ wait for it.... The Golden Nugget!! I was just as surprised as some of you might be now, to find this gem of a restaurant off the strip, downtown. Three years ago, I went to visit my husband (then, he was a mere boyfriend, ha) in Vegas. His team was staying at the Golden Nugget, so we just chose to eat there instead of taking a taxi all the way to the strip. We were blown away! It has been voted one of America's ten best steakhouses, and I can see why! Elegant, upscale atmosphere....amazing wine list....incredible menu, where every single thing I've had has been wildly amazing! Go there, and you will not be disappointed. Just make sure you hail a taxi back to civilization afterwards ;)

Another one of my favorite places is Social House. Their motto is "Sushi. Sake. Socialize" so you KNOW it's a good place! Social House used to be located in Treasure Island, but now it's moved to the City Center. We went to Social House back in August when we came to Vegas for my bachelorette party, as I mentioned here. Be sure to try their Yellowtail tartar, which comes with crispy jalapeno, garlic dust, tiny cilantro, and soy sauce! (picture below) Also be sure and get the Seared Albacore roll, which is one of the best rolls I've had anywhere!

Yellowtail Tartar

Another favorite place of mine is Society Cafe at the Encore. This place is a must if you go to Vegas! Breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner....you can't go wrong! In 2009 it was honored in Esquire magazine as "Best New Restaurant in America!" It's THAT good! To be honest, what made me really fall in love with this place is the decor! Just look for yourself...

Check out the whole menu here.

Photo from their website, the rest I took myself.

Loved the accents of hot pink and lime green!

I had the Lobster Roll Club...so yummy!

But let's be honest - how cute is that mini ketchup bottle?!?

My favorite thing on the whole menu:

Frosted Flake French Toast, with caramelized bananas & whipped chocolate cream. YUM.

The last place I want to mention is David Myers' Comme Ça. I am already a huge fan of David Myers, but this place made it official! I knew there was one in L.A. because it is on my list of places to try, but until we drove past the City Center and saw it on their billboard, I had no idea there was now one in Vegas! It was my lucky day! We had lunch there, and it took all I had not to go back for dinner that night! The restaurant is a French brasserie boasting quality ingredients, an impressive wine selection, and an inventive cocktail list. The one in L.A. supposedly has a great cheese bar and nice happy hour! Here's what I had...

Can't remember the name of the cocktail, but it was light and very refreshing.

It had a gin base, with tons of cucumber and lime!

There was a raw bar at the restaurant, so we took full advantage & ordered oysters!

I split their COMME ÇA BURGER with someone... amazzzzing!!

 Here are some other Vegas recommendations, that I've tried out and LOVED:

- Laguna Champagne Bar at The Palazzo: fun to grab a drink before dinner or a show!
- Encore Beach Club (SO FUN!)
- Mesa Grill: Bobby Flay's restaurant at Caesar's Palace
- The Jade Enzyme Facial at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel (AH.MA.ZING.) Their waiting room and waiting area beats anything I've ever seen! I mean.... ice falls from the ceiling into a huge marble bowl so you can cool yourself and "seal your pores" after being in the sauna. It's that crazy amazing! :)
- Mandarin Bar at the Mandarin Oriental: on the 23rd floor, with amazing views and a great atmosphere.
- Serendippity 3: Everyone's favorite dessert place has now opened in Vegas, at Caesar's Palace!
- Peppermill: As I mentioned here this is my all-time favorite breakfast/brunch place in Vegas! Especially after a long night! It's very retro and old-Vegas. Definitely go here on your next Vegas trip!! Even Holly Madison loves it, haha!
- Rao's in Caesar's Palace: An Italian restaurant that Rachel Ray loves, which got Lindsay loving it, too! Be sure to try the meatballs and profiteroles for dessert!
- The Bank nightclub at the Bellagio
- Pure nightclub at Caesar's Palace
- Tryst nightclub at Wynn
- The Fountain Bar at the Bellagio: This bar is so great because of the view. You can sit outside year-round, over looking the Bellagio's famous fountains! So amazing!
- High tea at the Bellagio is also a fun afternoon treat!


Would love to hear your Vegas recommendations!! xx