Well, I survived my first ever trip to Las Vegas, and the food was definitely one of the highlights! (The food and the shows. Wow.)
We stayed at the Bellagio, and there was a multitude of dining options right in hotel. We went to Cafe Bellagio and The Buffet for breakfasts.
At Cafe Bellagio, I had some wonderful omelette (with a fresh, warm salsa), and hashbrowns. It was so good that I had the same breakfast twice! The restaurant was very allergy-aware, which is a nice way to start the day, right! With coffee and tip, breakfast for two was almost $50, so it’s not what you’d maybe call an affordable option. But I realized that while you can get “great deals” TO Las Vegas, everyone there is, ahem, pricey.
We also went for an equally pricey breakfast at the casual dining restaurant at the Aria. Beautiful hotel. They were also allergy-aware, but the service lacked, and all I could eat? Eggs. No starch there. This girl needs protein AND carbs before walking miles around the Strip all day! Apparently their hash browns were in complete cross-contamination territory with everything else they cooked on their grill. Disappointing that they couldn’t figure something out, but I appreciate their upfront honesty. There is nothing more rattling then eating at a restaurant when a server uses language like, “it should be fine” or a tone of unsureness.
Yes, on our last day, I took a chance on the buffet, and had a great experience. We saw that a buffet breakfast was around $15, but included OJ and coffee, which together would add $12 onto each person’s bill elsewhere. (No joke there.) I did actually take a risk in not asking for a tour of the buffet and what I could eat. I tend to get tired of being the centre of attention in a meal-choice environment, which is my bad, because we’ve all heard of buffet horror stories. This was actually the first buffet I’ve been to since diagnosis almost (wow, that long?!) 3 years ago.
I sussed out the options and felt safe that the fresh made omelette station would be safe. No gluten-containing ingredients there. I don’t think. So I went for a veggie and cheese omelette, and filled the rest of my plate with hash browns (they appeared the same as the ones in the Cafe Bellagio), fresh fruit, yogurt, and of course salsa. (I love salsa with my eggs. And it always seems to be fresh-made in the US, unlike the bottled stuff you usually get at restaurants in Canada.) To top everything up, the coffee was amazing and the orange juice was fresh squeezed.
As a breakfast lover, I’ve missed being able to go out for Sunday brunches. In fact, I’ve found great breakfast joints in White Rock, Edmonton, and now Las Vegas, but haven’t found somewhere great here in Kelowna for a nice worry-free brunch.
So breakfasts at the Bellegio? A+. On a side note, we won’t be staying at the Bellagio again due to an issue there was in the room, and how the staff subsequently handled it (or rather, didn’t handle it, as they kept on telling us to come back and speak to a manager, when none seems to ever be available.)
But I think we’ll definitely eat at the Bellagio again! Besides breakfasts, we had a wonderful experience at the Yellowtail and SENSI ® restaurants. More on them later!
The Lazy GF Chef 