The Venetian is the epitome of luxury, and it is enormous. You will get lost. But that’s okay because you will need to find ways to work off the excessive calories consumed at the many ridiculously decadent dining options. Walking the halls to eventually find your way back to the room is a good way to start.
We were at the Venetian for business, but that doesn’t mean that we didn’t get to play. Read on as we share a few of the best places we found to eat (including the ONE restaurant that you must try), and a few fun things to do to occupy your time in between work sessions or exploring the Vegas strip.
The Stunning Beauty of The Venetian
When you are in need of a luxury getaway, the Venetian is an excellent choice. Whether you come for business or pleasure, the Venetian will not disappoint.
The beauty of this place is stunning. The art, the tile work, the attention to detail, the smiling faces and attentive service… you will love every bit of it. We certainly did. From the moment you walk in the front doors greeted by charming staff and gold-gilded, larger-than-life sculptures, this place displays the opulence of Vegas with style and class.
The multi-award winning Vegas resort is yuge (yes, I said yuge, as in, ‘even bigger and better than Trump Tower’) and with endless options for dining, shopping, and entertainment, not to mention opportunity aplenty to loose all your money on the casino floor. I wonder if during our three days in Vegas we will ever even leave the building.
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The suites are massive.
Our room is over six hundred square feet with two inviting queen beds and a step-down living room complete with sofa, table, desk, over-stocked wet bar and giant screen television. The room is tastefully decorated in Venetian style and overlooking the garden pool. The bathroom is bright and beautiful with more than enough mirrors for primping before your night out at one of the many celebrity chef restaurants, going all-in on the casino floor, or exploring the Vegas strip.
Being here for a working vacation, there wasn’t a ton of ‘play time’ but there were certainly plenty of opportunities to eat.
For more of America’s Southwest destinations read: Eat, Stay, & Play | 3 Days in Austin, TX
WHERE TO EAT – Our Three Favorite Venetian Restaurants
So many restaurants, so little time!
Our first (and by far the best) Venetian restaurant experience, Wolfgang Puck’s CUT
Cut is epicurean dining like none that I have experienced. Forgive me for rambling on about the food we experienced at this impressive place. Just scroll on down if you want the short version, but yes, it really was that good. CUT is one of the more expensive dining options ($$$$) at the Venetian, but… wow.
As conference guests, we joined our group in a reserved private room in which hang three stunning portraits of modern pop culture icons. At first, having Denzel Washington, Brad Pitt, and Cate Blanchett stare at me all night while I was eating was a little off-putting, but as the evening wore on they grew on me.
Here goes… seven courses of foodie heaven
After starting the evening with a few sips of a very nice pinot noir, the black-clad servers began the onslaught of appetizers, each one more decadent than the last. First, a cheesy, flaky, mini pastry, followed by another tart-like delicacy with a potato and onion filling, carefully placed on our small plate which the server then artfully dressed with a small soon-swipe of grainy mustard.
As soon as the table finished these small bites, we are blessed with what has to be the best slider known to man. Kobe beef with jalapeño marmalade on a beautiful mini brioche style bun. A tiny little thing that I wish came full sized. Now that’s a burger I could put away. But then we wouldn’t have room for what comes next.
We chose from an offering of two salads and, while Jim and I will usually go for different options so that we can experience more than one, we both went for the Fuji apples and fennel salad. Sweet and flavorful, with the perfect light vinaigrette dressing, topped with an orange blue cheese and toasted almonds. This is inspiration I’m taking home with me. We will certainly do our best to mock up this recipe for family and friends.
Before long, a mixologist rolls her cart to our table to offer a house invention involving infused tequila, citrus, and edible flowers.
For our selection of mains, Jim goes with the steak and I eagerly settle on the sea bass, hoping to keep it light. This was only our first night in town, after all. There would be plenty more opportunities to indulge in the days to come.
Both entrees were cooked to perfection, but I must say, the crisp and perfectly seasoned sea bass is something I think I could eat every night of the week.
Dessert rounded out the evening in just the right way. They had me at ‘ginger ice cream’. So I had to go with the mixed berry compote graced with a scoop of said ginger ice cream, while Jim savors a chocolate mousse accompanied by a scoop of berry sorbet. Is that gold leaf? …yes, yes it is. It turns out this is just first dessert.
Second dessert is offered to the table as a selection of bite size sweet delights to choose from to round out the night.
Beyond satisfied from tonight’s dinner at CUT, we depart for evening drinks wondering if tonight’s menu experience could be beat. We’ll see.
Okay, moving on now.
Breakfast at the Grand Luxe Cafe
Skipping my chance to photograph the Grand Luxe Cafe’s Huevos Rancheros will go down as one of my biggest travel writer fails of all time. It turns out to be the best huevos rancheros we’ve ever had. You’ll just have to imagine, and maybe go try it for yourself… A huge platter of saucy spiced black beans on a bed of golden crispy corn tortillas topped with a couple fried eggs and a crazy killer roasted pepper ranchero sauce that makes this a dish worth coming back for. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve talked about (and tried to replicate) this dish in the days since.
The following morning, we joined friends back here for another crack at breakfast. Excited and talking up their memorable huevos rancheros, I was looking forward to a second chance at this dish (and a photo of it to share with you). How sad I was to learn that they were out and we would have to settle on something else. Oh well. If you get the chance, try it… and send us a pic!
Their ‘Best’ Eggs Benedict was nothing speak of. Momma taught me that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything all. So, let’s just say we didn’t order that one a second time.
They did have a nice brioche french toast with fresh strawberries, but I was totally preoccupied with having missed out on the huevos rancheros to really enjoy it.
Emeril Lagasse’s Delmonico Steakhouse
The following night is dinner at Delmonico’s. Drinks in the lounge are a great place to start with several artisan cocktails to choose from as well as a good selection of craft beer including this Hop Rising Double IPA from Squatters Craft Beers out of Utah.
The appetizers here at Delmonico are off hook. Having a large group, we sampled several including steak tartare, tuna tartare, truffle chips, and more. The entrees were good but paled in comparison to the first course.
PLAYTIME AT THE VENETIAN
Pick a pool, any pool.
Between conference sessions, or during if you are lucky, explore one of the Venetian’s ten pools. Yes, ten.
ThPLAYTIMEHPE (Hewlett Packard Enterprises) Discover conference is what brought us to The Venetian, hello cool tech! There were too many attendees for everyone to fit in the main hall so we had fun playing with HP’s new app. This app allowed us to watch any session from virtually anywhere in the hotel using a smartphone. Perfect time to lounge poolside, I would say.
Explore Venice along the Grand Canal
Laid out as a duplicate of the streets of Venice and the shops you will find there, the Venetian’s Grand Canal is a great way to escape the Las Vegas heat while feeling like you are outside.
Grab a serenade and gondola ride from the festively dressed gondoliers. Or a gelato and a show by one of the various ‘street performers’.
The Tables
You are in Vegas, so of course you’ve got to try your hand at the tables! Just prepare yourself, at a ritzy place like this the buy-in is not cheap. No table has anything less than a $15 minimum bet. Just, try to stay out of trouble. ? Oh, and, no photos on the casino floor. Trust me, they’ll give you the stink eye, or maybe even (gasp!) kick you out.
BOOK IT!
Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure, surround yourself with luxury during your time in Vegas with a stay at The Venetian.
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Beautiful! Isn’t Vegas amazing! Too expensive, but fun.
Agreed!