Food Galore in Sin City - Day 1

For my recent birthday, my fiance' and I went to Las Vegas for some rest, relaxation and, of course, good food! We stayed at the Bellagio and thanks to a dear friend, we were upgraded to a luxurious suite on the 36th floor. From the top floor, we had phenomenal views from the living room and bedroom. One of the best parts of the suite was having separate bathrooms -- a plasma and steam shower (to fit four) for him and a plasma and jacuzzi tub for me. I have to say that the suite was among the finest I have seen in my nearly 20-year hotel career, which includes 5-star, 5-diamond resorts. But I digress; let's talk about FOOD!

Upon settling, we headed down to the Gelato Bar in the Bellagio. The selection of the day was Bailey's gelato. Brad, who loves ice cream, immediately pounced on it and ordered a sundae. He had a double of the Bailey's gelato served with hot caramel sauce and paired with Dulce de Leche gelato and hot fudge sauce. He didn't want to overdo it, so he declined the whipped cream! The Bailey's gelato, not a flavor you readily find, was excellent. The two selections was a great mix of flavors with nothing overpowering each other. It was a little slice of heaven to start our vacation.

Dinner our first night was at Olive's, Todd English's restaurant at the Bellagio, which sits on the far wing of the resort and has a lovely view of the dancing fountains. With the 100+ degree heat this evening, we preferred a window table inside. The Mediterranean-inspired restaurant already had a "buzz" going at 6:30PM on a Monday evening. Signature martinis and beautiful glasses of wine were dancing through the room and, of course, we had to join in on the fun. One of their signature dishes is a homemade flatbread and they have many selections of it on the menu. We choose the special of the day with bolognese sauce and freshly shaved parmesan cheese and basil. It came to the table beautifully presented on a pizza board -- hot, crispy and extremely flavorful. This is one dish that I will be working on this fall for home entertaining (and of course, will include in future posts). It was a lot to share, so we then chose to share another entree special of housemade ravioli with ricotta and Italian sausage. I love fresh pasta and this was also another winner. The sauce was milder than the flatbread, however, the texture of the pasta was perfect. For dessert, we chose three varieties of cheese, which we find ourselves enjoying more and more these days. The selections this evening were Humboldt Fog goat cheese, Manchego and Gorgonzola. The condiments and toasted bread were nicely presented with the cheese presentation. We each finished our respective glasses of wine (Cabernet for Brad and an Oregon Pinot Noir for me) and walked it all off through the upscale shopping gallery of the Bellagio as well as by throwing some dice on the crap table.

Come back for more food and our Day 2 restaurant adventures in Las Vegas.