After a busy day exploring the North Vegas Outlet Mall we decided to wander down Fremont Street and try the highly recommended Joe Vicari's Andiamo Italian Steakhouse at the D Casino Hotel. I was hoping to enjoy a spontaneous fine dining experience to review for my dining and tourism travelblogue, Take a Bite of Las Vegas. We figured that at 5:30 in the afternoon we could get a table without a reservation - but no. 

Nobu Las Vegas restaurant in the Nobu Hotel located within Caesar's Palace is the largest of the 31 Nobu restaurants located round the world from Dallas to Dubai but we were still not sure of being able to be seated when we spontaneously decided to eat there.

As the strains of a Verdi aria filled the air of St. Mark's Square, it was easy to imagine that we were seated at a open air café hearing a gondolier sing as he punted his gondola through the waters of a canal in Venice. But we were not in Venice, just having lunch in the Palazzo along the Grand Canal of  the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas.

Footsore after a full day of exploring lavish lobbies and displays but exhilarated after our panoramic view of Las Vegas from 550 ft in the air on the High Roller, we were famished as we approached the Mirage Hotel, our last planned stop for the day.

It was not just the fresh contemporary style food but service beyond our expectations that made our dining at Sensi an experience to remember. Laurence, our server, was bubbling over with enthusiasm about the menu as he handed us an IPad loaded with pictures and descriptions of drink and dessert options. We each ordered a glass of the Woollaston Sauvignon Blanc 2012. From the Nelson wine district in New Zealand, just west of Marlborough, the wine had the unmistakable grassy, herbaceous aroma with an excellent balance of acidity with tropical fruit flavors.

Only the bright neon sign above the entrance hints that behind the non-descript strip mall doorway  is a restaurant that, according to locals, serves up some of the best Thai food in Las Vegas.  Lucky for us, at the FoodFightWrite 2014 conference, we met up with a Las Vegas friend who writes on SouthEastAsia Cuisine locally and  abroad. For our last dinner before departing Las Vegas early next morning, she took us to Lotus of Siam, one of her favorite local restaurants.

A Las Vegas visitor looking for a casual dining spot in the downtown area would likely pass by the logo-free store front of Carson Kitchen with no idea that inside fresh, wholesome food was being served up.

The aroma of warm sour dough bread with embedded slivers of caramelized onion, rising from the white napkin-covered basket compelled me to erase all thoughts of a bread-free dinner. Lightly buttered, the fresh airy slice tasted as good as its aroma promised, and kept me content while I decided on my dinner choices.