travelgirl to do list: vegas

by Jan Butsch Schroder

1. Ice, Ice Baby
Giving new meaning to chillin’ in Vegas, the bar Minus 5 serves up cold vodka drinks in glasses made of ice from New Zealand. And what keeps them cold? Everything else in the bar — tables, benches, chairs, even the bar itself — is made of pure Canadian ice, frozen in a way to keep it clear. And the temperature inside the bar is minus 5 Celsius (27 degrees Fahrenheit). 
But you’ll stay toasty warm and feel beyond glam when you slip into a full-length faux fur coat and gloves before entering. Kids can join in after suiting up in a ski suit.
Along with mocktails for the underage crowd, there is a choice of seven signature cocktails made with vodka. Our favorite was the “Snowflake” made with Finlandia Mango Vodka, Tuaca, Peach Schnapps, orange and pineapple juices. The first drink is complimentary with the $30 admission fee, and you can purchase up to two more drinks, but that’s the limit, as is the 30 minutes you’re allowed to stay before various body parts start to protest.

After you’ve had your chill, and perhaps lounged on a few of the faux fur-covered benches, head back to the cozy bar, where the only ice is in the highballs. Enjoy bar tricks by the bartenders while you warm up. Sadly we had to return the faux fur coats — granted, they were a bit much for the Nevada sunshine, but they just felt so right in Vegas, no matter what the temperature.
In Mandalay Place, www.minus5experience.com

2. A Platinum Experience
Hey, we all love the Vegas experience, but sometimes the shows, sights, sensations and sounds of Vegas can put us into serious sensation overload. Located just 1 1/2 blocks off the strip at East Flamingo Road, the Platinum Hotel & Spa gives us that much-needed dose of relaxation and peace. You’ll feel your soul relax as soon as you enter this elegant hotel.
And we love that every one of the Platinum’s 255 suites has a full gourmet kitchen. Save a few dollars by having breakfast, happy hour or late-night snacks in your room. If you’re traveling with the family, settle the kids in the fold-out sofa for the evening, while you and your honey enjoy the view from your private balcony or whip up the bubbles in the whirlpool tub for two.
When you’re ready for a few rays of that desert sun, head to the gorgeous indoor/outdoor pool area, with fire pits on the terrace for socializing around when the air chills.
And what better way to get a girls’ getaway started than with an in-room martini bar? The Girls Just Wanna Have Fun package also includes a treatment at the hotel’s luxurious WELL spa.
More good news: you’ll have no worries about running up a gambling debt at the Platinum — there is no casino here. We told you you’d get away from the sounds of Vegas, right? But you will have a few decisions to make — manicure or makeover? Shaken or stirred?
www.lvplatinumhotel.com

3. It’s the Real, Raw Deal
Long known for its gambling opportunities, mega-watt shows and chapels suitable for alcohol-induced matrimony, Vegas is gaining a reputation as a town for foodies as well. And my money, which I prefer to spend on food rather than gambling, is on Social House. Sushi, which is not generally at the top of my list, moved up several notches after I tasted it prepared under the skillful hands of Executive Chef Joseph Elevado. Elevado learned his skills at Nobu NYC and opened Nobu Next Door, then Nobu Las Vegas in 1999.

Signature dishes include citrus peel miso marinated cod and Kobe beef with kizame wasabi crème fraiche. There’s a choice of yakitori, small bites such as mini Kobe burgers, shrimp and pork lumpia.
And of course there is a large selection of nigiri sushi and sashimi. Raw classics include the mirugai, toro, tuna and an amazing yellowtail, with a choice of five sauces. Or try the ishiyaki (you cook it yourself on hot stones!) with your choice of seafood, domestic Kobe or imported Kobe. The lengthy sake menu includes several fruit-infused options, and at the suggestion of our waiter, we enjoyed one infused with blueberry.
You can take your pick of several rooms in which to dine but be sure to take a tour of the newspaper room, the lounge, the 10-seat sushi bar and note the brass safety deposit boxes that line the stairway. The lounge has a DJ for late-night fun.
We sat on the terrace, with a view of the strip, and the occasional interruption from the cheesy (and sleezy!) Sirens of TI pirate show, a blaring, kitschy reminder that we were in Vegas, after all.

In Treasure Island, www.socialhouselv.com

4. Bravo to Lavo
If you’re in Vegas, you gotta have a theme, right? (If I ever open a hotel there, it will be New Orleans-themed, with daily Mardi Gras parades, hot beignets 24/7 and a mini Mississippi flowing through the lobby.) Lavo restaurant and nightclub takes its Roman Mediterranean bathhouse theme seriously throughout its two-story space. The nightclub displays vignettes of bathhouse women, the leather-walled booths include shower handles and the vaulted ceiling is done in glazed mosaic tiles.
But the sinks in the restaurant’s bathroom were my favorite feature.
Operated by a foot pedal, the water falls from the ceiling into your basin. Hardly practical, but definitely splashy, in all respects.
Located in the Palazzo, another of Steve Wynn’s creations, Lavo restaurant is in a huge space, with 20-foot ceilings of old wood with low-hanging chandeliers. Classically French trained Chef Ludo Lefebvre was the opening chef and the menu originally focused on small plates. He was recently replaced by a corporate Executive Chef, Chef Ralph Scamardella, who redesigned the menu with an emphasis on classic Italian dishes.
The nightclub, a celebrity favorite, is small by Vegas standards at just 4,500 square feet, but with ample seating. You get there by a staircase leading from the restaurant, then crossing over a glass-and-wood-screened bridge. Waitress skirts, noise volume and drink prices are what you expect in Vegas: high… and higher. But that’s Vegas, baby.
Inside the Palazzo Resort Casino, www.lavolv.com