Where did you end up going @attran99?
Hi, @moonboy403. We ended up having them meet us at Aria Café since they were still staying in town today and we needed to get out after pulling a late night…like two ships passing in the night. It was serviceable…just a quick breakfast to catch up and meet their toddler for the first time.
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@attran99 Not a lot of early morning options for breakfast in the Aria/Cosmo/MGM Grand area. Eataly has limited pastry options and good coffee. Kids like the croissants. The only other places on our radar on the strip for good early breakfast in Las Vegas
- Sadelle’s at Bellagio opens at 6am (M Life so you get points)
- White Castle open 24 hours
- Jardin at Encore opens at 7am (no M Life)
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@js76wisco Shit…I had forgotten about M Life points…racked up a fair amount during the small time we did play, so I’m pretty sure the next visit will be comped.
Raku
Another standout meal. I’m so happy with making it to both here and LoS. These two will likely be in my rotation going forward.
Amuse bouche - Pickled vegetables and matsutake mushrooms with bonito
Ken2 salad
Bluefin tuna and kanpachi sashimi - Raku knocks it out of the park because only here does the husband willingly eat sashimi and he loved the bluefin the most
Grilled yellowtail with special teriyaki sauce
Iberico kushi - the husband’s favorite from last time. This time we found the skewers unevenly cooked…parts too over and parts under…it was strange. Tasted good, but strange.
Crispy pig’s ear - this shit was amazing…a little gelatinous, crispy, and cartilage-y. Flavor was excellent.
Yellowtail carpaccio - another winner for the husband who normally runs away from raw fish dishes
Kobe beef tendon and Pork intestine - both were sublime as I love offal cuts. What a shame that the WeHo branch removed them from the menu because people didn’t order them enough. Thanks to @Chowseeker1999, @TheCookie, @Ns1, @A5KOBE, @PorkyBelly, and everyone else who suggested them and the pig’s ear!
Not pictured (because I was fat and got to it before I remembered the photo): Raku tofu, Kurabuto pork ribs, onigiri in broth with salmon, and maybe a couple of other items I forgot.
Counter seats mean dinner and a show. Watching the chefs plate and break down fish was a thing of beauty.
One of the two specials boards. I asked to see both and our server assured us that they were the same. Turns out they were not. I was displeased…next time insist on seeing both so I don’t miss out on anything.
Really truly one of the best meals in Vegas with the added bonus that we don’t have to get dressed up to go enjoy. Pacing was way better than last time…they made sure we got one or two dishes out at a time. Last time for a group of 4, we had periods of time where we didn’t have room for all the dishes at the same time. If I lived in town, I’d probably be here at least twice a month. Called at 3:30PM and got reservations for 2 at 8PM. It wasn’t terribly busy when we left before 10PM.
Giordano’s (inside Bally’s)
My husband’s idea of dessert. Meat & More Meat pizza…in a small.
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The worlds largest dispensary is across the street from Sapphire.
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Wow! Thanks for confirming the dishes, the tendon, intestine and foie gras all served at the LV location.
I never would have thought LV would be more adventurous eaters than LA that they can keep those items on the menu.
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Nice report @attran99 sounds like you had a great time. Next time try the grilled salmon and yellowtail belly (also at weho) two of my favorites on the menu. So crispy, smoky, juicy, and with so much fat Trump wants to deny it health insurance for having pre-existing diabetes.
If you liked the iberico try the pork cheeks, just as good for a third of the price.
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I get so many emails from all of the M Life hotels its wild. But I do like a nice trip to Vegas so I tolerate them.
Same here. These 2 and Carbone are my most frequented restaurants along with a mid day stop for a slice at the not so secret pizza place in Cosmo.
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@js76wisco No kidding. I’ve been getting daily E-mails from Aria and Vdara since August.
Great report @attran99. 
Yes, as @A5KOBE said (and all of us Raku regulars), thank you for confirming the legendary Tendon & Intestine Skewers are still on the menu.
And since it’s Vegas, they’d have 2 other missing items: Foie Gras Skewers and Foie Gras Chawan Mushi (Steamed Egg).
It is a travesty that the L.A. diners (outside of some Japanese regulars and FTC’ers) rejected those outstanding dishes and drove it off the menu. 
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Do you think that if Raku had landed in Torrance, Little Tokyo, Sawtelle, or Costa Mesa that those items would have fared better? I get WeHo for the late night hours and vibe to mirror LV, and I know that neighborhood well enough that I don’t see those dishes being ordered much.
I got hit with the pig’s ears, tendon, and intestines at the same time. I had to polish them all down because my husband wasn’t adventurous enough to try them. All three were so rich that I abstained from the foie chawanmushi.
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Hi @attran99,
Yes. Especially Torrance & Costa Mesa.
On the one hand I’m so glad Raku L.A. is a big success (usually totally booked on weekends), and the clientele is diverse and mixed (great). But yah, losing 3 outstanding dishes (2 of them done by no one better in So Cal) probably has something to do with that location as well (so mostly a win, with a few key, painful losses to the menu).
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what was on the other specials board? it’s so strange how they do that.
An Alaskan King Crab dish and another fish not on the board that they showed us. I’d have ordered them both.
Next time be more insistent and not take the server for her word.
I have had the Alaskan crab, it was good but not worth the cost. More money for that amazing foie gras on a stick.
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Another visit to Big B’s, out at St. Rose and Eastern in Henderson – BFE for us as we live in the northwest. SO and I agreed that it was a memorable meal, right up there with the best BBQ brisket we’ve ever had (and I’ve had some excellent 'Q from Central Texas). You’re looking at about 1.4 lbs of the flat there. The BBQ beans are very good too – much better than the usual. We’re still feeling the glow.
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Seriously, I never thought of that. Brilliant!
…and on the other side of that dispensary is where one can sell out their kids’ stock of Girl Scout Cookies.
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What do you recommend at Big B’s? Going there on Saturday!
I don’t know what it would be or how it would work, but has anyone had a thread about this subtopic?