if you haven't already, check out part 1 of my Vegas trip!
Saturday, August 21
After a late concert night, we peeled ourselves out of bed and made our way to the Eiffel Tower Restaurant for an 11:45 brunch reservation.
But of course, I just had to have a snack while we were getting ready!
It was moments like these, eating a cannoli in bed, admiring the view from our gorgeous 41st floor room, that really made me understand why people come to Vegas.
A quick Uber ride later, we were in Paris Las Vegas, ready for our beautiful brunch.
We checked in with the hostess, then were whisked away into an elevator that took us up into the Eiffel Tower. Whizzing past the large steel structure of the tower reminded me so much of the times I have visited the actual Eiffel Tower. This is what is fun about Vegas - you really get to feel like you are in different places, just by being in different resorts.
The doors opened to reveal an open kitchen, full of chaotic energy and chefs running around to prepare beautiful fare for the restaurant's patrons.
We rounded the corner and suddenly the energy was very different - the floor to ceiling windows filled the dining area with soft morning light, a gentle wakeup call from our excited night before. We were shown to our window table, which did not disappoint!
Pro tip: If you want to guarantee a special experience, pay the extra fee for a window table!
I had just mentioned my disappointment that we had not seen the Bellagio Fountains, a Las Vegas icon, on our trip so far. However, just as I was finishing my sentence, the fountains started and we had the most beautiful birds-eye view of them.
The Eiffel Tower Restaurant does brunch well - guests can choose 3 courses for a flat price, as well as drinks and add-ons. I found the menu to be on the smaller side, but appreciated the fair variety of options. I was also extremely appreciative of our server. When I mentioned my allergies, she went out of her way to make sure I was taken care of. Her knowledge of the menu was great and because of her, I avoided becoming very sick.
Because my options were limited due to my allergies, I went with the fruit and yogurt parfait. To my surprise, it was absolutely gorgeous and genuinely enjoyable. I sipped on my Victoria of St. Germain Ulti-mosa while I admired the Bellagio fountains and tried to wrap my mind around how incredible our time in Vegas had been, and it was only getting better.
For my main, I chose the lobster eggs benedict, which was gloriously indulgent and the perfect hearty option after our wild night.
For my third course, I couldn't not have chocolate soufflé, and it was amazing. The server poured hot chocolate creme anglaise into the soufflé, which was a sight to see with the Vegas strip background. I am not a soufflé connoisseur, but this was one of the best I've ever had. It was perfectly risen and perfectly cooked throughout, without being too cakey. My soufflé was light but still rich, the most delicious ending to our gorgeous Saturday afternoon brunch.
Since I had put down a special occasion with our reservation, we were gifted one extra treat too!
Overall, our experience at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant was absolutely wonderful. While it wasn’t the cheapest meal, it surely was not the most expensive, and the whole experience was worth the price. If you are looking for a beautiful brunch that won’t break the bank, I recommend brunch at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant.
Once we were full and happy, we headed back to the hotel to relax, get ready for dinner and prepare for our show. I utilized the beautiful tub in our hotel room again, to unwind a little before what would most likely be a crazy night.
For dinner, we had reservations at the very popular Catch, next door at the Aria. Catch may not have been my first choice, but I don’t regret going.
Catch is famous for its Instagram-worthy entry way, dripping with fairytale florals, twinkling lights and photo ops, as well as its seafood-forward menu.
We were shown to a cozy booth toward the back of the restaurant. Since they had just opened for dinner, the restaurant was mostly empty. The ambiance was impressive, and I really began to understand the allure of this restaurant.
Not too long after we started sipping on our drinks, we ordered, and our food arrived. Since it was our last evening in Vegas, I decided to 'go big' and order a seafood tower.
I've had a few seafood towers in my time, and this one was fairly formidable and drew quite a bit of attention from neighboring diners. I was a little disappointed by some of the clams, but I loved the addition of the fresh poke.
Of course, being Mariah's birthday eve, I made sure the restaurant knew it was her birthday. Not only did our server bring us special shots, but also pulled some strings for dessert! We were undecided between the cake with "liquid Klondike" or the donuts, so he brought us the cake with a small side of donuts.
Once we were done, it was finally time to head to our second and final Jonas Brothers concert.
Pro tip: If you want to go directly from Aria to Park MGM, ask around about the direct, indoor walkway!
After only a few minutes, we semi-accidentally stumbled upon an indoor walkway that took us directly to Park MGM. To this day, I'm not even sure how we were able to find that! There were some cute photo ops on the way, too.
It was exciting to be back at the Park Theater, but this time with pit tickets! We entered through the casino, got our wristbands and were on our way.
Quite a different view from night 1, huh?
When the boys began their set, the rush was incredible! Even though we rolled in at 8PM (doors opened at 6PM), we were able to get an amazing spot with only one row of people in front of us. The rest of the night was absolutely epic, and I can't think of a better way to spend our last night in Vegas.
At the end of the concert, we were greeted outside the venue with the usual club promoter handing out invites to girls. We almost walked by but realized that this was a Park MGM-sanctioned after party at Off the Record, a lounge I had wanted to visit.
On the Record is a funky, vintage-themed club and lounge. There are so many fun photo ops, a photo booth, and countless hallways that lead to new rooms. One of the hallways lead us to an outside area with its own DJ playing vintage Motown and soul music out of a double decker bus! We rang in Mariah's birthday at the stroke of midnight, free champagne in hand, underneath the Vegas sky.
We returned to this view one last time before packing and getting a good night's rest.
Sunday, August 22
Our last morning in Vegas was a slow one. We left our luggage with hotel staff while we had brunch at Bardot Brasserie at Aria.
Located on the second floor, Bardot Brasserie is, in my opinion, a very traditional French brasserie. The ambiance is nothing like Lago at Bellagio, or the Eiffel Tower Restaurant. It's more fast paced and has the hustle and bustle of a cafe.
By this point I was pretty burnt out, but I ordered a great coffee and the "Hunter's Waffle" - a sourdough waffle with glazed duck confit, poached eggs and Maltaise. I was on the fence about ordering a sourdough waffle since I don't care much for sourdough. However, the entire dish was balanced, pleasantly savory with the perfect amount of heartiness. It was a great 'recovery' meal after the weekend we had!
We had no plans after brunch, but because our flight was delayed we walked around the Aria, took the Aria Express to the Shops at Crystals, and killed some time. Soon enough though, we were back in a cab on the way to the airport.
Overall, our trip to Vegas surprised me in the best way. I ate so much delicious food and had a lot of fun!
When was the last time you visited Las Vegas?
Until next time,
Happy wandering!
