First trip, staying at the MGM and need advice

Hi all,

We%26#39;re goign to vegas for the first time aug 30-sept. 3. Staying at the MGM Grand and want to iron a few things out.

1. Best steakhouse

2. Best Italian Restaurant

3. Is fremont all it%26#39;s cracked up to be?

4. How to get a tour to hoover dam

5. IN general, opinions on shows.

Thanks

First trip, staying at the MGM and need advice

I ate at two of the restaurants at MGM last month and loved them both. Dinner at Craftsteak was probably one of the best meals I%26#39;ve ever had. I also ate at a Mexican place, Diego%26#39;s, and thought it was very good (a little pricey for Mexican, though). I haven%26#39;t eaten at an Italian restaurant in Vegas in several years.

I like Fremont Street...but it%26#39;s very polarizing. There%26#39;s not a lot of glamour to it...but it%26#39;s a cool place to go if you like cheaper gambling/cheaper food/ cheaper drinks.

LOVE at Mirage is my favorite show, but it%26#39;s pricey ($125 per) and usually sells out well in advance. I%26#39;d do a ';search'; on shows on this forum to get more opinions.

Have a great trip!

First trip, staying at the MGM and need advice

MGM has the steakhouse and the Italian -Pricey. You have to see Fremont Street, go at night. You can ask the concierge at MGM for tour info. KA at MGM is my fave. Have Fun ! I%26#39;ll be back from my Vegas trip by then and working on the plans to go back on Oct.

There are a ton of places where you can get a great steak, ill give you a few of them.

BRAND inside Monte Carlo

BOA inside Forum shops at Caesars

CHARLIE PALMERS at Four Seasons

CIRCO at Bellagio

CRAFTSTEAK at MGM Grand

FIORE at Rio

KOKOMOS at MIRAGE

MESA GRILL at Caesars

NEROS at Caesars

N9NE at Palms

PRIME at Bellagio

SMITH %26amp; WOLLENSKY on the strip

STRIP HOUSE at Planet Hollywood

STRIP STEAK at Mandalay Bay

SW at Wynn

THE RANGE at Harrahs

As for Italian

b%26amp;b ristorante in Venetian

cafe martorano at Rio

circo at bellagio

corsa cucina at wynn

raos at caesars

As for Fremont, went many years ago, was ok. Should see at least once.

Hoover dam, go to the dam and take the tour, when we went they had 2 different tours, one was a lot more detailed and took you places the reg tour didnt take you and you had to wear a hardhat, that was then dont know about now.

AS for shows it depends on what you like. Mac King is pretty good, Big Elvis also. As for the Cirque shows we really liked MYSTERE at TI. O was ok and we didnt like Zumanity. Have not seen LOVE yet. Mama Mia was good and my wife liked Tony and Tinas wedding. Lance Burton was very good and we got to see David Copperfield at Caesars, he was also very good. I guess it all depends on what you like and when your going.

We stayed at the MGM Grand a couple of weeks back. We dined at Craftsteak to celebrate my (older) brothers 40th birthday. We had the chefs taster menu, which meant we had two starters, two cuts of steak with sides and two deserts chosen for us off the menu.

The starters were steak tartare and atlantic tiger prawns, neither of which we would have chosen off the menu, however, we tried them and they were certainly new tastes for us (never really been keen on prawns, but these were gorgeous). Main course were two sizzling cuts of steak, one sirloin the other flat iron. These were served with creamy mash and a variety of mushrooms. Could not fault any of it. The steaks were very different in taste and texture, I preferred the flat iron for a bit more crispness. Funnily enough, I forget the deserts, but I know we polished them off. I had a scotch with an ice cube just to see the 2'; ice cube sat in the glass.

Service was faultless. In fact I enjoyed watching at the waiters, maitre d%26#39;s and sommeliers scampering round. I have never seen so many staff in a restaurant. Our server seemed genuinely interested in where we came from and what we were doing in Vegas. A great place to people watch.

Certainly the poshest most highclass restaurant I%26#39;d been in, and thank goodness for the exchange rate, because at $360 we won%26#39;t be doing that again in a hurry.

We also ate at the MGM Grand mexican, again excellent service, wonderful mojito, but the food was a little dissapointing.

Regarding Freemont Experience make sure you know the time it starts before going. We took a taxi up there having read that it started at 7.30, only to find when we got there it would be 8.30. It was so HOT and with the wind blowing down the street it was like opening an oven door. So we caved in and took a taxi back.

Those all sound liek some great options!

1. Best steakhouse

Craftsteak since it%26#39;s at your hotel.

2. Best Italian Restaurant

Stay away from Battista%26#39;s Hole in the Wall. Rao%26#39;s or B%26amp;B are good.

3. Is fremont all it%26#39;s cracked up to be?

No. It%26#39;s fun but but ghetto.

4. How to get a tour to hoover dam.

They advertise tours in the free magazines all over Vegas.

5. IN general, opinions on shows.

In general, shows are good.

We%26#39;re going the exact same dates, and I%26#39;m glad to see we%26#39;re not the only ones excited and planning in advance!

We stayed at the Signature MGM last year and had a terrific Italian meal at Fiamma in the MGM. We had a terrific meal for $50 each: appetizer, entree, plus an insane amount of dessert.

It was the first ever Restaurant Week in Vegas, and it is happening again this year. Basically, the restaurants do a set menu and a percentage goes to a local charity. It%26#39;s been going on in DC for years and is so popular you often cannot get a reservation. But between the newness and the week after Labor Day, we had our choice of restaurants.

www.threesquare.org/calendar_detail.asp鈥?/a>

We loved Fremont. A little cheesy but fun. We went and did the Main Street buffet, watched the Fremont Experience, and got some great pictures of the neon signs. It was a nice change of pace from the Strip.

A side note: be sure to check out the MGM Lazy River before they close it on Labor Day. We loved that.

The MGM is amazing!!

The Monte carlo Brew Pub does a lovely %26#39;Steak and Stein%26#39; offer, gorgeous steak and a beer, one of the best steaks I%26#39;ve had all for $15!!

Zefferino%26#39;s in Venetian is good, overlooking the indoor gondolas.

Freemont is ok, cheap gambling and slots - seem to win more often up that end of the street.

I%26#39;ve seen %26#39;O%26#39; and Mystere, both were really amazing.

Have fun x