A really short weekend to try out new things. To recap:
HOTEL - THE PALAZZO
I received an email for a rate of $179.00 on a Saturday night and figured why not?
A sister hotel of The Venetian, but of the two, I will definitely go back to the Venetian and skip the Palazzo.
It could have been a lame combination of innocuous happenings but it just irritated me: our room wasn't ready at 1:30pm for a 3pm check-in, while at the Venetian we were allowed to check in by Noon-ish. Also, waiting to see if a different kind of room would be ready instead felt like pulling teeth, but we did get a room with 2 beds for immediate check-in.
The "suite" felt smaller in scale and it was a connector room. In fact, most of the rooms on our floor (44th) where connector rooms. Also, the bathroom felt smaller and still had the nice marble counters, the bathtub felt like a transplant from a Marriott.
We called (repeatedly because their phone system was out) in the morning, after our friends managed to get a late check-out (gee, from 11am to 12pm) only to be told they couldn't accommodate our request. 1. They just did it. 2. It was only for one more hour, and they couldn't not accommodate this? Give me a break.
I doubt I will return to the Palazzo.
DINNER at CRAFTSTEAK (MGM Grand)
This was, by far, the best meal and bang-for-the-buck one could possibly ever get out of Vegas.
There are several levels of the Chef's Tasting Menu but we opted for the $130/pp Kobe Beef menu for our party of 4. While our waiter (Kevin, who was great) did tick off all the items that comes with ordering the Tasting Menu, we were still blown away by the sheer volume of food that is presented.
Course 1:
Salumi/Charcuterie with 3 baked pretzel breads, 4 kinds of mustards
Caesar Salad
Roasted Bell Peppers
Grilled Hawaiian Prawns
Course 2:
4 kinds of Kobe beef - NY Strip, Skirt steak, Rib eye, Flat iron
Pomme (de terre) Puree
Roasted Potatoes
Sauteed Mushrooms
Roasted Asparagus
Course 3:
Chocolate Lava Cake
Apple Crisp
Bread Pudding
Monkey Bread
Fresh Blueberries & Kiwi slices
Ice Cream and Sorbets - Espresso, Caramel, Milk Chocolate and Orange/Basil, Blood Orange, Yogurt
LUNCH earlier at JOE's STONE CRABS
Upon arrival, there was a small snafu re: our table. We had made a 3pm reservation, but they had us down at 2:30pm. The maitre was very warm and accommodating and offered to seat us inside right away, so we opted to sit in the lounge vs. the "outdoor patio" (which is outside the restaurant but still enclosed within Caesar's Forum Shops mall. Go Vegas) .
The best deal is Joe's Lunch Special. You get 5 Medium crab claws, a mound of Hash Browns, a side of Cole Slaw, and a slice of Key Lime Pie.
The crab was good and the potatoes were tasty, but the pie was fantastic! I rarely finish off the crust but this slice made great use of paring the slightly salty but sweet graham cracker crust with the tart pie and fresh whipped cream.
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