Leslie and I knew we had a big day ahead of us, so decided to stay close-in for lunch: Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger’s Border Grill was inside the Mandalay, so we made plans for that.
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With all the fabulous experiences we had already had — Gordon Ramsay Steak and Lotus of Siam especially (and we didn’t go in with special expectations for this restaurant), this was just lunch. It was okay but not great and we’ll not be visiting this one again. I do have to mention that Leslie ordered a sangria that was just way off on proportions, so the waitress for whatever reason was a little unkind when Leslie asked for a replacement, even though we sweetly explained we thought the mix of ingredients was just off. It was really bad. She decided to bring Leslie a completely different drink, made with autumnal flavors, and I’d summarize the taste of that one this way: imagine a cocktail equal parts tequila and nutmeg. Right. We considered that perhaps she was ‘punishing’ Leslie with an even worse drink…so she didn’t comment about that one! hahaha!
We had time this day to do more exploring, so we traveled over to the Bellagio and took in their Autumnal displays:
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Jean Philippe Patisserie is also in the Bellagio
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I wanted a little nibble of a couple different things, and they had this sampler available: a tiny raspberry macaron, creme brulee, and a red velvet cake pop on a little chocolate ‘plate’. I saved the plate for later (it was good) and tried the other three – the brulee was terrific, the macaron didn’t seem particularly fresh, and the red velvet wasn’t…well, know when you have a certain expectation of the perfect red velvet (or carrot cake, or…) and anything else just isn’t going to make it? I think it was the icing on the outside. Still, though, this was fun and left enough for a snack later. 
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The fountain show outside the hotel
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We made it in plenty of time for our reservation at Nobu, which was beautiful and everyone was so kind and welcoming — the whole experience just perfect.
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This was a splurge — we both got the best tasting menu, which incorporated our preferences and kept in mind Leslie’s dislikes. The chef completely took care of us. We were impressed with every single dish.
Here, the lighting is dim so these images aren’t the greatest, but…
Truffle toro
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Salmon belly
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Yellowtail sashimi with cilantro and peppers
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Black Alaskan cod
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Wagyu A5, served atop super-heated stones so you may further heat the steak to your liking
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Chilean sea bass
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red snapper and fluke sashimi, tuna roll
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…and by the time dessert rolled around, I forgot to note how the waiter described dessert!
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It would be nonsense to try to describe in any detail to which each of these are deserving, but this was such an incredible experience, with every single dish incredibly special. This is a *must-do*.
We went straight to the Wynn, where we had tickets for their show, Le Reve (The Dream). Thankfully, we had a little time to take in the surroundings
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Preston Bailey’s floral installations
and of all the shops, we fell in love with their Tiny Treasures toy shop
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We made our way to the theater for the show, and…Jeff Koons Tulips!
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We had the *best* seats for Le Reve (though I think they are all good, as it’s a water show done in the round). Photographs are allowed. I only took a few as I really wanted to take in the show
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Leslie liked it even better than the other two Cirque shows we saw this week.