Caesars Entertainment Delivers on LV Strip Enhancements, Upgrades

By David Yeskel

Caesars Entertainment, with nine casino-resorts in Las Vegas, must continually upgrade and enhance its hospitality offerings in order to stay relevant on the hyper-competitive Strip.  And despite the pandemic, Caesars Entertainment powered on to deliver enhancements, upgrades and new dining outlets at its properties.  Here’s the latest on what the country’s largest gaming operator has recently introduced, and what’s on tap for the near future.

Bally’s Horseshoe Las Vegas Rebrand

Bally’s Las Vegas, a Caesars Entertainment mid-market, mid-Strip property, has undergone a rebranding that touches hotel, casino and F&B operations.  Taking its name from legendary gambling hall Jack Binion’s Horseshoe Casino – once a touchstone for serious gamblers on downtown’s Fremont Street – the revitalized property aims to attract a new generation of players by hosting the iconic World Series of Poker and other high-profile events. Meanwhile, Jack Binion’s Steak has already opened, offering a modern twist on throwback steakhouse classics with standouts like the Fried Mozzarella Heirloom Tomato Salad, Parmesan Crusted Brussels Sprouts and a luscious, non-traditional Berry Cobbler. Additional dining options coming soon include James Beard Award-winning chef Martin Yan’s M.Y. Asia and Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Sports Kitchen, which is slated to open in the summer of 2023 in the former Burger Brasserie space. It is Fieri’s third Las Vegas restaurant with Caesars Entertainment, following Guy Fieri’s Vegas Kitchen & Bar at The LINQ Hotel + Experience and El Burro Borracho at Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.

And for those who had trouble locating the property’s previous sports book on Bally’s quiet, lower level, the newly installed, 7,000 sq.-ft. ARCADE, featuring more than 80 super-sized games, is a lot easier to spot – and significantly more lively.

Caesars Palace

It was only a matter of time until the now-iconic pastry known as the Cronut® headed west from New York, and with the Dominique Ansel Las Vegas outlet now open at Caesars Palace, the croissant/donut hybrid is now available in flavors that change monthly – and never repeat.  And after tasting several items on the outlet’s menu, including the inaugural iteration of the Cronut® (Lucky Cherry Chambord and Caramelia, which was a flavor sensation), my current fave is also – not coincidentally – the chef’s favorite:  the best-selling DKA (Dominique’s Kouign Amann).  Best described as a caramelized croissant, the DKA features light, laminated layers of crispy pastry that create a wide debris field of crumbs around the lucky eater.

When Old Homestead Steakhouse opened at Caesars in 2011, it represented the first foray of the venerable, 140-year-old restaurant outside of New York City.  Now, in a seeming throwdown of classic NY steakhouses vying for attention at the same Las Vegas property, Peter Luger Steak House (established over 100 years ago in New York City) will open this winter in the space previously occupied by Rao’s (which was, yes, another 100-year-old NYC eatery). 

Also opening this winter adjacent to OMNIA Nightclub – and continuing on the New York City theme – is Stanton Social Prime, featuring iconic menu items from the original Stanton Social Restaurant on New York’s Lower East Side.  

Meanwhile, guests walking into the hotel’s main entrance now pass through a brighter, enhanced space fit for – who else? – a Caesar, with a newly-raised ceiling and recessed lighting that better matches the iconic hotel lobby.  But the property’s original casino, aka “The Dome,” has also been refreshed with new lighting and decor that updates the area without detracting from the (relatively-small by today’s standards) casino’s charm.

Bacchanal Buffet is Back — Bigger and Better

Early pandemic predictions of the death of self-service buffets seemed prophetic, but alas, those predictions didn’t take Las Vegas’ propensity for innovation and reinvention into account.  Not many hospitality products emerged from – or during – the pandemic improved over their previous incarnation, but a yearlong renovation culminating in 2021 turned Bacchanal Buffet into an even bigger – and better – version of Sin City’s prototypical, over-the-top, all-you-can-eat feast.  In particular, the stunning, cold seafood station – which fronts the buffet’s entrance – is arguably the most delicious photo-op in Vegas.  And the previous, hours-long queues have also been remediated via reservations on OpenTable.com, which now also serves most of Caesars Entertainment’s restaurant portfolio.

Nobu Hotel Refresh

Now almost 10 years old, but still one of the best kept secrets on the Las Vegas Strip, Nobu Hotel, the boutique hotel-within-a-hotel at Caesars Palace, recently debuted a multi-million dollar refresh of its 182 luxe guestrooms and suites.  Accessed via an understated entryway in the midst of Caesars’ bustling casino, this chic hideaway offers a level of serenity and privacy unimaginable only one floor below. 

At Long Last, Adele is in the House

After a long wait, and in possibly the biggest entertainment coup in recent Las Vegas history, mega superstar Adele has begun her “Weekends With Adele” residency at the Colosseum, performing on Friday and Saturday nights through March.
  

Paris Las Vegas Undergoes Culinary Renaissance

Located mid-Strip and attached to Horseshoe Las Vegas via an indoor passageway, the gallic-themed casino-resort has undergone a culinary renaissance in the last 18 months.  New dining outlets at this Caesars Entertainment property include the atmospheric and drop-dead gorgeous Vanderpump a Paris (from reality TV star Lisa Vanderpump), with a cocktail-focused program and light bites; a more casual Nobu outlet from Japanese uber-chef Nobu Matsuhisa; and domestic diva Martha Stewart’s first foray into the Las Vegas dining scene, The Bedford by Martha Stewart. Meanwhile, celebrity TV chef Bobby Flay also got into the act, opening his casual Bobby’s Burgers as a convenient grab-and-go option.

Gordon Ramsay & Big Elvis in the Spotlight at Harrah’s Las Vegas 

Popular TV chef Gordon Ramsay has become a beloved fixture in Caesars Entertainment’s Las Vegas resort portfolio, operating a total of 6 restaurants in the city now that Ramsay’s Kitchen has opened at Harrah’s, replacing the former Oyster Bar. The chef’s signature Beef Wellington is naturally on the menu, but the seven-seat seafood counter and raw bar brings back fond memories of the previous outlet in this space, the Oyster Bar, and thankfully does justice to its memory.

And in a fitting ode to Las Vegas’ star-studded past – and its history of quality, free lounge entertainment, Big Elvis is back at Harrah’s Piano Bar with his spot-on tribute to The King on Mon., Wed. and Friday afternoons.  In the pantheon of Elvis tribute acts, Big Elvis isn’t hyperbole.  And for those who missed seeing the original, this Elvis is a joy to listen to, belting out the King’s hits in a gargantuan chair suitably sized to accommodate his massive frame.

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