The Dome of the Sea restaurant opened at the Dunes in 1964 to a rousing chorus of hyperbole, including one wag who called it "the most beautiful seafood restaurant in the world."
It sat right in front of the casino, tied into the porte cochere, in a semi-circular shape. It made a splash, so to speak, as a modernist architectural statement, as well as an indication of the burgeoning importance of dining, and restaurant rooms, to Las Vegas casinos.
The room was designed to resemble a clamshell, with six sculpted-concrete legs supporting a stainless-steel and fabric-thread ceiling. The legs descended into a decorative pool that reflected the colors and shapes of the ceiling and held a small stage, shaped like a seashell, on which a harpist, always dressed in gold and white, played. Submarine images, such as fish, sea plants, and flowing water, were projected onto one of the walls.
Seafood, of course, dominated the menu: lobster bisque, oysters Rockefeller, linguini and clams, scallops, lobster piccata, and Australian lobster tail. It was also known for its prix fixe dinners: appetizer (clam chowder, shrimp cocktail, onion rings), salad, choice of entrée (mahi mahi, sole, salmon, or chicken), and dessert (peach melba, ice cream, sherbet) -- all for $20 in the ‘60s.
The Dome of the Sea continued serving Dunes guests till the casino closed in 1993.
To see a couple of pictures of how it used to look, click here and here, while for a peek at an original menu, click here to see UNLV's really cool "50 Years of Dining on the Strip" online exhibit.
