Saturday, November 17, 2007

Thanksgiving For Locals In Vegas


Years ago ( decades ago! ) my wife prepared a fabulous Thanksgiving diner, as they say "wit all da fixins" and we invited friends and neighbors to our house for a big meal. Such a traditional celebration seems like a dream and a lifetime ago.

Lately, living in Vegas as "Empty Nesters" the only logical and practical solution for Thanksgiving dinner is to eat out at one of the many offerings in the Las Vegas area.

Last year, to avoid the crowds, we had a sumptuous and completely satisfying Thanksgiving dinner at a local pub called The Village Inn, all for about $20 not including drinks. We had to cancel our earlier casino restaurant reservations, so we just walked into the local pub and reservations were not necessary. The year before we splurged and dined at the Costa Del Sol at the Sunset Station Casino, which was much more pricey but elegant and definitely worth it.

My most memorable Thanksgiving dinner for me was back in the late eighties at the Sands, a place my wife and I made into a Thanksgiving "tradition" for five consecutive years. For those who do not keep track, the one time home of the famous "Rat Pack" no longer exists ( It was at the location where the Venetian now stands). We just happened to be seated at a table right next to Redd Foxx and his wife. Redd almost made me choke on a turkey bone with the one liners he constantly threw our way (or mostly my wife's way) during the entire meal. I introduced my wife and mentioned to Redd Foxx that she is a nurse. He suddenly grabbed his chest and said "Thank God, I just might need her before this meal is over." Even in person, he acted like the character on his TV series "Sanford and Son".




Click here for the Las Vegas Review Journal list of Las Vegas restaurants offering Turkey Day meals. Reservations are always recommended at the casinos and popular restaurants.




Update: My wife just had the pleasure of meeting the head chef and owner of a highly rated, elegant and romantic Las Vegas small, privately owned restaurant. We have been invited to have Thanksgiving dinner there and after Thanksgiving I will definitely blog all about it. I admit that it does not look like much on the outside, but here is a "teaser" picture of our Thanksgiving dinner destination:

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Out of towner coming to vegas with his dear old mom on 11-27-2008. Found your Thanksgiving comments via search engine. Say can you recommend some other places on or near the strip for a fab thanksgiving dinner...even if reservations are needed and $$$.
Best regards,

:)
Craig of Vienna, Virginia
paydirt@verizon.net

MercurialMike said...

Craig -

I am so sorry I missed your comment, mainly because I wrote this for Thanksgiving 2007 ! I still think that the local Las Vegas Review Journal newspaper listings are a good start. You should be able to find something that meets your needs there. I can't recommend anything on or near the Strip with any authority because it changes year to year and we usually eat closer to "home" in nearby Henderson.

My wife and I have not made any reservations yet, but will probably make a last minute decision ( just like last year ;-).

MercurialMike said...

Here is an interesting link that evaluates restaurants and allows you to make reservations at OpenTable.com.

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