Stealthammer

+1 for Auriole

Mark Stone

Mandalay is walking distance . . . hmmmmm . . . .

ka0use

I won't eat at the Circus Circus buffet again, I don't know what those people are thinking.


umpty years ago i did the cc buffet. first time i was tricked by the layout- desserts were first, and as you went through you ended up with a full plate....and all the meat was at the end with no room on the plate.

second time i had learned and the meat carver feller wasn't best pleased with me, not that i took a lot.

also, and this is in a lot of places- the seats are deliberately uncomfortable so you don't hang around. they don't make money with you grazing.

LoonyTick

It sounds like you have a good plan...just walk the Strip and walk to every place there. You will both be constant fat burning machines, since lots of exercise keeps your muscles burning more fat after you have stopped moving.
There are better buffets, you just have to find the good one's. But most still have way too much sodium and drenched in oil offerings. Good luck and have a lot of fun, and walk, walk, and walk. If you are adventurous and invincible, then ride, ride, ride your bike. (or a rental)

Stealthammer

Everything at Circus Circus is ghetto. Stay away. I wouldn't even park YOUR car in their parking lot, and I don't know you!

There are dozens of better choices. If you "must" do a buffet go to the Bellagio or Rio....

Condorita

Why go to a buffet at all?

Mark Stone

Because it's VACATION!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! (And because the one we've decided on, in the basement of Planet Hollywood, is outstanding )

brawlo

Going off topic a little, can someone suggest some good restaurants at a good price. Myself and a work colleague are unfortunately being shipped to Vegas for a 3 day seminar, flights & accom paid for by work. So we're still waiting for a definite in terms of dates and hopefully a few play days, but the seminar is on at the Mirage. Any good tasty food suggestions would be great. Also anything to do non gambling related would be good too.

chandltp

Do you view food as a entertainment? In order to control my weight, one of the hardest things I had to do was try to find substitutes for the times that I used food for something other than sustenance.

Mark Stone

Sometimes I view food as entertainment, or more specifically as a treat or something to be enjoyed. To my thinking, flavor is (or can be) an art form. Here in the Southwest (I live in El Paso) there are wonderful culturally-based flavors (Mexican food, and we're not talking Taco Bell lol) that Mrs. Tractorlegs and I love to eat. Eating has always been on the same level as watching sunsets and listening to good music; it has the ability to bring similar pleasure. Preparation of food is an art form.

The key for me is in balance and moderation. I think it's OK to love food and eat for other reasons than sustenance, but have learned that we need to be in charge of our diets; not our diets being in charge of us. For example, last night we had Pizza - a wonderful deep-dish cheesy meaty delight. The difference is that I ate 2 pieces, ate them slowly and savored the flavors, along with a huge pile of salad greens with vinegar as the dressing; in the past I would have eaten 8 or 9 pieces of pizza, wolfing them down, and then added a hot wing or two. This approach (which is what we are learning by using Weight Watchers) is working for my wife and I, who are close to a combined 80 pound weight loss over the past 7 months.

I understand that this approach doesn't work for many people, and that's fine. We are all individuals with different histories and for many people the approach you had to take, to view food as sustenance only, is extremely valid and I applaud your diligence. I very much enjoy eating, however, but have learned to not let it become my master. Ride Free!

chandltp

I've always admired people that can do that. For me, pleasure from food has always required quantity, regardless of quality. So I've just had to disassociate food as pleasure. I've never been good at moderation in any part of my life.

Stealthammer

Way too many to list them all, but here are several that offer oustanding food and service that might not get a ready mention from the local Concierge in your hotel.

BTW: There isn't one restaurant in Mandalay Bay that you shouldn't visit.....

Aureole at Mandalay Bay (American)
RM Upstairs at Mandalay Bay (Seafood)
Stratta at the Wynn (Italian)
Barmasa at Aria (Japanese)
Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare at Encore Hotel & Casino (Italian seafood)
CUT at The Palazzo (Steakhouse)
Joël Robuchon at the MGM Grand (French)
Picasso at the Bellagio (French and Spanish cuisine)
Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace (French)
Alize West of the Strip (French)
TWIST the Mandarin Oriental (French)
Il Mulino New York o the Strip (Italian)
André's at the Monte Carlo (French)
L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon at the MGM Grand (French)
Foundation Room at Mandalay Bay (Fusion)
Mix at THEhotel (French)
Craftsteak (Steak)
Sushi Roku at Caesars Palace (Sushi)
N9NE Steakhouse on Flamingo (Steak)
Shibuya at the MGM Grand (Japanese)
Nobhill Tavern at the MGM Grand (California)

The key for me is using high quality ingredients and giving the diner's an experience that they will remember for years. I often am asked to come cook for friends who are having an event or a special occasion, and my goal is to leave the guests with an eating experience that they will relive for weeks and that they will share as a story with others. When I prepare these meals I am often so satisfied to having successfully prepared these meals that I don't even sit down to eat with the other guests, and instead I just cruise around the room and enjoy listening to the other guest's comments about the food.

I find that learning to cook really interesting dishes really well, and enjoying it immensely, I actually don't eat just anything and so I don't ever need to diet.


Were I twenty years younger I would open a restaurant for myself, and interestingly, I now know that I would have plenty of investors. Such is life that we only can live one life in our lifetime.

Ali_Pine

Walk to the buffet at the other end of the strip. Then walk back to your hotel.

Stop by the 'Pawn Stars' shop and test their work-out equipment. OR use the hotel work-out room.

alpha_bravo

I would seriously consider renting a bike and riding Red Rock Canyon loop. Great views and a pretty fun challenge although the loop isn't that long.

brawlo

Thanks for that Stealth. Sounds like some tasty times ahead.

Mark Stone

Vacation's over and we're back home! One thing I didn't think about when planning is the force of habit. Mrs. Tractorlegs and I have been on WW for 7 months plus now, so when we got to the timeshare we just naturally did what we're used to doing and overeating wasn't an issue. We're just used to eating better, and less. Also we noticed something else. Most of the big casinos on the strip have loooooong escalators available but there are almost always stairs next to them. Without planning it or discussing it we were automatically using the stairs, and about three days into the vacation she commented to me "Have you noticed we're using the stairs instead of the escalators?"

We went to the Planet Hollywood buffet once, and the Blueberry Hill restaurant 3 times but felt no need or desire to visit more restaurants, and it was easy because the timeshare has kitchen/refrigerator. So we got a lot of what we call "zeros" (bananas, other fruit and veggies) and low-fat stuff like yogurts and whole grain breads etc.

We ended the week with a combined weight loss of one pound.

The biggest thing we noticed was that we were able to walk the longer distances up and down the strip much easier than in the past and we were not as tired at the end of the day. Pulling around less weight is much easier!

vesteroid

Yes, but how much did your wallet lose?