Las Vegas’ Tao——–Wow!

I’ve been reading food blogs & restaurant reviews of Tao Restaurant in preparation for our dinner there.

At least ½ of the opinions were critical of the ‘snooty’ staff, the overbearing up sell at every point and the overpriced, mediocre food.  The other ½ thought the whole experience was marvelous.

Having made reservations in the same week, I had a choice of either 5:30 or 11 PM.

So, at exactly 5:30, the four of us walked in the entrance of Tao, which is located at the Venetian Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in the Grand Canal Shoppes, down a hallway lined with stone, rose petal filled bathtubs to the hostess station.  And were promptly and politely seated (contrary to the reports I read of diners being made to wait & wait in the bar).

Two of us ordered cocktails and the others, iced tea.  Then we decided to share 7 appetizers and 4 entrees.  I know, I know, lots of food but…there was a lot on the menu that I wanted to try.

My drink was a Phuket ($13), (901 tequila, muddled cucumber, Thai chilies and Cointreau).  Pam was going to order it but the waiter kept warning her that it was a spicy drink and she backed off & went for the TAO-tini ($13)(Absolut Mandrin, Stoli Raspberry, Malibu Rum, cranberry & lime juice).

Pam’s was good, easy to drink and kind of sweet & fruity tasting.  Mine was delicious and kept getting hotter the more I drank.

All the appetizers—wonderful!

Potstickers($12) were filled with pork & had a sweet chili/sesame glaze.

Vic loved the Vegetable Egg Rolls ($10 each) so much that he ordered them twice.  Crunchy, not greasy, filled with crisp veggies.

Scallop tempura ($9) and sweet potato tempura ($4) were also great, scallop was barely cooked, very soft and fresh and the coating was thin & crisp.

Crispy Tuna Roll ($16) had the crunchy outside as a contrast with the thick, fresh meaty interior.  Edamame was cooked just right; tossed in olive, kosher salt and cracked pepper.  Yummy.

The Fresh Water Eel ($5)—so meaty and rich tasting.

The apps were so good we talked about just ordering more, forget about the entrees.

But, I’m glad we didn’t.  Here’s what came out:

Wasabi crusted filet mignon ($36) with a stack of tempura onion rings on the side…the wasabi crust, despite the name, mild enough to let the filet’s flavor shine.  Onion rings were large, not greasy & crisp.

The Miso glazed Chilean Sea Bass ($34), I have to say, was the best.  One of those dishes that, after the first bite, you don’t chew any more….you just let the pieces of fish melt in your mouth to hold that flavor as long as you can.  It was that good.  Order it.

Pad Thai Noodles garnished with roasted peanuts, cilantro and bean sprouts ($16) were  spicy & really tasty.

Tao Lo Mein with Roast Pork, sweet & savory and good, good, good.

Too bad it was all so delicious.  Because we cleaned the plates, & subsequently, were all too full for dessert (although I tried to talk the others into it).

Summing it up:

Cons:  pricey.  Tao gives you nothing. Looking at the bill the next day I saw that every time iced tea glasses were refilled—we were charged.  Huh?  Also, we were double charged for one of the apps and didn’t catch the mistake that night.

Décor.  Overwhelming visually but also kind of cheesy looking.  Sumo Wrestler pictures while you eat, anyone?

Sound.  What?  What?  WHAT??     And it just got louder as the evening progressed.

Pros:  Food.  Wow……so, so good.  I could probably happily eat that exact same meal every night for the next week.

Service.  Really attentive, polite, quick but not to the point of our feeling rushed.

Cool Factor:  Pretty high. After all, we were eating at one of the hippest spots on the strip AND if we chose, we could have gotten a free hand stamp to go to the Tao Nightclub and mingle with all the pretty people.

Total Bill:  $257.82 and we left $305.00 to take care of the tip.  That was for 4 people.  So, expensive, but considering everything—not so bad.  If I had an extra $300, I’d go back tonight.

No related posts.

Tagged as: eating out in las vegas, Grand Canal Shoppes, Las Vegas, Tao Restaurant, Venetian Hotel Resort Casino