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'Wichcraft
This airy, bewitching kitchen serves belly-warming sandwiches like grilled cheddar with smoked ham and baked apples or Sicilian tuna with black olives on a baguette. Perfect side salads of chick peas, mustard potatoes or fresh fruit are uplifting, as are the s'mores desserts.
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Alex
Beloved, legendary chef Alessandro Stratta stretches his wings at this five-star French restaurant, with such wildly successful high-concept dishes as risotto with crisp chicken oysters or herb-crusted rack of lamb with basil chutney and chickpea crêpe. The pastry chef's dessert creations are not to be skipped. Jackets suggested for men.
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Alizé
Vegas chef André Rochat's top-drawer gourmet room is named after a gentle Mediterranean trade wind. The panoramic views (enjoyed by nearly every table) are stunning, just like the haute French cuisine. An enormous wine-bottle tower dominates the room. Jacket and tie suggested. Reservations essential.
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Aureole
Chef Charlie Palmer's inspired seasonal American dishes like oven-roasted pheasant with sweet-potato gnocchi soar to new heights. The chef's tasting menus are pure art and it's worth ordering wine just to watch catsuit-clad 'wine angels' ascend the four-story tower. Extensive wine list, formal dress. Reservations essential but difficult.
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Bally's Sterling Brunch
Indulge at the best - and most expensive - Sunday champagne brunch in town. Ice sculptures and lavish flower arrangements abound at Bally's Sterling Brunch, as do food stations featuring roast duckling, broiled lobster, caviar on ice - you get the idea.
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Bartolotta Ristorante Di Mare
Yet another of Wynn's stable of James Beard Award winners, chef Paul Bartolotta interprets fresh seafood flown in daily from Europe in a Mediterranean style, along with fresh-made pastas. The spiny lobster all' acqua pazza (literally, 'crazy water') is a signature dish.
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Battista's Hole in the Wall
Behind the Flamingo is this kitschy Old Vegas hideaway. For more than 30 years, the Battista family has been dishing up the likes of steak Caruso, manicotti and veal parmegiana all with complimentary sides, including house wine and cappuccinos. It's just a block from the Strip, but decades away in feel, thanks to a strolling accordion player.
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Binion's Coffee Shop
This vintage 24-hour coffee shop is the real deal. Stuff yourself silly with the oversized portions, then choke on the roughed-up coffee, which lets you know you've really arrived downtown. The waitresses are as friendly as your mom; ask 'em about the specials, day or night.
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Bouchon
Napa Valley wunderkind Thomas Keller's new rendition of a Lyonnaise bistro features an award-winning menu of seasonal classics. The poolside setting complements the oyster bar, extensive raw seafood selection, super wine list and decadent breakfasts and desserts. Reservations recommended.
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Bradley Ogden
With gourmet farm-fresh fare, this San Francisco Bay area chef's eponymous restaurant delivers nouveau takes on American classics, like blue-cheese soufflés and steamed Alaskan halibut with basil vinaigrette. Torch lights and waterfalls demarcate a soothing space away from the casino buzz. Reservations strongly recommended.
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Buffet at Bellagio
The Buffet at Bellagio frequently takes top honors as the best live-action buffet in town in an annual local independent survey, and for good reason. The Bellagio's sumptuous spread includes crowd pleasers such as smoked salmon, roast duck, and many wonderful Chinese, Japanese and Italian dishes.
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Burger Bar
Since when is a hamburger worth around US$60 ? When it's built with Kobe beef, sautéed foie gras, shaved truffles and Madeira sauce. Chef Hubert Keller (of famed Fleur de Lys) serves up his signature Rossini burger, build-your-own burgers (veggie OK), whimsical desserts and other off-the-cuff gourmet treats.
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Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!
Inside this Spanish bar and bistro, attentive servers present paellas for two and a parade of hot and cold authentic tapas such as patatas aioli (garlic potatoes), spicy gambas (shrimp) and imported artisan cheeses. Uniquely flavored sangrias and bite-sized desserts tempt you into lingering.
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Canaletto
A showy exhibition kitchen and sky-high ceilings emphasize the solid northern Italian cooking, especially fresh-baked breads from Il Fornaio bakery. To be safe, stick with signature dishes like porcini risotto and roasted chicken. Aim for a table with a gondola view.
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Canter's Deli
What did Canter's bring over the state line from its landmark LA delicatessen? You guessed it: the infamously gruff service. Wave goodbye to all considerations of politeness then steal one of the seats at the stainless-steel counter or a mod booth for authentic deli fare that's as good as it gets.
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Capital Grille
What sets this clubby chain steakhouse apart is hand-cut, dry-aged beef, carved chops and succulent seafood. For a posh power lunch, fork into a tenderloin Caesar salad or lobster-crab burger. The Old and New World wine list gets the nod from Wine Spectator .
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Carnival World & Village Seafood Buffets
With dishes from China, Brazil, Mexico and Italy on offer, as well as loads of fresh seafood and handmade Italian gelato, some say Carnival World is the best all-around buffet in town. The more expensive Village Seafood Buffet is for those who just can't get enough crab legs, lobster tails and oysters, plus salads, pasta and fresh-baked breads.
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Charlie Palmer Steak
Artisan-aged beef is grilled to perfection at this classy, Spanish-influenced hideaway. Starring on a regional American menu are Kansas City rib eye and Hudson Valley foie gras. Impressive wine list; business casual dress. Reservations essential.
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Chinois
Peripatetic chef Wolfgang Puck scores again with his signature Eurasian fusion served in a chic, artistic Far East atmosphere. Pair the firecracker shrimp with a premium cold saké. Happy hour to Sunday to Friday.
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Circo
This whimsical Big Top-inspired osteria overlooks the dancing fountains of faux Lake Como. Rustic yet complex handmade pasta and secondi such as Tuscan octopus and calamari stew perform well alongside an international wine cellar. Reservations suggested.
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Craftsteak
From James Beard Award-winning chef Tom Colicchio, this contemporary, richly wood-laden space may lack exclusivity, but makes up for that with an intriguing menu of grass-fed vs grain-fed strip steaks and bounty from the sea like regional American oysters, Beluga caviar and Australian lobster tail.
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Cypress Street Marketplace
You can handily charge fresh, made-to-order salads, global wraps, Asian stir-fries, southern barbecue and pizza, along with beer, wine and health drinks, to a 'smart' card, then pay upon exiting. Courtyard tables perch over the casino floor.
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Daniel Boulud Brasserie
From the chef who birthed NYC's Daniel restaurant, this is where carnivores should head for gourmet burgers stuffed with foie gras and black truffles, bacon-crusted pork chops and Maine lobster salads with curry-lime vinaigrette, as well as tamer platters of French brasserie classics to be shared.
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Delmonico Steakhouse
Bam! It's celeb chef Emeril Lagasse's greatest gourmet hits, as seen on TV. The cuts are ready for prime time, the influences are Creole and the chateaubriand-for-two is carved tableside. Big oak doors open into a vault-ceilinged space. Reservations essential.
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Eiffel Tower Restaurant
The adage about 'the better the view, the worse the food' doesn't apply here. Views of the Strip and Bellagio's fountains are as breathtaking as the near-perfect contemporary renditions of haute classics like foie gras. The chef's tasting menu is recommended, as is the Francophile wine list. Reservations recommended.
