Shibuya Japanese Sushi Restaurant at the MGM Grand

Shibuya at the MGM Grand is one of my favorite restaurants. It is a Japanese restaurant that we love for the sushi. My husband’s favorite is the standard menu fare tuna tartare. It comes in the form of a cylinder minced with truffle oil, sea salt, and a dab of caviar on top and a garnish of gold leaf.  This is also one of the few sushi restaurants that carry toro, in the form of otoro for connoisseurs. It is always delicious. The sushi is always very fresh and served at the perfect temperature. Don’t worry if you don’t like sushi, they also have very good steak and from what I can tell, chicken. It’s not in my nature to order chicken when there is Kobe steak carpaccio and sushi available. One of the many times we ate here, I had the 5 course chef special. What a treat! I had everything from toro (excellent fatty tuna sushi mentioned above), to Kobe carpaccio, to sake (salmon sushi) with caviar. If it wasn’t upwards of $150, I’d do that a lot more often. I love it when they carry mochi ice cream. If you don’t know what mochi is, you’re missing out. It’s a gelatinous sweetened pounded rice around ice cream balls. Yum.

The service at this restaurant is also impeccable. When finished with a plate, it disappears before your eyes. When full plates are brought, the waiter explains exactly what is on the plate and is highly knowledgeable enabling them to answer all questions.  Also they are very friendly and are quite ready to explain any sushi or sake nuance to the unenlightened without making you feel dumb.

This is one of those restaurants that, even though I like going to new places, I always seems to end up at. It’s located just past Rouge inside the Studio Walk, across from Fiamma, which is also tasty. Also, if you are a sake drinker, they have an extensive selection to choose from. I am not a fan, myself. Shibuya, however, a big fan.

Palazzo, here I come! I’ll be visiting the Palazzo in a couple of weeks. I was there when it had it’s grand opening, but now that all of the stores should be open, I’m going back. If anyone has any requests or you want to know anything specific, leave me note and I’ll try to find out for you.

It seems like deciding what to wear in Vegas is a big issue for many travelers. First off, just know, that you cannot go wrong. Honestly, every type of outfit you can imagine can be seen there. But also, if you are the type of person who is a closet exhibitionist, you have found your paradise. Legs, cleavage, and midriffs are very normal in Las Vegas. I mean, if I saw some of the outfits in my town, I would do a double take. In any regular setting, many of these getups would be way too flashy, sleazy, or inappropriate. However, Vegas is not just anywhere. It is extremely unique in that it is almost like living in an adult circus. All those glittery, bosom-enhancing outfits that you see on TV really do walk around the strip. Now, of course, you do not have to dress that way. I actually choose not to. I’m just saying that if you have wished for a place to show off your inner showgirl, you can do it here.

The style that I actually recommend for Vegas is a classy, sexy spin. Nice fitting jeans or stylish shorts with cool heels. Or summery sequined tops that flatter your curves are great looks. Trendy, branded items, like your coveted Prada purse, or Manolo shoes are great to show off here. That is not to say that your stuff has to be expensive or a label; just know that you will see a lot of that. In fact, depending on the hotels you plan on hanging out at, you will find different looks. For example, at the Venetian, Bellagio, Wynn, Caesars, or Mandalay Bay, you will see more sexy chic and money prancing around. Yes, I mean labels on purses, shoes, and sunglasses. At Flamingo, Bally’s, Stratosphere, Excalibur, and Luxor, you will see more casual sneakers, fanny packs, and people trying too hard to be sexy. These hotels, while all nice enough, seem to attract the budget conscious who still want to stay on the strip. The remaining TI, Mirage, Paris, MGM, and NYNY you will see a mixture of both since those are middle priced strip hotels that attract everyone.

Just remember, no matter what you wear, you need to be comfortable in it; both in how you feel about yourself and how you plan to move around the town. If you will be cabbing it everywhere, go for the stilettos. If you plan on walking a lot, go for the pumps or sandals. But if there ever was a place to dress however you like, Vegas is it.

Sensi at Bellagio is considered casual dining, at least by Bellagio standards. My husband and I have eaten there twice now, and overall we enjoyed it. While eating at the Bellagio, it’s hard not to compare everything to Picasso, which is an amazing gastronomic experience. One of the things my husband liked the most was the gratuitous use of granite. Walls, floors, countertops, rough cut, smooth, granite was definitely a favorite medium of the designer. Also as a design element, a live lobster and shrimp tank was prominently displayed in the restaurant. Many places will show lobster, but seeing the shrimp was a new twist. The kitchen in also visible, separated only by a pane of glass. Though in a small space, it gave the restaurant a slightly more open feel.

We were told by the check in clerk to try the Chilean Sea Bass, as it is a house specialty. Therefore my husband ordered it. It is served in a bowl with a miso reduction, water chestnuts, wilted spinach, and a nifty ginger foam on top. Although the fish was cooked through, the asian flavors reminded me very much of sushi. I would recommend that dish, as it was delicious. It was priced at $40. I ordered the dry rubbed ribeye steak. It was a bit grizzled, and in places difficult to cut, but the dry rub had an exceptional flavor. It came with about 3 thin waffle cut fry/ chips, and a garlic crème sauce to dip the steak in. We chose not to order an appetizer so that we could get the dessert tower. Anyhow, we filled up on complimentary bread and goat cheese. Yum. Back to dessert. Tåhe “try everything for $38” dessert was a bit overwhelming to look at and disappointing to eat. Neither of us could identify anything that was amazing. The presentation was very nice, it came on a three tiered rack with little bowls and cones of various bite-sized samples, so I can’t complain about the quantity. But the desserts were too untraditional. There were 3 crème brulee, but no original. There was green tea, raspberry, and butterscotch. I would have preferred regular. They were too weird. We both agreed our favorite item was some pistachio ice cream, but it was only about 2 tablespoons worth and we had to share it. The chocolate mousse was decent, and the tapioca pudding was good, but as I said much of what they had used strange flavor combinations, and weren’t that great.
Overall, we enjoyed Sensi. On my own scale of 1 – 10, it probably earned a 7.

Every once in a while I find a new game or slot that I especially like. There are a few recent finds that I want to mention. First of all, at MGM Grand there is a slot called Pong. Yes, Pong, like 1980’s flashback. It’s a fairly regular electronic slot game until you get the bonus, which happens to be playing Pong against the computer. There is a little dial that you use to move your paddle and try to out play the computer. I just giggled all the way through it. Of course, I didn’t beat it, but hey, it’s been like 20 years…
Another game that I liked was an electronic roulette game at the Wynn. Most roulette games have a fairly high minimum bet, usually 15 dollars at the low end. And you get regular chips to place on the board. I hate that you generally have to reach across people just to get your chips on the board. I usually don’t like them anyway, because in order to get a decent chance at winning, you have to spend more than I am willing, then I still usually lose. This game however, still uses a traditional roulette wheel and ball, but the players get a little station with an electronic touch screen and a lower minimum bet. I think it was $10. You give the guy your money, in my case $40, and your screen shows your balance, almost like a slot machine would. Then you just touch the screen to select your numbers. When you win, it automatically credits your balance on your screen. Then to leave, you just cash out and you receive your winnings in chips, like you would at any table game. I walked away with $130.
The last game I especially like, even though I haven’t won on it, is the new Monopoly game. There are many Monopoly games, by the way. This one, though has a cool looking screen. It looks like a computer monitor with ever changing graphics but with a 5 column cut-out for the slot reels to display behind. My husband likes that sometimes it displays graphics and other times appears transparent. Just the look of this machine is cool. They must know that people will play for that reason alone, because I have never seen anyone win much on it, yet they are always popular. You can find it at most casinos. It is called the Super Cash Grab or something similar.

Saturday, January 19, 2008 was the official Grand opening of the Palazzo Hotel and Casino. It had been open before that, but the big names, Wayne Brady, Aretha Franklin, etc showed up for some Grand Opening hoopla. My husband and I were in town so we decided to check it out. Not surprisingly, it looks very much like the Venetian, but with less extravagance, like murals on the ceilings, and more simple elegance. The casino was nice, similar to the Venetian. There were only a few restaurants open while we were there, but I have heard that many more are forthcoming. Names such as Mario Batali, Wolfgang Puck, Charlie Trotter, and Emeril Lagasse will have restaurants there. Also, rapper Jay Z has his 40/40 Club there.

The most appealing elements were the lobby and atrium. The atrium is a grand area with beautiful, huge skylights, a waterfall, various potted greenery, and escalators to the shopping level.
The shopping level is sort of a mix of the Wynn’s Esplanade with their high end names, and the Venetian’s Grand Canal Shoppes, sans canal. It actually attaches to the Venetian Grand Canal, but the gondolas do not venture in to the Palazzo shops. The most remarkable store is certainly the beautiful Barney’s New York. The décor inside is similar to that of an art museum. It is almost completely white, open and has a beautiful spiral staircase in the center. As you would expect of Barney’s, there are various designer clothes and shoes to lust over. Don’t worry about your husband, there are many comfy chairs to sit in and play solitaire on his Blackberry.
The remaining shops include names such as Jimmy Choo, Coach, Chloe, Tory Burch, Christian Louboutin, Diane Von Furstenberg, Van Cleef & Arpels, Anya Hindmarch, Poleci, Lambertson Truex, Phillipe Charriol, Edidi, Piaget and Michael Kors, among many others. Less than half of the shops appeared to be open, with many displaying “Opening Spring 2008” signs on their windows.

As far as the suites, which I have only seen pictures of, they appear to be very similar to those at the Venetian’s Venezia Suites. That is to say, they are nice, but nothing we have not seen before. Even though it is being marketed as it’s own new hotel, it’s actually sort of like THE HOTEL at Mandalay Bay vs Mandalay Bay, it is really just an extension of the Venetian. They even share the same players card, called Club Grazie.
So if you are a fan of the Venetian, you might as well check it out. I’m glad I went, since it’s always nice to check out a new property, but I wasn’t wowed like I was the first time I saw the Wynn.

In response to a question about nightclubs, here is some, hopefully, helpful information.
Bottle service is when a patron buys an entire bottle of liquor rather than paying for a drink at a time. You may still be charged for the mixers, but if you know that you or your party will be drinking a lot of one type of liquor, this might be a good choice. The bottles are substantially more expensive than what you could buy at a liquor store, but then again, individual drinks are also easily $8 - $15 each. Many times you also get a host to take care of making your drinks for you. Purchasing bottle service usually waives your cover charge as well. You may want to ask about that.

As for what nightclubs are best suited for different age groups, you can look at http://www.vegas.com/nightclubs/ to see details for of each nightclub. It also details what sort of music is played etc. I don’t actually do a lot of clubbing, but I will try to visit a few on my next trip.

Another tip is that many VIP / front of line passes are available on eBay for very cheap, like $1. I know that also if a club is trying to get patrons, they may hand out the passes occasionally for free. Once, as a friend and I were walking through Treasure Island, we were offered VIP passes to Tangerine. They also give out passes to Coyote Ugly on the Mezzanine at New York, New York frequently. Also ask the concierge at your hotel.

New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas is something everyone should experience at some point in their lives. From the looks of it when I was there, that is happening. As you may know, the strip is closed to auto traffic for about 8 hours, or more depending on cleanup. Around 6 pm police cars barricade the road in preparation for the night’s festivities. One thing I didn’t realize, but it makes sense, is that they also close many streets leading to Las Vegas Blvd. Therefore, using a cab is not really an option for most people. I assumed that getting a cab would be difficult because so many people would be in town vying for them. But actually, New Year’s Eve is one of the worst nights for a cabbie, profit wise. Since many cab drop-offs require the use of the strip and streets leading up to the strip, cabs can’t get around very well. Also, they can’t cross the strip via Tropicana, Flamingo, or Spring Mountain, among other streets. By law they are not able to pick up or drop off passengers on a street at all. My husband and I were lucky. We stayed at the New York, but walked to MGM Grand early in the evening to get a cab down to the Wynn for our dinner reservation at Alex. (I’ll write about that another time.) Then at about 11:00pm we were able to get a cab from the Spring Mountain side of the Wynn, near Chanel, and take it back to MGM in time to stand in the street at midnight and enjoy the fireworks. Ah, the fireworks. While they are by no means the best fireworks I have ever seen, the atmosphere surrounding them was unparalleled. As many times as I have been to Vegas, I have never seen anything like the strip being closed down and completely packed with people. My husband and I were able to wedge our way out in front of Grand Canyon Experience, on the MGM side of the street, and although we totally enjoyed it, we did not have the best view of the fireworks. I assumed that they would be launched from every hotel, but that was not the case. They were launched from MGM, but not from New York, which we would have had a much better view of. Our view of MGM was partially obscured by that Grand Canyon Experience building. Though we could still see the fireworks up the north end of the strip as well. It was a really cool sight seeing them all around the Eiffel Tower.
Once the fireworks were over, about 7 minutes later, we had the task of getting back to the New York. It seems easy right? It’s just on the other side of the street, which we are standing in the middle of. Well, actually, the center, median portion of the strip is barricaded off by police officers. You cannot cross directly. Instead, you have to work your way down to a cross street, such as Tropicana. Then you go up Tropicana to turn onto the other side of Las Vegas Blvd. I held tight to my husband’s jacket, so as to not be separated in the mob of people doing the same thing. Let me say, standing in the center of Tropicana and Las Vegas Blvd was totally cool. Normally standing there would be a death wish, but it was just full of partiers. You could just stand there and look down the strip at the mobs of people. We eventually made it back to New York safe and sound. I am embarrassed to say, by this time, I was tired. That morning we actually woke up in Green Bay Wisconsin from a Packer’s game. As I have said before, flying in and out of Vegas is cheap. Anyhow, after that travel, my ample wine at Alex, and our experiences that evening, I was ready for bed. Thank goodness I had a 75 minute massage scheduled for New Year’s Day; something I strongly advise, but book in advance. It’s not a unique idea come morning.