New Year's Eve in Vegas on a few dimes.

December 8, 2009 8:30 PM

Where can a young couple go on New Year's Eve in Las Vegas for a nice dinner staying through midnight, while spending less than $300? We are staying at Mandalay Bay and currently have a few reservations for the restaurants there (Aureole and China Grill) but they are for earlier in the night and are pretty expensive!
posted by pithy comment to Travel & Transportation around Las Vegas, NV (5 answers total)

My dad does a good amount of traveling to Las Vegas for business. Every time he's out there, he makes sure to get to Rosemary's Restaurant. I've never been myself--but my dad RAVES about the restaurant, the staff and the overall ambiance/experience. Glancing at the menu, it does seem pretty delicious and also rather reasonably priced. The one thing to note is that it is not on the strip--so you would have to take a cab (or drive, if you've rented a car).

According to my dad (who speaks with the chef every time he's at the restaurant), Rosemary's owner/chef used to be on the strip but found that he had to sacrifice in the kitchen because he was in a casino. Due to the nature of comped meals for casino high-rollers, restaurants in the casino are essentially forced to keep costs as low as possible (and, in turn, end up using lower quality ingredients) to match the requirements/guidelines of the casino. Apparently fed up with this situation, the chef decided to move his restaurant off the strip.

If you think this sounds appealing and would like any additional info (my dad's favorite dishes, etc.), feel free to MeMail me. Enjoy Las Vegas!
posted by arm426 at 10:35 PM on December 8, 2009 [3 favorites]

I came here to say Rosemary's Restaurant as well. I got there every time I am in Vegas (I am actually going again this weekend). Just for future reference, if you happen to go on a Sunday, wine is half off (so you can take a peek at some pretty fancy stuff you wouldn't normally drink).

When you get to the place, you will think "wait, really, all this hype over a place in a strip mall?". Then you get inside and you are basically treated like royalty until you head home. I cannot recommend this place highly enough.
posted by milqman at 10:51 PM on December 8, 2009 [2 favorites]

We just had a nice dinner at Nobhill in the MGM Grand, and it was reasonable. Nice bar, nice tables, with fancy gastropub food. It was all very good by our (admittedly modest) standards.

I think the bill was $300 for 5 of us, and we all had a glass or two.
posted by jstef at 6:18 AM on December 9, 2009

Rosemary's is great, but logistically not ideal for someone staying at Mandalay Bay. The Strip is closed to traffic for New Year's Eve, so getting back to the hotel afterward will be slow and complicated. I recommend dining early at Aureole and then finding a good spot to watch the fireworks near Mandalay Bay.
posted by zepheria at 8:50 AM on December 9, 2009

Response by poster: So does "finding a good spot to watch the fireworks near Mandalay Bay" mean essentially standing in the street? I don't know much about the strip. Or are there bars that are reasonable? (We also looked at MIX, but it was outrageously expensive for any table with a view.)
posted by pithy comment at 9:25 AM on December 9, 2009