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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 

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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

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

Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill

I’ve written a number of good to great reviews so far and you may be saying to yourself that I seem to like every restaurant I go to.  Well, I played rope a dope with you a bit.  I wrote great reviews of a few of my favorite restaurants so I stacked the deck a bit.  That is now over.

Gordon Ramsay’s Pub & Grill has been written up a good bit and all of the reviews were quite good so I had high expectations.  My Mom and I stopped in right after lunch time to grab a quick bite and check it out.

First off, the waiters and waitresses have these slightly bondage style uniforms that at first seem really fun but slowly just appear trashy.  The space is large and although there were some fun looking low tables and large chair areas, they sat us right on the railing looking out to the casino.  Our waiter started out fun and brash but quickly veered off into weird and annoying.

We ordered the Little Piggy Deviled Eggs and I have to tell you I’m a deviled egg fan so I liked it.  It had this fascinating vinegar taste to it that very much reminded me of London.  My mother did not like it at all.

The sliders were next and they were fabulous.  Cooked just right.  Not much more to say there.  Then the inevitable happened.  Rubbish.

I love corned beef so I had high hopes for the Dublin Corned Beef Brisket Sandwich.  It came out in a sourdough bread bowl covered with cheese.  Inside were corned beef chunks in sauerkraut but I’m loathe to call it beef because it was so fatty, it was almost inedible.  My mother was not impressed.

I hate to end on a low note so I will give Gordon props for picking his bartender.  I had a Mother’s Ruin (gin) that was downright lovely.  Unfortunately though, this is what I call a “no reason to go back”.  Thank goodness Ramsay’s Steak the next night was much better.

Heather’s Rating: No Need to Return