For the past few years, Mark and I have taken a solo adults trip right after Christmas. It's an awesome way for us to finish up the year and get a little break from all of the things. We finished up 2022 in Las Vegas for 2 nights. My favorite part of the trip was dinner at Giada in Las Vegas! We specifically went to Vegas for the food, fun and adventures. We stayed at the Flamingo and had a great stay. It is right in the heart of the strip, it's affordable and the rooms were very nice. The Flamingo happens to be right next to the Cromwell, which is where Giada is located. Not only was dinner at Giada the best meal of our trip, it was one of the best meals of the year!
We woke up at 5AM on the Tuesday after Christmas and headed straight to Vegas. We were there by 10:30 with one stop for gas. Check in at our hotel wasn't until 4PM, so we started exploring right when we got to Vegas. We first stopped at Cabo Wabo for a drink and an appetizer. This was another of our favorite stops. Sammy's Tequila Shrimp and the Cocorita are a must. It's also a great location to watch people walk along the strip since it has a patio outside. We started wandering around after that and walked passed Giada. It was on my list of spots to try so I was excited to see it. We really weren't making any plans at this point but I knew I wanted to do one dinner on the fancier side. Later in the day, we were walking around at the Linq and decided to stop for a drink at AmeriCAN Beer & Cocktails. It has a nice little patio for lounging and I decided to make a reservation for dinner at Giada.
Dinner at Giada
I'm so glad we got a reservation for Giada. It was last minute and we got one of the last two. I decided to order off the tasting menu to get a real taste of the dishes. This option gives you 4 courses. For the firsts, I ordered the Arugula Salad with Candied Lemon, Crispy Pancetta & Parmigiano-Reggiano. It was very light and refreshing.
The Seafood Tower
Mark decided to order the Seafood Tower which feeds 2-3 people. We over ordered but it was worth the experience. The seafood tower comes with Maine lobster tail, king crab, shrimp cocktail, Kusshi oysters and French Kiss oysters. The shrimp were huge and delicious. The whole tower was fantastic and beautifully displayed.
The Bread Board
While we were enjoying the salad and seafood tower, I decided to order the bread board. I spotted a few coming out of the kitchen and thought they looked so good. This was the best bread board I've ever had. The rosemary rolls with salt dipped in the butter and seasonings was sooo delicious. It is my mission to recreate this as soon as possible.
After the bread came out, we got the second dish from the tasting menu which was the Spaghetti with Shrimp, Mascarpone Cheese, Lemon & Basil. This is a small dish, thank goodness since we already started to get full at this point. I just had a few bites which were light and tasty. I would try the Bucatini with Calabrian Chili Pomodoro & Fresh Ricotta next time, since we already had so much seafood.
The Petite Filet at Giada
Our third and favorite course was the Petite Filet with spaghetti squash-potato gratin, mushrooms & pistachio gremolata. Mark said this was the best steak he's ever had which is saying a LOT, from this steak loving man. It was incredibly tender, you could cut it with a fork. The flavors on top and surrounded on the plate were incredible to dip into with the steak. The squash-potato gratin was Mac n cheese like, pairing really well with the steak and mushrooms. I also need to figure out how to make a pistachio gremolata now, so we can try recreating this absolutely amazing Petite Filet. We ordered the steak Medium Rare, but I've got to say - Well Done, Giada and team!
Our server was very nice and friendly as well. He kept asking if we wanted pepper and we had said no, then he said, "are you sure? It's kind of a thing here". So we said okay and were surprised by the giant red pepper mill.
Our last course was the Chocolate Amaretti Cake with Chocolate Orange Mousse, Chocolate Cake, and Almond Cream. At this point, we were so full we didn't think we could have another bite. We decided to give it a try. It was so delicious and surprisingly refreshing that we finished up the whole thing. This is yet another dish that was done so well that I can't wait to try it again or figure out how to make it. The chocolate mouse is very light with delicious notes of orange and the right amount of crunch with the cake and chocolate toppings.
We had an absolutely amazing dinner at Giada in Las Vegas and highly recommend you give it a try too! Cheers to 2023!
Giada Las Vegas
3595 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89109
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