360 Vegas

As Vegas grew in popularity and air travel became the primary means of transportation for those visiting Las Vegas, the need for large parking lots taking up vast amounts of real estate became an impractical use of space.  Multi levelled parking garages replaced them and the challenge then became, what do we do with all this space.  Some properties expanded their hotel casinos right up to the strip; many were simply destroyed and replaced.  Properties like Caesars & Bally’s chose to repurpose the areas with varying degrees of success.

Caesars never really had the option of moving the property closer to the strip.  The long drive up to the Porte casher is part of the ambience.  The famous fountains are iconic and could never be moved so redevelopment was pretty much the only choice.  While some would argue they still haven’t made proper use of that strip frontage, Caesars will tell you it’s a work in progress.  A major piece in the puzzle is Serendipity 3

Dining, right on the strip, in the elements has become the hot new trend and Caesars was one of the early adaptors.  Serendipity 3 is a restaurant made famous by their original location in NY opened back in 1954.  Their signature dish is the frozen hot chocolate that First Lady Jackie O loved so much she requested the recipe so she serve it at a party.  The owner declined to acquiesce to her request but did offered to come to the party and make it for her.  Today, they sell the recipe in the gift shop.  Offering way more than sweets, the common theme you will notice at Serendipity 3 is unique takes on familiar dishes as well as portion size.  Both are excessive, in a good way, regardless if you order from the takeout window or choose to sit and eat. 

Every property in Vegas has a coffee shop, its part of the blueprints of a hotel & casino.  Slots here, craps table there and coffee shop around the corner.  As with everything in Vegas, quality varies from one property to the other.  But if you’re tired of the decadent dining surrounding you in Vegas, it’s the one place you can be sure to get a simple meal of eggs and bacon for breakfast or a club sandwich for lunch.

Enter Planet Dailies, the coffee shop at Planet Hollywood.  At first glance you get the impression something is different here.  Not only is the space modern and sheik but it very much fits in with the property surrounding it.  The space showcase warm colours, wood furnishings and surrounds you with 48 flat screen TVs with programing consisting of movie previews, celebrity news and various accident-prone blooper entertainments.  But who cares about all that, how’s the food.

Why bother doing what everyone else does?  Why not attempt to rethink the standards and elevate them to a new plateau.  It is Vegas, blur the lines.  At Planet Dailies, the French toast is dipped in a crème Brule batter, the BLT is topped with two poached eggs and angus hamburgers are served on a bed of rice, topped with an egg and covered in gravy.  Good luck deciding what you want to try 1st here and once you do that, good luck trying to not order it every time you go back.  Rest assured that, almost without exception, no matter what you order, you are going to love it.