Lucky So-n-So's Las Vegas Christmas Eat-and-Drink-a-thon 2023

So, just about every year for the last several years, I have gone to Las Vegas for Christmas. Not to gamble, but to eat the food, see shows, drink a few cocktails, and maybe see a boob or two.

This year promised to be a good one, as I had reservations at Picasso ( two Michelin stars), and Battista's Hole in the Wall (very highly recommended). I also planned to go to Hash House a Go Go (as I always do), Nine Fine Irishmen (heard lots of great things), and Village Pub at Ellis Island (also highly recommended).

Day 1

Arrived at NYNY, was allowed early check-in with no extra fee. Found out that my room was literally the farthest from the elevator on the floor. Took about 4 minutes and 12 turns to get there. Unpacked clothes, and realized I brought the wrong blazer and slacks (neither of which could remotely fit me), so I would have nothing to wear to Picasso. I probably could have gotten away with the Blazer and jeans, but i cancelled the reservation in a fit of rage after the Bellagio concierge told me they wouldn't allow "light colored jeans", which is all I had. And I can't just walk into a Target or Ross and find shite that fits me.

Beerhaus
Brewery attached to NYNY. Hit it during happy hour, so got some less expensive craft beers and some tots (which were actually kind of gross). Got a flight that had a lager, an IPA, a weissbier, and a blonde. All very delicious.



Battista's Hole in the Wall (Off Strip, right by Stage Door Casino)

As previously stated, I heard lots of good things about this place. Most Youtube videos I saw (and there were many) raved about this place. The reason why is that with every entree you get a carafe of wine (white or red ), soup or salad, bread, a pasta or vegetable, and a cappuccino.
I get there a bit early, and have a nice glass of Chianti at the bar while waiting. The ambience of that place is off the charts. Dark, dank, velvety, brassy, pictures of celebs who have eaten there all on the walls. I mean, this was pure old school Las Vegas. And how ironic that I was sat next to a picture of the Smothers Brothers. So I ordered the Veal Parmigiana with salad, rigatoni with red sauce. The Salad was only ok. Had a large piece of salami that seemed out of place. The garlic bread was simple, but very good. The veal parm was not good. It looked like it had been cooked an hour before, was drowned in red sauce, and thrown into the salamander with a hunk of cheese. Tasted about like what you would expect of Olive Garden, not a long-time family owned restaurant. The Rigatoni was bland and had hardly any sauce. Creamed spinach came with the veal parm, and it was actually decent. Oh, and the "free wine". I took one sip and it made me want to vomit. I'm no connoisseur, but I do like a good glass of wine, and this wasn't even a mediocre glass. It tasted like church wine and cough syrup. I told the waiter to take it away. Absolutely disgusting. The post dinner cappuccino was excellent, and I had the tiramisu for dessert, which was also outstanding.

Overall, I would say the ambience is great, but if you want really good Italian, you ain't gettin it at Battista's.









Day 2

Had breakfast in room...two eggs, sausage, bacon, hashbrowns, pancakes. Was good enough. Only so much you can do with those foods. I was disappointed that it was delivered like a "door dash" meal, and not on a cart with proper plates and flatware, and those little bottles of condiments.

For lunch, I went to Village Pub and Cafe at Ellis Island. I had heard you can get a great meal at a great value. The two standout dishes are supposed to be the Prime Rib and the fish & chips. I went for the fish & chips because I knew I would be eating steak the next two nights. They brew their own beer at Ellis Island, so I got a hazy IPA, which was delicious. It wasn't a fruity IPA, like Jucifer. More hoppy than citrus-y. The fish and chips were outstanding. Three giant pieces of breaded cod, which were very crispy on the outside, and flaky on the inside. The fries were steak fries, a bit on the limp/soggy side, but I don't mind that. They were delicious as well, especially with the malt vinegar on the table. Now, I can put away some groceries, and I couldn't come close to finishing this. I will definitely be visiting Village Pub on my next trip to Vegas. With a $10 tip, this meal was still only $30. On the strip it would have been easily $40 before tip.



I went to the Bruno Mars concert later that night (outstanding). Stopped at Shake Shack on the way to my room and got a bacon cheese burger and some chicken bites. Very good. (no pics)

Day 3

Woke up and walked to the Linq from NYNY so I could eat at Hash House a Go Go. Love that place. I was there when it opened at 7:30. I was still full from all the food and alcohol from the day before, so I thought I would try something different than my usual "Andy's Sage Fried Chicken Benedict". So, I decided to get the chilaquiles and a Bloody Mary. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it sure wasn't a giant bowl of basically pulled pork nachos with three scrambled eggs and half an avocado thrown in for good measure. Don't get me wrong, it was delicious!! But I wasn't expecting that. I'm not sure what I thought chilaquiles would be, but it certainly wasn't that. Should have gotten my regular. Anyway, it was still good, and the Bloody Mary was good, so I was still satisfied. I couldn't eat half of the chilaquiles.



Later that evening, I went to the Tournament of Champions show at Excalibur. It was pretty entertaining, had a Christmas theme (including Christmas Wenches!!
). A meal was served (roast cornish hen, sweet potatoes, corn, and bread... ). I ate the skin off the chicken and the bread. After the show, I had a few glasses of wine in the casino (NYNY) before I had a proper dinner at

Gallagher's

Gallagher's is probably closer to Fleming's or Sullivan's than any of the top steakhouses in Vegas. Doesn't come close to Cut, or Prime, or STK. The prices bear that out as well. I had bread (really good, but why is the butter ALWAYS FROZEN???? ), a caprese salad (very tasty, one of the best I've ever had, actually) calamari (only ok) green beans (very bland), and the center cut filet medium rare (large, tender, juicy, and absolutely delicious. cooked perfectly). For dessert I had the cheesecake, which tasted fresh and made in house). If you are staying at NYNY, this is a fine enough restaurant if you don't want to be traipsing all over LV looking for a place to eat after a long day of walking the strip. You aren't going to pay premium prices either. This meal would have cost me $100 more easily at some of the other places in LV (my filet was "only" $68).