Ok when I think about restaurants on the strip I generally don't think I'm going to have any sort of meal that is satisfying, tastes out of this world and is not pretentious. Tao has really taught me a lesson in that department. Don't judge until you've tried.
I've come to Tao two times to eat and both times my socks have been blown off. Not really...cos both times I wore heels that were way too high and uncomfortable and ended the night walking around without shoes. Note to self: DO NOT wear ridiculous shoes when you intend to walk more than 3 steps.
I digress...I digress...back to Tao. Contrary to popular belief, both times I was here (once with 8 people and once with 4), we were able to get tables (the first time we called the night before and the next time we just walked in) on Saturday nights. As you enter Tao, there are these flower-petal filled mini earthen bath tubs...haha...if I had a couple of their super strong lychee martinis I would go take plonk myself in one of these. They look that zen and inviting.
This latest visit I made to Tao started with drinks at the bar while waiting for our table. Lychee Martinis...I made sure to ask for "extra strong" martinis and that was delivered. A great start to the night. The waiter we had was very knowledgeable about the food. He knew exactly what went in each dish. Tao is also very vegetarian friendly. They can substitute tofu in many dishes and there are many veggie options. Ok now to the dishes:
1. Shishito Peppers - Yum Yum...very nice and interesting. Never had these before. I probably wouldn't order these if I didn't have more than 4 people in my party. Rather large portion and the taste is interesting only the first couple of bites
2. Sake Infused Mushrooms - OK I am going to go insane right now. This was soooo good....i HATE sake and I'm salivating all over my laptop right now. I can't even describe this dish. You just need to get it. NEED TO I tell you
3. Steamed Veggie Dumplings - The dumplings itself were pretty normal. Nothing out of the regular dumpling world. Don't get me wrong, they were good...just nothing to write a paragraph about (although I guess I already have). Now, the dumplings came with this AMAZING crunchy cucumber side. Ok...seriously...cooked cucumbers. Sounds icky but Yum Yum Yum. Very very nice...
4. Fried Brown Rice with Veggies - Wow. Crispy lettuce, perfectly cooked tofu, simple flavors and you wouldn't even know you are eating brown rice (I don't like brown rice). Tastes sooo good. This is literally the best fried rice I've had outside of Asia. And I've eaten many a fried rice
5. Mango Tamarind Martini - This one tasted sooooo good. Masked the taste of alcohol (i can't stand the taste of alcohol) and tasted interesting with just a hint of tamarind. A perfect complement to the meal. The drink still packed a good punch even though you couldn't taste the "punch."
We ended the meal with the 4 of us sharing a chocolate cake of some sort. I'm not a fan of chocolate cakes in general so I can't really remember how it tasted. The girls seemed to like it though.
We even got our hands stamped to get into Tao (the club area) after we ate. Totally worth the price!
If you are in Vegas and up for a nice dinner on the strip I would suggest Tao for sure. Great food, amazing drinks, good service and the ambiance is of course wonderful.