Eat Like Ushi

For some good standard Italian staples, Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria & Cucina inside The Shops at Crystals.

- Calamari "Fritto", Garlic Aioli, Lemon, Paprika
- salad of lettuce, tomato, pistachio, parmesan
- bread with prosciutto, asparagus, rocket, parmesan
- Pappardelle, mushrooms, parsley
- Linguine, Steamed Clams, White Wine-Garlic Sauce
- 4 pizzas
- gelato & biscotti

Finding a recommended restaurant in Las Vegas is difficult. There are the buffets, the Michelin restaurants and the remainder of the strip with their supply to the mobs. A little bit out of the way of the strip is a Japanese grill called Raku. Be careful when taking a taxi as most of them don't know where it is, even if you give them the address and will try to drop you well before the venue. When you get there, you'll know - it's a turn off into a small carpark leading directly to the front entrance.

There's the options of a la carte, a set course made from the menu items ($50 back in 2011), and a separate more expensive kaiseki menu of special dishes (probably more similar to traditional kaiseki).

Our group of 9 had the set course served to us in the private room. To my surprise we didn't actually grill any of the food, rather it was cooked in the kitchen then brought out to us.

- sashimi
- steamed chicken, tomato
- grilled tomatoes
- seared rare beef
- grilled chicken thigh steak
- grilled matsutake mushrooms
- grilled mushroom wrapped with bacon
- seafood soup
- grilled portabella mushroom stuffed with ground chicken
- grilled Kobe beef outside skirt with garlic
- grilled Kurobuta pork cheek
- ikura don (rice topped with dried seasoning and salmon roe)
- grilled crispy pig ears (ordered from the a la carte menu)
- mixture of sweet desserts

Next time I would order the set menu with a large group, or from the a la carte for less. All dishes were very tasty and a welcome separation in cuisine and location from the rest of the Vegas monotony. There are some classic and some exciting selections that sound worth it like poached egg with uni & salmon roe, foie gras egg custard, uni & wakame soup, and green tea creme brulee.

The Las Vegas buffet is one of the great food customs while visiting the city of sin. There is much debate regarding the best buffet in town. The best (and most expensive) is Sterling Brunch at Bally's which is known for oysters, lobster, champagne. Unfortunately it is Sunday brunch only, meaning you have to time it well.

Of the rest, the Bellagio and Wynn are widely regarded to be the pick of the lot. We chose the Bellagio mainly because we stayed there (as the rooms are much cheaper) meaning express entry into the restaurant. And on a Saturday night, this easily saved us more than 30min of queuing time.

The food selection is very broad, so ensures the ability to cater for whatever whims you and your group have both in life and specifically that evening. The quality itself however is average.

The best of the lot is the seafood - good sushi and sashimi, prawns, mussels, crab legs. The less good news is the meat - excellent selection and all cooked to a nice medium rare, but the quality was lacking meaning it was all quite tough to chew through.

Next time I would only eat here if I was staying at the hotel with a group of people each wanting something different to eat. Otherwise I would eat at any of the many quality Vegas restaurants for the same amount of money, some of which are on this blog!