It is not a real weekend escape without great food.  So many great restaurants in one spot, I always put a little extra money aside for great eating when I come to visit Las Vegas.  This trip, I decided to lay my head at the Paris Hotel.  This is a hotel that I have always wanted to stay in because of my love for all things Paris.  Needless to say, my expectations were high while my taste buds were ready, willing, and able.

Eiffel Tower Restaurant was my first meal at the Paris Hotel.  I had a long day doing the Grand Canyon tour, so by the time I returned to the hotel, I was starving.  In the spirit of being adventurous and not really trying to spend much time figuring out menu selections, I went with their tasting menu.  I am on vacation and staying in a hotel, so I am not looking for heaping portions to take home in a to-go bag, I just want great tasting food.  On this particular day, the tasting menu started with warm Maine lobster, creamed corn, and double smoked bacon.  Winning.  The lobster was tender and blended well with the creamed corn and bacon.  Of course to me, everything pairs well with bacon.  Check this one off as a meal I will be adding to the Michele repertoire.  The Foie Gras with Bing Cherries did not do it for me, it is definitely an acquired taste, but there is nothing wrong with trying different foods.  My love affair was restored by the halibut with mini ratatouille and sautéed kale.  I could eat fish everyday if it was prepared like this all the time.  The next course was rabbit loin with braised leek and a fava bean puree.  The rabbit was cooked to perfection.  I wanted to lick the puree off the plate, but since I was in a nice restaurant and my parents raised me to be a lady, I decided to forgo this action.  The meal was brought to completion with a warm baked Alsace apple strudel and cinnamon ice cream.  By the time I finished eating, my stomach was twerking with happiness.  If you have only one splurge day for dining, I highly recommend Eiffel Tower Restaurant.

Le Village Buffet at Paris was my only buffet experience this weekend.  I am just not that big a fan of buffet dining, yet I totally understand why people enjoy buffets.  Everyone wants to get their money’s worth.  If I am going to spend a lot of money on a meal, I would prefer it to be for dinner or a fabulous lunch.  Le Village Buffet had a great selection of breakfast items, so if you are traveling with a group and want to find something for everyone, it totally makes sense.  I have probably never seen eggs prepared so many ways, but they did inspire me to upgrade my scramble egg game.

I was in the mood for Italian food and gave Martorano’s a try.  Who doesn’t love a good meatball?  When I am traveling, I do not want to eat the same type of food every night, and I definitely took advantage of my stay at the Paris Hotel.  The server was attentive and the cocktails were excellent, but I must say every restaurant I went to in Vegas had an amazing selection of cocktails.  There were a lot of good flavors going on at Martorano’s, but they could probably tone down the salt.  Everything I had tasted real good, it was just a little too salty.

Hexx Chocolate came to my rescue when I wanted something sweet and the restaurant I was in at the time did not have a dessert which caught my eye.  I fell in love with their custom ice cream sandwiches.  Truthfully, I had never heard of them or had any of their products.  Their ice cream was mind blowing.  I just wanted to sit at the counter with a ladle and eat ice cream.  If they ever start selling ice cream in grocery stores nationwide, I am buying stock options.

Gordon Ramsay Steak was how I ended my stay in Vegas.  Sometimes you just want a good steak.  Being a Chicago girl, meat is at our core.  I order a loaded potato and paired it with a nice filet, cooked medium.  My favorite cocktail of the weekend was their HK Antioxidant.  It had veev acai liquer, lemon, blueberries.  This was probably the best cocktail I had all weekend and I am going shopping for veev acai liquer this weekend.  Vegas really is a great food city.  Enjoy the shows and gambling, but make sure to set aside time and money so you can experience the amazing cuisine.