where i ate in las vegas during memorial day weekend (2015)

(Las Vegas, Nevada).  I'm embarrassed to admit this, but on this recent trip to Las Vegas, my friends and I were so lazy that we basically ate at our hotel or across the street from our hotel.  But fortunately, the restaurant offerings in the Palazzo (and the Venetian) and across the street at the mall were all quite good so, in this case, our laziness actually paid off!

I won't go into detail on all the meals we ate but here are a few highlights:
 

Yes, it's touristy but still satisfying.

When we arrived after a 4 1/2 hour drive into Las Vegas, we were tired, hungry and thirsty.  I wasn't looking for anything fancy or where we would have to wait a long time, so we ate at Grimaldi's... yes, Grimaldi's, the famous Brooklyn pizza joint - transported to Las Vegas a la Disneyland.  While it wasn't as good as the original, it did hit the spot.  We wanted some tasty pizza and a fresh salad and that is what they delivered.  Service was very nice.

There are LOTS of steakhouses in Las Vegas and I never thought of going to Capital Grille, probably because I was biased against a steakhouse located in a mall.  But I was pleasantly surprised.  The service and cocktails were old-school and good!  And the food was solid - great tasty steak, bacon-y and buttery corn, and flavorful roasted brussel sprouts.  The cocktails were quite strong so I don't even remember if we had dessert ...

The next day we went to Yardbird which specializes in southern comfort food - think fried chicken, biscuits, etc.  I was a tad full when I arrived for lunch (boo!) so I was not able to partake in the tasty food with complete zeal.  Based on the small bite of fried chicken and biscuits I got, I will definitely have to return.  The cocktails were quite tasty if I recall correctly...

The last and probably most refreshingly innovative meal I had on this trip was at db brasserie.   The cuisine was at its heart still French, but held a modern twist.  I think the dish that best displayed this was a very interesting take on escargot - served shell-less with nuggets of chicken and pasta - so unique and delicious.  

The pastas were absolutely divine but incredibly filling and rich.  (I'd recommend sharing.)  The steak with foie gras was quite good too but I would actually recommend focusing on the appetizers and pastas since they offered something different than what you can get at any other fancy restaurant.  Really lovely wine list also.

I'll be returning to Las Vegas in November and I'm hoping to try a few more items at Yardbird and at db brasserie, as well as some other new places.  Let me know if you have any recommendations!  Cheers!