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| - 3.75 stars. You want to know what easily was the biggest disappointment of my last Vegas trip? That I didn't get to have a second session of drinking with Dave, one of the most awesome bartenders I have ever met. Seriously, if you happen to be in the MGM Grand in the next two or three months, take the opportunity to sidle up the bar if you happen to see a tall bald headed dude working. You won't regret it.
My first night on my last trip to Vegas involved a moderately lengthy stay at the bar at Wolfgang Puck. It was a slow night, and the bartender inquired about what was obviously a look of pain on my face. "I hope my face doesn't contort like that when I'm playing poker," I noted, knowing full well that it certainly does not. He asked what was bothering me, I told him, and then I stated that it wasn't really a big deal (and it's not). He then proceeded to tell me what happened to him the previous night, and let's just say it put EVERYTHING into perspective. The night was still young, and before you knew it, there were rounds upon rounds of drinks, including two comped ones on Dave, as we ran the gamut of his own incredible night and simultaneously mocked the idea of what most people consider problems. As I was leaving, he noted, "You get it." He was talking about life. And he gets it as well.
There are other reasons to come here aside from incredible service. The actual drinks at the bar were nicely prepared, including a Manhattan preparation nicely chilled with carved ice. The bar is well stocked with fun rye whiskeys, scotches, and bourbons as moderate price points. The Shishito peppers and short ribs I ordered may have been short of magnificent, but were solid nonetheless. At worst, it is certainly a reasonable alternative to NobHill for those who'd like something nice while avoiding L'Atelier's pricing.
While I get this isn't exactly destination dining and the atmosphere is kind of weird (located in the middle of the MGM Grand), it isn't a bad place, especially on Fight Night, to watch the legions of craziness descend upon MGM Grand while sipping nice cocktails and judging everyone in your vicinity. Yeah, I think I'll go back here on my next Vegas trip.
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