Frommer's Las Vegas 2004

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CHAPTER 6 . WHERE TO DINE
Kids
Family-Friendly Restaurants
Buffets Cheap meals for the whole family. The kids can choose what
they like, and there are sometimes make-your-own sundae machines.
Section 8 of this chapter reviews all the buffets and notes which ones
have reduced prices for kids.
Rainforest Cafe (p. 131) This is like eating in the Jungle Book Ride at
Disneyland. Animals howl, thunder wails, everywhere there is something
to marvel at. There is a decent kids’ menu, and they might even
learn a little bit about ecology and the environment.
Hard Rock Cafe (p. 131) Kids adore this restaurant, which throbs with
excitement and is filled with rock memorabilia.
Pink Pony This bubble-gum-pink, circus-motif, 24-hour coffee shop
at Circus Circus will appeal to kids. Mom and Dad can linger while the
kids race upstairs to watch circus acts and play carnival games.
Sherwood Forest Cafe Kids love to climb on the lavender dragons
fronting this 24-hour coffee shop at Excalibur, and they can also enjoy
numerous child-oriented activities while you’re on the premises.
Toto’s (p. 157) This Mexican restaurant that features enormous portions
served family-style is a casual place favored by locals.
The Monte Carlo Pub & Brewery (p. 134) Despite the “pub” part of
the name, this noisy place in the Monte Carlo hotel has many TVs to
distract short-attention kids and brooding teenagers, all of whom will
like the BBQ, pizza, and chicken fingers. Parents will be pleased with
the low prices.
Cypress Street Marketplace (p. 145) Caesars Palace’s food court (stylish
enough to offer real plates and cloth napkins) offers a range of
food (from very good hot dogs to wrap sandwiches to Vietnamese
noodles) wide enough to ensure bottomless-pit teenagers, picky
grade-schoolers and health-conscious parents will all find something
that appeals, at affordable prices.
Word is that they might add Patina’s delightful butternut-squash soup to the
menu here, and if so, you should try it. The signature dish, beloved by many, is
a roasted chicken accompanied by heaping mounds of garlic fries; but if you
wish to get a little more elaborate (and yet rather light), thin slices of smoked
salmon with celery rémoulade could be a way to go. Desserts are lovely, and the
ice cream is homemade—the chocolate alone should make you wish you’d never
eaten at 31 Flavors, because it was wasted calories compared to this. Note: It’s
easy to graze through this menu and have a less costly meal here than at most
other high-end places, and the constant operating hours mean you can also pop
in for a nosh at times when other fine-dining options are closed.
In The Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S. & 702/735-8888. Reservations recommended for dinner. Main
courses $12–$18 at lunch, $19–$30 at dinner. AE, DISC, MC, V. Daily 11:30am–10:30pm.
Star Canyon SOUTHWESTERN Texas-based chef Stephen Pyles is more
or less credited with inventing Southwestern cuisine, and this new branch of his
highly touted Dallas restaurant not only gives Coyote Cafe a serious run for the