Author: LVA

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Tableau (Breakfast)

A “traditional breakfast” for $39? That’s what you pay these days at a fufu joint like Tableau at Wynn Las Vegas. We had an opportunity to grab breakfast there and we took it—comped, of course. Yeah, $39 for a bacon & eggs breakfast will make you shudder, even though this one comes with three eggs, potatoes, toast, pastries, juice, and coffee. But what you’re really paying for the setting, the cache, the prestige of doing brekkie at the Wynn.

Juice

There’s a separate menu of fresh-squeezed juices. If you’re gonna do juice, a first-timer’s gotta go with the flight of three—Orange Zest, Purify, and Red Deliciousness—for $14. Orange Zest isn’t orange juice. It’s a mixture of orange, carrot, ginger, Asian pear, and nectar. Purify is honeydew, green apple, kale, spinach, cayenne pepper, organic agave, and celery. Red Delicioiusness is fuji apples, bell pepper, pomegranate, beet, and lime. Here they are (we don’t think we need to label them).

The Food

We didn’t order the traditional breakfast. There are too many intriguing choices to do that. Selections include lemon ricotta pancakes, with blueberry butter and Vermont maple syrup for $28; Belgian waffle, with marinated strawberries and lemon Chantilly ($29), and the obligatory caviar & soft boiled eggs ($78). We opted for lox & bagel, with scallion cream cheese, pickled onion, capers, cucumber, and egg mimosa for $32. Our dining partner, a Tableau regular, simply ordered some things that came to mind that he wanted, same as you’d do if you were in your own house with your own chef—“three eggs scrambled soft, a croissant, coffee with almond milk on the side.” We didn’t see eggs a la carte or almond milk on the menu. The waiter just nodded, then brought it out. Sweet!

The Verdict

Was it the best bagel & lox we’ve ever had? No, but it was good. And a couple of those juices were an interesting foray into flavor pairing. But as alluded to above, this is more about scene than cuisine. If you get a comp Tableau, take it. If you fancy a splurge, do it. If you want to impress the woman you met at the club last night, this will do the trick. Breakfast for two was $100+ with tip. As they say, when in Wynn!

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Rooms for NYE 2025

This year’s rate check was conducted on Dec. 1 and turned up 84 casinos that have rooms available for New Year’s Eve, compared to 86 last year. The number of nights is the minimum required stay; the dollar amount is the total cost; resort fees aren’t included. 

1 night: Primm $35, Westgate $100, Longhorn $108, Cannery $111, Sam’s Town $139, Railroad Pass $145, Westin Lake $152, Hotel Jefe $159, Skyline $175, Suncoast $179, Hilton Lake $180, Golden Gate $189, Az. Charlie – Boulder $198, Silver Sevens $214, Circus Circus $219, Boulder Station $229, Oasis at Gold Spike $229, Santa Fe $229, South Point $245, The Lexi $250, Four Queens $255, The D $269, Westin $278, Sunset Station $289, Gold Coast $293, Az. Charlie – Decatur $298, El Cortez $299, Hotel Apache $305, Orleans $308, Tuscany $329, Palace Station $339, Strat $349, English Hotel $352, M Resort $369, Serene $378, Sahara $403, California $418, JW Marriott $424, Aliante $426, Downtown Grand $443, Casino Royale $446, Virgin $559, Mandalay $599, Four Seasons $610, Red Rock $644, Ahern $649, Planet Hollywood $680, Trump $799, Fontainebleau $800.

2 nights: Treasure Island $427, Plaza $504, Excalibur $589, Harrah’s $599,  Golden Nugget $618, Luxor $619, Palms Place $624, Palms $644, Resorts World $650, Circa $688, Rio $706, Horseshoe $733, Linq $748, Flamingo $751, Elara $815, MGM Grand $878, NYNY $878, GVR $888, MGM Signature $908, Cromwell $942, Aria $997, Delano $998, Park MGM $1018, Durango $1088, Paris $1129, Venetian $1278, Vdara $1298, Palazzo $1308, Waldorf Astoria $1351, Caesars $1555, Cosmopolitan $1670, Nobu $1991, Bellagio $1998.

3 nights: Encore $1797 and Wynn $4114.

Sold Out or N/A: Ellis Island, Fremont, Main Street, NoMad, OYO, Platinum, and Silverton. 

Resort Fees are not included in totals.

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Buffet Update – December 2025

Circus Circus – Circus Buffet: This weekend’s Breakfast Brunch is Thu – Sun, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. for $33.99 and Dinner’s Thu – Sun, 4:30 p.m.-10 p.m. for $39.99.

Wynn – The Buffet: Gourmet Brunch will be closed December 1–4 but will resume to regular daily schedule on Dec 5, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. is $59.99. Seafood Gourmet Dinner is daily, 1 p.m.-9 p.m. is $79.99.

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Lotus of Siam (Happy Hour)

When forming a top ten list of all the restaurants in Las Vegas, including the best in the casinos, Lotus of Siam is a favorite to be on it. At one point the original in Commercial Center was named by one top critic as the best Thai restaurant in America. We’ve always felt that the praise was justified. If you’ve read LVA for a while, you know that we rarely run out to try something new. But after reporting on the Lotus happy hour last month, we made it a point to try it for this issue. Note that this is the Lotus on E. Flamingo, across from Silver Sevens, The original remains closed, though they still say it will reopen. We don’t put the casino location at Red Rock in the same category as the non-casino restuarants, since it isn’t overseen by James Beard Award winning chef and founder Saipin Chutima.

The Deal

The happy hour runs Mon.-Fri. from 3 to 5 p.m. in the bar area, with $4 sake, $5 beer, $6 wine, $8 specialty cocktails, and $7 small plates.

The Food

We wondered about the food selection. Lotus has a vast menu, so what would they choose. Was it possible the famous appetizer nam khao tod would be on the list? Amazingly, it is, though it’s called crispy rice lettuce wrap. Another of our favorites, khao soi, a Thai version of steak tartare is also on the menu as steak tartare cups. Also offered: calamari, papaya salad, satay, and garlic tofu. All are priced at $7, and the portions are good. Honestly, it’s not quite the same as getting the larger portions that you prepare yourself, but they’re representative for sure.

The Drinks

You can order the sake hot or cold and it’s a heck of a deal for $4. However, the star of the show was the White Lotus cocktail, a smooth mix of bourbon, lime, peach schnapps, passion fruit, and aquafaba.

Ambiance

Nothing will ever match the original, but the Flamingo location is clean and comfortable. Friendly and helpful bartenders. A good HH setting.

The Verdict

This is a top notch happy hour that pretty much met our high expectations. There were only a few other people at the bar, which was surprising, but maybe the word’s not out. At these prices you can get your drink on in the process. Be sure to try the crispy rice lettuce wrap and the tartare. Our bill for two was $49.

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Beso

At least three years ago, we had a review in the hopper for BG Bistro on Tropicana. Good salads, stuffed mushrooms, fish, and especially lamb chops. Then it moved to 4435 S. Buffalo and changed its name to Beso.

The Food

The cuisine is now described as “Mediterranean and Eastern European,” but the root nationality is Bulgarian. The selection is vast, including dishes such as cevapi (beef and pork in bread), mititei (sausage), and uviatch (stuffed pork). We haven’t tried them. These we have: blue cheese mushrooms ($15), chicken livers ($14), arugula salad ($14), and branzino ($35). Excellent. The salad selection is one of the best we’ve seen. Along with the arugula are Greek, shopska, and vitamin salad—beets, carrots, apple, and walnuts in a honey citrus dressing—among others, all $13-$17. The lamb chops are served with potatoes and vegetables for $28; you won’t find them this good at this price in many, if any, places.

We can’t list everything on the menu; check it out here.

Then there are daily white-paper specials, off of which we got this lamb shank for $14.

Breakfast

This is new. It starts at 8 a.m. and it’s a good option for a weekend brunch. We had a veggie omelet, salmon Benedict, and ham & cheese crepe. The whole thing came out to $53 and we took the crepes home.

Ambience

While BG Bistro was kinda down and dirty, with Eastern European expats hanging out at the patio tables, Beso is more refined. You can sit at the bar and start a conversation or get a table of your own. It’s comfortable.

The Verdict

This is a good restaurant with a lot of food choices. And as you can see from the examples or by clicking through to the menu, it’s very well priced. You have to travel about seven miles west from the Strip, but if you’re looking for something different and reasonable, this fills the bill. Did we mention those lamb chops?

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Burger Special (Ellis Island)

As Ellis Island moves closer to the conclusion of its expansion disruption, it continues to hatch new deals, including daily specials for $10.99 and graveyard specials for $4.99-$8.99. Most intriguing to us is a 24/7 burger & fries for $5.99. This is the Station Casinos deal that’s in the Top Ten. How do they match up?

The EI burger is outstanding, probably closer to a half-pound than a quarter. Dress it up with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and whatever additional condiments you want that are right there on the table. It comes with a heap of fries. Big meal.

The Steak Special

Since there were two of us, one tried the steak special that we’ve been getting a few complaints about. Here it is, and the photo doesn’t include the salad that comes with it. The steak was perfectly cooked and our carnivore traded his fries for our vegetarian’s steak. What could be better?

The Verdict

So which is better, EI or SC? We really do like the Station burger, but Ellis Island’s is better. Why, then, does Station remain in the Top Ten? The main reason is availability. Both are 24/7, but you can get the Station burger at several different places. And it’s a small point, but Station’s is a cheeseburger and cheese is a $1.25 upcharge at Ellis.

As for that steak special, we agree that you can get a better steak in SW at the Wynn. But you can get 10 steaks at Ellis Island, with the sides, for the same price? Sorry, but we’re discounting the dissenters on this one.

Ellis Island continues to rock. The bill for both meals was $17.32.

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Golden Gate Open Bar

In one of the more creative promos in some time, the Golden Gate offers an open bar every day from 6 to 7 p.m. They call it “The Night Starts Here” and it’s intended to ease the transition from live tables and dancing dealers to electronic table games. As such, the deal includes free-play for those new games. Here are the details.

Drinks

You can get beer, wine, and well drinks. No top-shelf pours, but beer in the bottle. We got a cold Bud.

Crowds

It’s been busy the two times we checked, but the promo is new and it remains to be seen if the crowds persist. The center bar goes from being crowded to suddenly having gaps where you can pop in to order a drink. While it would seem like an opportunity that the downtown “street people” might relish, there was none of that when we visited (possibly because of the next point).

ID

You must show ID to even get into the casino, at least during the promo. This now makes Golden Gate and Circa the only Las Vegas casinos that card customers at the door.

Wristbands

Once you’re inside, go to the players club booth to be processed. This entails showing your ID again and a Circa group players card (they’ll sign you up if you don’t have one). The wristband clears you to get the free drinks. You’ll also be given an envelope with a free-play voucher inside. If you’ve parked in the Golden Gate parking lot where you get two free hours with validation, you should get the ticket validated while you’re at the booth.

Free-Play

The amount of free-play reportedly varies between $5 and $1,000, but expect $5. That’s what we got. This is interesting, because the FP vouchers state that they can be redeemed at the cage (read the second sentence in the rules). They can’t. You have to play them and you have to do so before 7:14 pm (yes, 14 minutes) the same day. No problem, except ours wasn’t accepted by several of the new games on the floor. It worked at the bar.

Overall, this is a cool promotion. Credit is due the booth personnel, who work fast to process the line, which was steady, but not overwhelming during our observation. Get a few drinks and shoot your free-play for a good start to your evening.

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Buffet Update – October 2025

Circus Circus – Circus Buffet: This week’s Breakfast Buffet is Sat & Sun, 7 a.m.-2 p.m. for $32.95 and dinner’s Fri & Sat, 4:30 p.m.-10 p.m. for $34.95

Cosmopolitan – Wicked Spoon: No changes to the buffet. Local Wednesday is still offered for $38 with valid NV I.D. but no longer offers additional club discount.

South Point – Garden Buffet: All buffet prices went up by $1-$5. Breakfast Mon-Fri, 7 a.m.-10 a.m. including two bloody marys is now $19.95. Lunch Mon-Fri, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. is now $26.95. Prime Rib & Champagne Brunch Sat & Sun, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. including two mimosas is now $37.95. Prime Rib Dinner Sat-Thurs, 4 p.m.-9 p.m. is now $37.95 and Seafood Dinner on Fri, 3 p.m.-9 p.m. is now $57.95.

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Golden Gate — Before and After

LVA correspondent Michael B sent in these two photos, the first of the Golden Gate’s casino rammin’ and jammin’ with live table games and dancing dealers, the second, uh, without. He snapped the Before photo on Sunday evening after Derek Stevens’s speech commemorating the Golden Gate’s long history and announcing the new marketing campaign that includes free drinks every night from 6 to 7 p.m. (if you can get close to the bar) and generous free play for the machines. (He also noted that you can redeem your Golden Gate chips at the D and Circa and there’s “no rush” to do so.) The After photo was taken on Monday night after the joint was cleared out.

And yes, electronic table games will soon be installed, but, well … we leave it to you to draw your own conclusions about the direction (disappearing dealers) of the Golden Gate, Las Vegas, and the gambling biz.

Before

After