Day 2: Market Cafe Vdara; Jean Philippe Patisserie; Bellagio Botanical Gardens; Julian Serrano Tapas; "O" by Cirque du Soleil; XS Nightclub (Las Vegas, NV)

RESTAURANT REVIEW: MARKET CAFE VDARA

The next morning my friends and I woke up and head downstairs to Market Cafe Vdara (@ the Vdara Hotel) for some breakfast.  

2600 W. Harmon Avenue

Las Vegas, NV 89158

866.745.7111

(Mid-Strip @ Vdara)

MENU: Market Café Vdara Menu.

COST: $-$$.

CUISINE: Breakfast, Bakery, Sandwiches.

RECOMMENDED TO: Everyone

This cafe is a cute spot to start your day with without having to leave the hotel.   

They offer croissants, muffins, yogurt granolas, and more.

I got a Whole Wheat Bagel with Jalapeno Cream Cheese and a coffee.  The jalapeno cream cheese was super spicy and I loved that.  The coffee was really good, medium bodied, and flavorful.

Bagel with Cream Cheese ~ $3.50; Regular Coffee ~ $3.25 

My friend, Jhiane, got a Granola Yogurt with Berries… this was delicious, the yogurt was thick and tangy, the granola was crunchy and buttery, and the fruits were sweet and flavorful.  It was the perfect breakfast.

My other friend, MM, had the Organic 3-Egg Omelet with Fruit and Potatoes, however I forgot to take a picture… she ate it before I even woke up. 

VERDICT for MARKET VDARA CAFE:  4 / 5

The Vdara Market Café is a cute and convenient spot to get breakfast/lunch if you are staying at the Vdara Hotel.  The prices are a few dollars higher than the norm, but you can’t really expect anything less at an above average hotel.  The Yogurt Granola with Berries were amazing, and I admit I really loved my spicy Jalapeno Cream Cheese.  Definitely check out this adorable café if you stay here.     

After breakfast I went back to my room and did my nails… aren’t they so pretty?  Find out how I accomplished this look on this week’s Friday’s Favorite Things.

Eventually, the 3 of us got ready and headed to The Bellagio to view the Botanical Gardens.

It was so so so pretty.

Check out the colorful parrots.

BAKERY REVIEW: JEAN PHILIPPE PATISSERIE

Once we spotted the Jean Philippe Patisserie, dessert was on everyone’s mind.

3600 S Las Vegas Blvd.

Las Vegas, NV 89109

702.693.8788end_of_the_skype_highlighting

(Mid-Strip @ The Bellagio)

MENU: n/a

COST: $$
CUISINE: Pastries, Chocolates, Crepes.

RECOMMENDED TO: Everyone

This patisserie is famous for the World’s Largest Chocolate Fountain.  Yes, I was salivating.

Although this patisserie is known for their crepes, I wasn’t in the mood to eat crepes, I wanted dessert.

 
I had a French Raspberry Macaroon with Rose Cream Filling… it was good, however I did find the macaroon to be dry.  The macaroon didn’t taste super fresh to me either.  On the contrary, the rose cream filling was subtle and tasted floral. 

Raspberry Macaroon with Rose Cream Filling ~ $7; English Breakfast Tea ~ $3.75

Both Jhiane and MM enjoyed a 2-scoop Gelatos and said it was good. 2-Scoop Ice Cream ~ $8

Jhiane also picked up a Carrot Cream Cheesecake with Coconut & Pineapple Filling… this dessert was amazing.  Definitely try this.

Carrot Cream Cheesecake ~ $7

VERDICT for JEAN PHILIPPE PATISSERIE: 3.5 / 5
The desserts here were certainly good, but I didn’t think they were amazing besides the Carrot Cream Cheesecake.  These desserts are definitely overpriced considering the little amount you are getting, but I suppose you are paying for the experience at The Bellagio.  I would definitely try this place again eventhough the desserts are going to be hit or miss here, and it sucks paying $7 for a dessert that may be a let down.  Albeit the crepes are amazing and you’ll get to experience that luscious chocolate syrup from the fountain.

We left The Bellagio and walked along the strip.  We walked past the Arc De Triumph just outside the Paris Hotel.  Doesn’t it look like the real thing?

Soon enough some guy came up to us and gave us free drink passes at Paris, of course, how do you say no to FREE DRINKS in 100 degree weather?

We hung out at the Chateau Nightclub Rooftop at the Paris Hotel.  I had Pineapple Juice with Vodka, but I’m not sure what my friends had.  Oops! 

DRINKS ~ complimentary

Soon after drinking we headed inside Paris to check out the hotel and the casino.  Oh my, I felt as though I was strolling the streets of Paris again… I am in love with French architecture.

 

After gambling away very little money and walking around, we headed to the Aria Hotel.  The Aria is gorgeous with a bunch of trendy & fancy restaurants which exude a calm Zen-like feel.

We decided to grab an early dinner at Julian Serrano Tapas.  I know, it must seem as though we are always eating, I really think the unbearable heat made us so hungry every couple of hours.

LOCATION

3730 Las Vegas Blvd.

Las Vegas, Nevada 89158

702.590.7111

(Mid-Strip @ Aria)

MENU: Julian Serrano Menu.
COST: $$$
CUISINE: Spanish, Tapas
RECOMMENDED TO: Bar Scene, Couples, Groups, Romantic Dining.

Check out the décor at this gorgeous restaurant as you walk in…

We skipped drinks here and went straight for the tapas.  The 3 of us split the Gambas which is sautéed shrimp.  The shrimp was very tasty, but I’ve experienced slightly better shrimp, I felt as though there could have been more garlic.  Regardless, this was very good and definitely something you should consider ordering.

Gambas ~ $12

For myself, I ordered the Salmon with Truffle which was placed over a bed of portabella mushrooms and topped off with truffle béchamel sauce… DAMN.IS.RIGHT!  The salmon was so tender and delicious, I never thought of a mushroom-salmon combination before, and the truffle béchamel sauce was just spectacular.  I was very pleased with the amount served considering this is a tapas place.

Jhiane and I split the following 2 items…
Coca Vegetarian which is Spanish pizza with alioli, tomato, onion, and pisto.  This was excellent!  I’m not sure what was in the crust… it was perfect, light, cheesy, and so flavorful.

Coco Vegetarian ~ $12

We also shared the Traditional Spanish Chicken Croquettes which sort of resemble Fried Dumplings.  The croquette is fried on the outside and stuffed with soft and creamy mashed chicken on the inside.  Delicious!

Chicken Croquettes ~ $10

Both my friends ordered the Huevos Estrellados which are fried potatoes with eggs and chorizo.  I had a bite eventhough I don’t eat chorizo, and boy this dish was sensational.  This was one of the best tapas from all the stuff we ordered. 

Huevos Estrellados ~ $9

My friends also split the Pan Tomate which is toasted bread with fresh garlic tomato sauce.  This tapa is very similar to the well known Italian Bruschetta.  Although the tomatoes were really fresh, I thought this was good, but not as good as the other dishes.  Consider ordering something with a lot more flavor instead of this, perhaps the Pan Manchego which comes with Manchego cheese as well.

VERDICT for JULIAN SERRANO: 5 / 5
Quite honestly, I’ve never had Spanish Tapas before so dining here was a fun and amazing experience.  I really enjoyed the food and every single dish was flavorful, fresh, and above average.  In addition, I loved they had a Vegetarian section on the menu… this was great since I don’t eat red meat and Spanish food involves a lot of red meat.  Loved it!

The service here was awesome and the tapas were brought out to the table as soon as they were prepared.  It was nice that we were really enjoying our food with small breaks in between.  In general, each person will require 2, or possibly 3 tapas, it all depends on how hungry you are.

Overall, a very exciting and fun dining experience at a beautiful restaurant.  I’ll definitely be going back to Julian Serrano.

The 3 of us headed out to see “O” by Cirque du Soleil.  I purchased my tickets on Ticketmaster.com.

 
Quite honestly, I didn’t quite follow the storyline, yeah HAHA, however I do think the show was trying to depict heaven and hell.  There were a ton of acrobatic performances which was my favorite part, and lots of special effects with water & fire.  The pool was amazing and I loved those special effects, go see it to know what I’m talking about. I absolutely loved this generous 90 minute powerful performance and I believe you will leave “O” feeling moved, satisfied, and will get your money’s worth.  Definitely consider seeing “O” by Cirque du Soleil – it will be an unforgettable experience. Honestly, I was blown away!

The Chicken Quesadillas were really good, especially paired with the Pico de Gallo.

XS is one of the hottest new clubs in Vegas which has an indoor and outdoor party.  They played a lot of current music mixed in with electronic beats.

The crowd at XS is HOTTTTT!  Most women here look ridiculously gorgeous wearing 4+ inch stiletto heels, and others looked good leaving very little to the imagination.  Well, you get the idea. You will sense some attitude here so should you try to get in this club, I strongly suggest you look your best and try to fit in with what appears to be the “Vegas Norm” – a hot dress, high heels, fix up your hair, and flawless makeup!  Of course, however you dress, be comfortable, be yourself, and most importantly have fun.

 

Overall, good music, good crowd, and good experience.  Expect to pay about $15 per drink.  There is a cover charge of $20 if you aren’t on a guest list, it could possibly be more during special events.

TELL ME: Have you watched “O” by Cirque du Soleil?  If so, what did you think?  Also, have you been to XS?  Thoughts?