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The recent trip to Death Valley started in Las Vegas, a place I haven’t visited since the last century, and it was a completely different place then. I was there when the Sands was a player on the Strip, when MGM was new, and when The Golden Steer was a popular local hangout rather than a tourist museum of The Rat Pack days. This version of Las Vegas as a dining capital goes back to the beginning of this century.
Our own Emeril was one of the first of the celebrity chefs to add a spot there. As more and more of the famous chefs have set up shop here, my curiosity about the place has grown. I knew I’d return someday, and the trip to Death Valley was the perfect opportunity. The national park is a two-plus hour drive from Vegas. With limited time for the Vegas portion of the trip, we flew in early one morning, checked into the hotel, then went out again to do a quick-by-car scan of the town. One of the sisters wanted to go to the Venetian, so we parked in their lot and just started walking. After walking (sometimes in circles-the place is a maze) we wound up at the end of a long concourse, hungry, and really tired of aimlessly walking. We had plans (though no reservations) that evening at The Golden Steer, so we passed on a few steakhouses in the Venetian before we reached the door leading out of The Venetian, stopping at Buddy V’s. The “V” stands for Valastro, also known as The Cake Boss. Buddy Valastro inherited his family’s century-old bakery in Jersey and turned it into a multi-million dollar empire. An outpost of the bakery is across the hall from Buddy “V’s.”
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The idea of going here by default was sad, but there were three of us, and we agreed that it might be the best choice under the circumstances. It got harder when we saw it was a buffet, but the sheer number of places with celebrity chefs, coupled with the daunting prospect of where to put the car and the minimal time allowed, it was decided that this was the spot.
At first the $55 buffet seemed minimal, but the way it was set up kept revealing more options, and we decided that this was a real value. There was also an a la carte menu. We settled on a spot by a window looking out onto the strip and its hordes of aimlessly wandering tourists, feeling grateful that we were sitting in air-conditioning in a nice booth. The food seemed secondary at first, but we liked it a lot.
There was a table of cold salads and boiled shrimp, pickled vegetables and smoked salmon. A nearby table held a carving station, with breakfast sausages, grilled ham, and a shawarma-style roasted prime rib.
A breakfast line-up of roasted potatoes, bacon, scrambled eggs, mini frittatas, and few unusual sandwiches, like a ham and fig on toasted ciabatta rounded out the breakfast options.
The most popular Italian specialties were also represented. There was a macaroni and cheese made with Alfredo sauce. This was in a dish next to another of meatballs in marinara sauce. There was also a dish of Chicken Parm and another of what Buddy calls “Jersey” wings, as well as orrichetti pasta with peppers and Italian sausage. And pizza, of course.
A special dessert section was set up in Instagrammable fashion, featuring individual tiramisu, and tiny cakes under glass, mini pecan tarts, and Jersey donuts.
The Caesar salad was really great. The dressing was good and Romaine hearts with lots of Parmesan cheese made this a great side to the prime rib from the Schawarma spit. A nice selection of pickled vegetables was a good “extra.” We loved the macaroni and cheese with the meatballs, and the Chicken Parm was very good, as was the Jersey wings and the Orrichetti was a favorite. Good bacon, fine scrambled eggs and nicely-roasted potatoes worked as a breakfast first course.
We had a communal plate of desserts, featuring chocolate- covered strawberries, cheesecake, and pecan tarts.
For $55 this was a steal. And even though Buddy Valastro is not a supernova like Gordon Ramsey, we can say that we had a meal in Vegas from a “celebrity” chef.
Lunch was too filling to even think of eating again at The Golden Steer, because we had shoved in a viewing of The Wizard of Oz at the Sphere that evening.
When The Golden Steer opened at 4:30pm we just dropped in for a peek. It was everything I had hoped, oozing Rat pack vibes from the Sixties. The place was packed and we would never have gotten in, so I have to reserve it for next time.
Even though I had heard a lot about The Sphere, I had no real intention of going. Many years ago at Walt Disneyworld, we went into a theater with that 360 view and sound, and I found it disorienting. But one of us wanted it badly enough for three, so we went. I wish I could report on the entire experience, but my eyes were closed for half of it, and I kept them focused on one spot on the screen. It was impressive though, with the deafening sounds and snow falling from the sky, as well as plush apples dropping during the apple tree scene.
It was fun to see the merchandising opportunities after the show.
We did another pass through the town at night after the movie. I wish I had not expected to be repulsed by the new Vegas. I chose The Waldorf Astoria on The Strip to be away from the madness, but it was so quiet there and tucked away there was almost no point in being there.
There will definitely be other trips. I didn’t hate it. In fact, it bore absolutely no resemblance to the Vegas I remember. I have to plan a return trip there to eat, one that is carefully researched and mapped out ahead of time.
We left town the next morning looking for a place to eat. In searching online I discovered a place ten minutes from town called Rosalie, which is a little French place in a nondescript strip mall in existence since 1983. Popping in on a place like this can go either way, and this one definitely went ours. I could tell just upon entering that it would be good. There are treats all over the place. Every countertop was covered with wonderful things. Chocolate covered almonds, tiny Pavlovas, Biscotti in little bags, it was a feast for the eyes. Naturally, I got carried away and had about $20 of goodies in my hands before even approaching the counter. A long array of pastries led us to the ordering window in this fast-casual service style restaurant.
Another display of teas captivated me while I was looking at the menu, which was itself quite captivating. One of us got the Breakfast Board, another got Eggs au Gratin, and I got the Quiche Lorraine.
The frothiest Cappuccino any of us had ever seen arrived at the table along with a pretty coffee. The breakfast Board came first and it was a beaute. A massive thing at only $22, There was a pile of scrambled eggs, another mound of bacon, French Toast in one corner and a Croque Monsieur. A gigantic oats and berries bowl filled in the center. Another of us had the Eggs au Gratinm which was another large board with cheesy bread and ham with eggs on sourdough toast. A nice vinaigrette salad was in the middle. My quiche came beautifully plated with another salad. I didn’t want to share it.
We did all share though, and everyone was thrilled with everything we had. The bacon was fabulous: thick, smoky, and perfectly cooked. The Croques were also very well done. My sister doesn’t like French Toast usually but loved this version. Her scrambled eggs had the consistency of Play-Doh. I couldn’t even eat them to save them, and that is saying something.
The au Gratin sister loved hers too. It was more like a Croque but who doesn’t love all these elements together? I still say mine was the best. The Quiche Lorraine, French though it was, did not have the creamy French custard quality, but settled somewhere between French and American in texture. The bacon flavor was wonderful, and I was stingy with my sharing. The vinaigrette salad was nice.
We left Rosalie with treats for the long drive to Death Valley, tickled by the experience. It’s a good thing we were so full. What lay ahead for us was not delicious.