When fine dining isn't the order of the day, try some new picks for more relaxed fare. Here are four to check out.
1. An outpost of Morels French Steakhouse and Bistro opened at the Palazzo in January 2008. Decked out in smoky blues, dark woods, leather furniture, and slightly erotic art on the walls, it’s nothing like the original at the Grove in Los Angeles. Tables line a patio overlooking the Strip, and inside, a raw bar and cheese-and-charcuterie counter fill the bar and lounge. The dining room seats 300, and two private rooms seat 100.
2. The Tuscan-style Italian restaurant Ago replaced Simon at the Hard Rock Hotel in February 2008. Directly across from Nobu (another Robert De Niro-backed restaurant), the space is awash in earth tones, with a bar and lounge and a patio leading out to the pool area, and it can host semiprivate events. Antipasti, pastas, chops, and seafood zip out of the open kitchen. A semiprivate space inside seats 60.
3. Set in the center of the Shoppes at the Palazzo, the circular 2,100-square-foot Double Helix Wine Bar features more than 50 wines by the glass, and the adjacent boutique sells bottles from all over the world. A V.I.P. room holds special vintages from classics like Château Lafite Rothschild and reserve wines from cult favorites such as Screaming Eagle and Harlan Estate. Emeril Lagasse’s nearby Table 10 restaurant compiled Double Helix’s noshing menu.
4. A more modern version of the classic tiki bar Trader Vic’s opened at the Miracle Mile Shops at the Planet Hollywood Resort in fall 2007. The 11,000-square-foot space is actually three venues in one: a restaurant that seats 120, the patio overlooking the Strip and Bellagio fountains, and an upstairs lounge with its own elevator and DJ area. The food and drink menus feature Vic’s specialties such as crispy duck spring rolls, Szechuan prawns, Scorpion Bowls, and mai tais.
This information was previously published in the 2009 BizBash National Venue Guide.
