eatplusdrink:

Payard Patisserie

Ok I have a “thing”.  Noooo not THAT kind of thing!  I have a “lounge-in-the-hotel-in-the-morning-with-a-great-cup-of-coffee-and-a-pastry” kind of thing.  In Las Vegas, we’ve stayed twice at the Venetian and had the joy of sending down some hapless man (my Dad) to acquire a few fancy lattes, muffins and croissants so we can lounge around in our pajamas and talk gossip for hours.

But now I have found Payard Patisserie.  I hate to say it because I love them so much but move over Bouchon, a new gorgeous, delicious, scrumptious kid has moved on to the block - at least in Vegas anyways.  

Words can not describe how flakey, moist, flavorful and delicious their pastries are.  We had plain croissants, chocolate croissants, an orange topped muffin-y thing…it was all amazing.  The coffee was pretty good too.  My only regrets are that we didn’t find it sooner and we didn’t go down to try their lunch and dinner food.  

Payard is reason enough to go back to Las Vegas.

Heather’s Review: Worth Going Back Over and Over 

Payard Patisserie

Ok I have a “thing”.  Noooo not THAT kind of thing!  I have a “lounge-in-the-hotel-in-the-morning-with-a-great-cup-of-coffee-and-a-pastry” kind of thing.  In Las Vegas, we’ve stayed twice at the Venetian and had the joy of sending down some hapless man (my Dad) to acquire a few fancy lattes, muffins and croissants so we can lounge around in our pajamas and talk gossip for hours.

But now I have found Payard Patisserie.  I hate to say it because I love them so much but move over Bouchon, a new gorgeous, delicious, scrumptious kid has moved on to the block - at least in Vegas anyways.  

Words can not describe how flakey, moist, flavorful and delicious their pastries are.  We had plain croissants, chocolate croissants, an orange topped muffin-y thing…it was all amazing.  The coffee was pretty good too.  My only regrets are that we didn’t find it sooner and we didn’t go down to try their lunch and dinner food.  

Payard is reason enough to go back to Las Vegas.

Heather’s Review: Worth Going Back Over and Over 

Serendipity 3

I love ice cream and I love ice cream sundaes.  What is better than frozen, sweet milk topped with some sort of chocolate or caramel and whipped cream?  It doesn’t get much better.  

I really love ice cream sundaes at Serendipity 3 in New York.  Ten years ago, I could stroll up to their door, wander in and sit down for one of their awesome concoctions.  Not today.  Today there is a line around the block and you have to make reservations a month in advance.  Ah those were the days.

So you can imagine my delight when I found out there was a Serendipity 3 in Las Vegas at Caesar’s Palace - the hotel I was staying in!  It was a crazy miracle of miracles.  I immediately made a reservation for our post-Celine Dion concert and knew it would be a great way to finish off the evening.  My mother and aunt would LOVE it!

Not so much.  

Serendipity 3 in New York is this quaint store with an upstairs that just makes you want to fall in love with someone.  It’s cozy and special.  

The one in Las Vegas is huge.  Really huge.  And pink.  I know everything in Las Vegas is larger than life and I should have known but I wasn’t expecting this.  It was over run with teenagers, had a sticky floor and reeked of fried food.  There’s nothing I hate more than feeling my skin absorb the oil from the kitchen fryer when I want the exact opposite of that greasy burger and fries.

We sat down and had to flag down a waitress to ask for menus.  When she came back a good bit later, we immediately ordered sparkling water.  When it came, it was flat water.  There was a water spill on the floor near our table that was never cleaned up and when our sundaes came, they were kind of sad.  Small, unadorned, not very exciting at all.  It was a long driveway to a very small house as some would say.  A sad end to an almost perfect evening.

Heather Rating: Not Worth Going Again

Rao’s at Caesar’s in Las Vegas

I recently spent a long weekend in Las Vegas.  Like most Southern California residents, I end up there a couple times a year.  It’s the playground of Los Angeles.  This particular trip had been scheduled for months and months as a present for my aunt to see Celine Dion in concert - one of her favorite performers.

We had a weekend scheduled full of food and shopping and chit-chatting and gambling - well, only two of us gambled so the other two ate and drank more (I was one of those two).  

Our first big meal was at Rao’s - the Las Vegas outpost of the New York City Italian food mecca.  I’ve never eaten at the one in New York but it’s apparently impossible to get in to and because of that, I think many dismiss the food as less than spectacular.  I really think Italian food is all about how it makes you feel and who you’re eating it with.  That’s why this dinner was extra special because I could share it with my half-Italian mother and aunt - both great cooks in their own right.

You may know Rao’s by their famous pasta sauce that is sold at many grocery stores across the country.  I didn’t even realize we use it all the time!

We started it all off with the Fritto Misto which was a little unusual because it included shrimp, cod and little julienne zucchini along with the calamari.  I LOVED the calamari.  The rest I could do without but my mother really enjoyed the cod.  I was the only one who really wanted the Caprese Salad and I ate almost all of it myself.  It was exactly what I’d expect at a good Italian restaurant.  

On to main courses, we shared the Veal Milanese with the Hot & Sweet Cherry Peppers that normally come with the Veal or Pork Chop at our waiter’s recommendation.  He said it would be spicy and it was!  Tere loved it, the rest of us just kept trying to cool off our tongues.

We also split three pastas: the Shells with Ricotta Sauce, Penne Vodka and  the Rigatoni Filetto di Pomodoro.  You can see all the details to them in the menu.  All three were very good although I really liked the Shells with Ricotta best - that ones a keeper!

We didn’t take any time for dessert as we ran out for the Celine Dion concert but we went out after at Serendipity 3….stay tuned!

Heather’s Rating: Worth Going Back