2nd Umami Burger Was Even Better Than The First
Caesars Happy Hour Deals In Vegas
First Impressions Of SLS Las Vegas
My first impression of SLS Las Vegas is positive but not perfect. Nothing is perfect as far as I’m concerned. I’ve already detailed some of the flaws from the first few days of business in a separate post.
1. The Setup
The pre-opening moniker SLS Las Vegas used to describe the property was “affordable luxury”. That set up for the hotel to be fancy on a budget. For example there’s no way to make Ikea furniture feel luxurious but it can look nice. With that in mind I went in with limited expectations.
2. Casino Layout
I care more about the casino than most of SLS Las Vegas. The floor plan is only 60,000 square feet. If you ever visited Sahara this is 20,000 square feet less. The floor plan is small, which is fine but there are choke points that make it almost impossible to go to certain parts of the casino. The high traffic walkway by table area near the players club and The Griddle is tight and will always be busy. There are similar choke points on the slot floor that will be impossible to walk through because machines are packed so closely. Just scope out areas before sitting down at a table or machine.
Layout aside there are ample 3:2 blackjack games for $5 and $10. Craps has $10 minimums. There is decent video poker and all new slot machines. I dig all of this and wouldn’t mind gambling here. US Poker has a breakdown of most of the games.
Parts of the casino floor seem dark and that can make the tight casino feel almost claustrophobic on busy nights. This feels like a casino I’d visit during the day more than at night.
3. Umami Burger – Sportsbook – Beer Garden
This is the part of the casino I was most looking forward to. A sportsbook that serves good burgers and good beer? This might be heaven. It is and it isn’t. This isn’t a sportsbook.
Umami Burger a sports bar/restaurant with a patio and a place to bet on sports. Burger prices are between $12 and $15. Not too bad for the Vegas Strip. Draft beers are around $9-10 and bottles start at $5. There are no drink tickets from William Hill for sports bets as of opening but I think that will change. If you drink/eat at the video poker bar your drinks will be comp’d while you have money in play.
I really like this as a restaurant. Like I said in Vegas Chatter this is a good sports bar/restaurant but it’s not a traditional sportsbook. It should be packed with sports fans for big events but expect to see kids and families in the mix on other days. Even thought it’s not a traditional sportsbook this is my favorite spot at SLS Las Vegas.
Note, you can still sit and watch games without spending any money. However, if there are paying customers for Umami Burger you’ll politely be asked to leave if you’re not spending money.
4. Dining and High Priced Drinks
BLT Burger Late Night Happy Hour
You’ll Find Deep Fried Twinkies In Downtown Vegas At Mermaids
Anchorman National Scotch Day Celebration At Foundation Room
I get event listings for various venues around Vegas every day. Most of them are things you can find at any Las Vegas website so I disregard them. However the Anchorman National Scotch Day Celebration at the Foundation Room sounds like fun.
- Drinking scotch is new to me and excites me.
- The view (above) from Foundation Room at Mandalay Bay is one of the best in Vegas.
- Anchorman is fun.
More than anything else this event is just a fun excuse to visit the Foundation Room. Here are the details:
LVH Is Out, Westgate Las Vegas Is In. Here’s What To Expect.
Last week LVH was sold to Westgate. In turn the hotel formerly known as LVH, Hilton and International will now be known as Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. The purchase price was somewhere around $180 million and the owner says that they will put more than twice that much into rehabbing the old property.
A lot of changes are planned for the new Westgate Las Vegas, here’s what you need to know:
Vegas Vacation Notes
Every trip I take in Vegas I usually take notes whenever I have a free moment. These notes are reminders of what happened and usually lead to bigger articles and posts in the future. As you’ll see this vacation was a bit hazy but here ya go!
Sat
D grill – bat toast
Fremont hotel
DTG – lose BJ
Pizza Rock – NYer. Fantastic
Fremont casino AC awful
D craps 45 minute roll
Pizza rock HH loud
D cafe closes 10p
FSE shit show
$3 3 foot hot dog. Oy.
Sun
D grill
Flamingo “hey, the room is free”
Fab room – bad cell reception/data
Prime
Macallan
Cromwell