Frommer's Las Vegas 2004

SOUTH STRIP 133
to thank. He’s out on his own now, creating kicky little restaurants all over town.
For our tastes, his food isn’t quite interesting enough, and can be hit or miss, but
when Sazio is on, the food’s delicious. The menu is full of traditional Italian
dishes—no, it’s not just spaghetti with meat sauce, but don’t look for any
froufrou nouveau cuisine here. Having said that, it’s a heck of a lot better than
most Vegas hotels’ generic Italian food, and portions are sized either for one person
or in “grandioso,” which is meant to feed two people and easily does so, with
likely leftovers. It’s great fun to come in a group, order a few of the larger portions,
plop ’em in the center of the table, and have a feeding frenzy. Desserts
include a knockout cheesecake. And they do takeout!
4500 W. Tropicana Ave. (in the Orleans Hotel).& 702/948-9500. www.saziolasvegas.com. Reservations not
accepted except for private parties. Lunch mostly under $10; dinner entrees single portion $7.95–$15,
“Grandioso” (feeds 2 or more) $13–$19. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Mon–Thurs 11:30am–10pm; Fri–Sat
4–10:30pm; Sun 4–10pm.
Wolfgang Puck Café CALIFORNIA A brightly colored riot of mosaic
tiles and other experiments in geometric design, the Wolfgang Puck Café stands
out in the MGM Grand. It’s more or less Spago (Puck’s famous L.A. restaurant)
Lite: downscaled salads, pizzas, and pastas, all showing the Puck hand. While
perhaps a little pricier than what you’d find at your average cafe, the food is comparably
better, if sometimes not that special. It’s all very fresh nouvelle cuisine,
however, which makes a nice change of pace. There does tend to be a line to get
in, particularly after shows let out just across the casino.
The specialty pizzas are fun; constructed on crusts topped with fontina and
mozzarella cheeses, they’re brushed with pesto and layered with embellishments
such as spicy jalapeño-marinated sautéed chicken, leeks, and cilantro. (And no,
it’s not just like eating the Puck brand sold in the frozen-food section of your
grocery store.) It’s always a thrill to get a good salad in Vegas, and there are quite
Value Great Meal Deals
We’ve already alluded to the rock-bottom budget meals and graveyard
specials available at casino hotel restaurants. Quality not assured and
Pepto-Bismol not provided. As prices and deals can change with no
notice, we don’t want to list examples (though Castaway’s had an 18 oz.
T-bone steak and two beers for $6.50, last we checked, and the San Remo
was offering a prime rib special for $4.95, both round the clock).
Your best bet is to keep your eyes open as you travel through town, as
hotels tend to advertise their specials on their marquees. Or you can go
to www.lasvegasweekly.com and click “dining” and then “dining bargains,”
though the tips and prices may be similarly somewhat out of date.
Two particularly noteworthy places for late-night munchies are the Bay
City Diner at the Golden Gate Casino in Downtown; get the grilled cheddar-and-bacon
sandwich, or the “777”—a 16-ounce porterhouse steak,
plus salad and potato, for $7.77. It’s available around the clock, but you
have to ask for it, as it’s not on the menu. And Mr. Lucky’s 24/7 at the
Hard Rock Hotel is a particularly good coffee shop, with particularly good
people-watching. Check out the blonde eating the messy nachos, and the
scruffy guy eating an especially good steak. Pamela and Kid Rock? Finally,
the buffet at the Boardwalk Holiday Inn is the only one open 24 hours,
and they start serving breakfast at 11pm.