Oh Ellis Island.  My heart feels with warmth every time I think about it.  My soul recharges every time I walk thru its doors.  You may have read my brief musings on this wondrous little casino in a previous post, but it’s certainly deserving of a full review.  Read it, learn from it, go next time in town if you have not had the pleasure yet. 

On our recent visit, I had sold the gang on firmly committing a visit to Ellis Island Casino & Brewery before we even left Atlanta.  It didn’t take too much on my part; I’ve been singing its praises for a long time now.  So on our first full day in Vegas; Don, Lori, Kanuck, Lady Kanuck, and I all made way to the best unknown casino in town.

First…some pertinents.  Ellis Island Casino & Brewery is on the grounds of a Super 8 Motel on Koval Lane.  It’s small and you certainly would never notice it unless you were looking for it.  Yes, it’s off-strip.  But, any cabbie will know it and you can actually walk to it.  It sits roughly 2 full blocks directly behind Bally’s.  If walking north on the Strip, turn right at the first street past Bally’s, pass the Westin on your left, and then hang your next right and you’ll see it beckoning for you.  If you get lost, simply follow your heart. 

Now I know what most of you snobs out there are thinking.  “A Super 8??  Hell no, I’m not going there!”  I urge you to get over that Matthew Broderick-esque way of thinking and take the plunge.  As I also mentioned in a previous post, I don’t like to splurge too much on essentials period, including in Vegas.  I’d rather not blow a ton of money on food and drink when I can better use that money for gambling and shows.  This is what fueled my original journey to Ellis Island. 

Simply put, the food at EI is incredible.  Not only is it extremely cheap for what you get, it’s also insanely tasty and hugely portioned.  The joint actually has 2 separate restaurants.  First…you have the normal, more traditional casino-style restaurant that is straight and to the left as you enter.  This place has a ton of good values such as a giant prime rib dinner for $10.99 and a steak & shrimp platter for just $8.99.  However, the best value here isn’t even on the menu.  

Just ask for the ol’ Steak Special when you order and you’re in for a treat my friends.  The Steak Special consists of a nice sized top sirloin, your choice of potato, the veggie of the day, a salad, AND a pint of one of EI’s homemade brews including root beer!  The price…$6.99.  In my opinion, maybe the single best dinner value in all of Las Vegas.  The steak is choice, the sides are solid, and throw in a freshly brewed beer to boot. 

The second restaurant truly shines as well and this is where us 5 dined on our recent visit.  The smaller patio restaurant to the right after entering caters solely to BBQ.  And people, this is some serious BBQ that would fit in perfectly in Texas, Georgia, Memphis, North Carolina, where ever.  You only have a couple of choices here, but go for the combo.  Half a rack of babybacks, half of a full chicken, baked beans, potato salad, slaw, Texas toast, and all the rich, thick sauce you want.  The platter is simply huge and can definitely be split between two if you want to go the wuss route.  Price…$8.99.  All in our party that night can attest to the sheer greatness of this meal. 

What can make all of this even better?  You can easily obtain a BOGO entree coupon (or 2 like we had) in the pages of the American Casino Guide or by hunting around online to essentially cut the price in half.  Can you imagine that meal for $4.50?!  Believe it. 

The only drawback to this is that the BBQ and Steak Special spots are completely separate even though mere feet apart.  Therefore, you cannot get the Steak Special at the BBQ restaurant and vice versa.  This can create quite the tough decision.  Being a BBQ connoisseur, that has won out for me the past few visits.  Don’t get me wrong, the Steak Special is outstanding as well so it’s your call.  I usually have a steak another night in Vegas, so I roll with the BBQ! 

I’m also an avid beer lover and this is where EI hooks me even further.  They make all of their beer onsite and have 5 different styles to choose from on tap.  A great Amber, a Light Lager, a dark Stout, a Hefeweizen, and usually a seasonal.  They also make a mean root beer as well.  The price, $1.50 a pint.  OR, free if playing.  Did I mention this place rules?  You can also get one of the best Vegas coupons as well through the same sources I mentioned earlier…4 Free Drinks.  Yep, no catch.  With the coupon, you get 4 free drinks including liqour.  Don, Lori, and I were pleasantly surprised and thrilled when we cashed one of these bad boys in for 2 beers for me and 2 Johnny Walker Black and Coke’s for them.  Stellar. 

On top of all this, EI’s casino is a fun little place to play as well.  They have a decent slot selection, a serviceable sports book, and a fun table game pit that always has $5 blackjack.  On this particular night, we all participated in our first ever Blackjack tournament.  A $25 buy-in gave you a chance at over $300.  None of us won, but we rode that $25 out for about 40 minutes and had a pretty unique gaming experience.  AND…Don got to sit next to what appeared to be a homeless, drunken construction worker with hair that would’ve made Don King jealous! 

The casino also runs great promotions as well and caters heavily to locals and off-duty employees of other casinos.  On a previous trip with Kanuck last year, I won a chance to spin a giant wheel in the pit that netted me 2,000 points on my player’s card.  That equaled $20 worth of comps in the restaurants.  We also got a T-shirt just for doing the aforementioned Blackjack tourney.  

Ellis Island is an outstanding off the beaten path casino with ridiculously good food and great prices.  I always consider it an essential 3 hour of so stop on each and every one of my Vegas trips.  The restaurant can have a wait during peak dinner times, so get there around 5ish, play a little bit, grab one of the great beers or another libation, and come hungry.  Check it out, you won’t be sorry.  And tell ‘em Pittsburgh Gil sent ya!

The BLT in the Mirage is hip, new, and most importantly good. Located where the Sigfreid and Roys’ White tigers used to be (it’s still strange to not see them there) and is directly across from the new RhumBar (which use to be the gift shop).

This is the latest and seemingly last “upgrade” that the Mirage is going to do to complete its transformation from an old stogy casino with an outdated theme, to one that is more urban chic than anything. This is definitely geared toward attracting a younger clientele as PH (formally the Aladdin) has done.

So in keeping with the transformation, BLT is a burger joint that has many different kinds of meat on the menu. You have your choice of a normal USDA burger (several grades), American Kobe beef, Salmon, and even a Veggie burger. Somehow Lori found the chicken finger (kids menu of course) and I ordered a Swiss burger. I have to say, it was choice. 

The atmosphere was great and we just sat at the bar, got some JWB and coke and watched the Subway series on one of their multiple flat screen TV’s. It was interesting to watch the kitchen as it was a virtual theater in the round. The grill masters were in the middle while everyone else was around them in a complete 360 degree kitchen. It was all open to see and fairly organized. Very Iron Chef. 

So two thumbs up for the BLT at the Mirage, a great place for a burger and some adult beverages.

Wolfgang Puck is one chef who Vegas can not get enough of.  He has 6 restaurants on the strip and each has a distinct look and feel.  Lori and I had lunch at Postrio in the Venetian and it was grand.

The atmosphere is modern sophistication with dark woods and rich touches.  There is “outside” dinning, which is to say that you will be out on the patio where you can people gaze over a lighter café style fare.  Of course there is almost always a wait for this section so we just opted to eat inside.

We order some an amazing caprese salad to start our meal, which we have to thank Goldie for introducing us to some 3 years ago.  They have a bevy of bread to choose from and we nibbled until our main courses came.

Lori ordered a roasted chicken dish that took longer than I think it normally does, and sure enough our waiter later apologizes and offers us a free dessert.  We have nothing but time and didn’t mind the wait, but who are we to turn down a free piece of yum-yum?  I had a seafood paella with whole prawns.  The “heads” spooked Lori a bit, but they were delicious.  This was just a great meal with great service to boot.

All in all I would have to recommend Postrio’s as it’s just a very nice experience all the way around.  It’s not inexpensive by any means, but I feel it is well worth it!

Seeing how this last trip was for the WSOP, we found ourselves at the Rio quite a bit.  So naturally we went to the World Carnival Buffet once during our stay.  We had been to this buffet years ago, and the new look renovation is nice considering how the place looked before.

This is a pretty large buffet with just a ton of stuff to choose from.  The quality is fairly good, although there is no truly great or exotic item like you will find at say the Bellagio’s buffet.  Everything is what you know and is tasty.

I have seen other people’s review of the place and they are right about the “cafeteria” feel.  The plastic cups take me back to middle school, but it is a buffet so I really don’t think that it matters all too much.

The service was fine and we didn’t wait long to get seated because we had come a little before 11 am.  I would actually recommend this because you will get the best of breakfast and the first choice of the lunch items, all cooked fresh.  They have a nice salad bar, cooked-to-order stir-fries, a Mexican taco station, some Chinese and a Japanese sushi bar.  They also have a Brazilian mixed grill, an Italian station and even a station for hot dogs, burgers, fries, and milkshakes.  Then you throw in the usual fare of most Las Vegas buffets and you have a ton of choice.

And then came the dessert.  There are like 50 kinds of pies, cakes, and pastries to choose from along with ice cream.  Yummy.

The buffet at Planet Hollywood was voted the best in Vegas (when it was the Aladdin), but their food quality was not as good as the RIO.  The Bellagio buffet still ranks highest in our book, although the price is a bit steep.  So for the best value of price and quality, I would say that the World Carnival Buffet at the Rio is a nice choice.  

I have often talked about the “Vegas Effect” as being basically sleep deprived as you party too long and are not able to get good consistent rest.  But this also applies to food and hunger as well.  Here is a great sandwich that can hold you over between those magical Blackjack runs.

The Italian sandwich @ JJ Boulangerie in Paris is just amazing.  It’s a hard French baguette roll with some tasty Italian meats, artichokes, red onion, some provolone, tomatoes and a light pesto spread.  Yummy.

You get a little potato salad with the sandwich which really sets off the meal.  I personally am not a huge artichoke fan, but somehow it all works well together.  These pictures do not do it justice, but believe me @ about $9.50 it’s a bargain!

When we want to make a light meal of it, Lori and I will get this and a chef salad that they have already made and go to town.  Something that is nice with the Caesar’s properties is that if you give them your player’s card they will swipe it and see if you have any “quick rewards”.  So if you have done any playing before hand you will have accumulated some points that translate into dollars.  This means an instant discount and anything that the casino gives you need to take.

So if you are looking for a good bite to eat that won’t kill your bankroll, then head over to Paris and get yourself one of these bad boys.