The Best Restaurants in Vegas: 5 Diamond/ 5 Star Dining

As with clubs and hotels, the restaurant business in Las Vegas is serious stuff.  The constant rise (and fall) of gourmet eateries is impossible to track.  For serious foodies, however, this is good news. 

The competition keeps restaurateurs and chefs always putting forward their best dishes in an effort to keep diners coming back.  Those that manage to hook the crowds reach for even higher culinary heights.  Even then, only a few reach AAA five diamond level. 

Here is the 2009 lineup of 5 diamond/ 5 star Las Vegas restaurants -- the best of the best: 

Le Cirque at Bellagio

This is the sixth year in a row that this stunning eatery has made the Five Star list.  It’s easy to see why – gorgeous interior, fresh ingredients cooked into melt-in-your-mouth dishes, consistently great service. 

The circus theme is tastefully executed into something you can’t joke about.  Beautiful fabric and whimsical paintings combine to create the under-the-big-top effect. 

The menu features classic and contemporary French cuisine created by executive chef David Werly. 

The  $98 prix fixe menu include an appetizer, main course and dessert. 

You also won’t want to miss out on a glass of one of their over 900 hundred in-stock wines.

Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace

This is the only American incarnation of the award-winning chef’s culinary enterprises but certainly not the least.  The French chef takes his food seriously, not scrimping on delicacies like black truffles, caviar, veal and wild game.  The menus (yes, there’s more than one) are vast, changing with the seasons and offering prix fixe and a la carte items.  The décor is in keeping with Guy Savoy’s Paris restaurant.  Clean lines and splashes of color create a comfortably modern atmosphere.  And the service?  Excellent, of course.

Picasso at Bellagio

Another veteran recipient of the Five Diamond award (Picasso is on it’s eighth round), this is a must for foodies and art lovers.  Its name is taken from the famous artist who’s paintings and ceramics are featured throughout the restaurant.  That’s right – there are numerous original Picasso’s decorating its walls.  Add to that an amazing menu full of Spanish influenced French cuisine, a selection of over 1,500 wines and top-notch service and you have … Five Diamonds and Five Stars!

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Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand

This is the restaurant that brought a renowned chef out of retirement and he hasn’t let anything slip through the cracks.  The rich décor (think red and purple velvet) echoes the decadence of the cuisine.  Robuchon uses the highest quality ingredients to compose his masterly French creations.  Not for the faint of wallet but the great service, incredible food and divine atmosphere are well worth the price.
 

Alex at Wynn

This relatively young restaurant has accomplished a lot in its lifetime, including five-star and five diamond designations for two years in a row.  But to spend an evening at Alex will relay the biggest of its accomplishments – creating an incredible atmosphere that tickles all your senses.  The sumptuous décor keeps the eye wandering from its vast ceilings to its vast floor.  Of course, you might be too busy enjoying your meal to notice all that.  Chef Alessandro Strata creates fusion dishes with a heavy French Riviera influence, a combination that will make your taste buds jump for joy.  And its served up with a graciousness worthy of the setting.