I know that Hard Rock Cafes are terribly commercialized, but I really think they're a fun place to eat. What a nice surprise to find out they'd opened a new location right across the strip from our hotel! We had often eaten at the old location, but the new one is lighter and roomier (but still loud!).
My son and I are both fans of the Food Network. When we found out that Bobby Flay had a Mesa Grill location at Caesar's Palace, we knew we had to eat there whether anyone else in the group wanted to join us or not. After some hesitation, everyone agreed to go and it ended up being one of our best dining experiences!! Definitely a place I would go again!
There were a couple of "Griswold" moments on our vacation. One involved the night we planned to eat at a Mexican restaurant we loved and would make a point to visit on each trip to LV. Turns out the hotel it was in has been torn down and is being rebuilt. So, despite the fact it still exists on a Google Map, it's not really there!! Hopefully when the new hotel is completed it will once again include the restaurant. So.... we detoured to Margaritaville at our older daughter's recommendation. Here's a photo of our granddaughter with a balloon ladybug they made for her there.
Our final night we had a show booked and didn't want to go far for dinner so we opted for the Outback Steakhouse right across the strip. Although there's an Outback about 70 miles from where we live, only three of our group had ever eaten at one. We all enjoyed our meal, but debated whether the bloomin' onion was better there or at a local eatery in our hometown.
Another place that we debated the merits of was The Cupcakery located in our hotel. I'll agree that it was totally overpriced, but the variety I ordered (the "Bugsy") was soooo moist and delicious!!
Next up..... some of the attractions and shows we enjoyed.