Viva! Las Vegas!  It’s a trip we take every summer just to get away for a long weekend and enjoy the Vegas heat and wonderful pools!  We live in Colorado, but are originally from Texas and I can never get over how cool the summers are here… so away we go to get real summer heat!

There truly is not much Disney in Vegas, I’m gambling that it’s because Disney does not want to smear their squeaky clean image with Vegas not so clean ways!  Despite what Vegas can be, it can still be an enjoyable place to go see the sights, catch a show and enjoy some wonderful meals!

My only sights of Disney were the Disney Store at the Fashion Mall on Las Vegas Blvd. (aka  the strip).  This Disney store was nothing fancy, just your run of the mill Disney Store.  It didn’t have anything Disney/Vegas related like the NY Times Square Disney Store, again I’m assuming because they don’t want their brand Vegas tainted!  So, other than that, I have noting Disney related to share!

However, I didn’t decide to write this post just to tell you that!  I wanted to share some amazing EATS that we had while in Vegas, so that when you go, you too can enjoy some awesome food, allergy friendly, without having to sort through the literally thousands of restaurants that Las Vegas has to offer!

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Mon Ami Gabi

This trip we ate at several places but our all time favorite was Mon Ami Gabi!  It is located at the Paris Hotel and Casino facing The Strip and The Bellagio Hotel.  You should put in a reservation if you would like to eat here, the standby line was quite long.  I personally prefer to use OpenTable for all of my reservations, that way they are stored neatly in one place.  There’s an app for that too!

When you make your reservation for Mon Ami Gabi you can not request a patio table.  Those are on a first come first serve basis.  When we arrived I asked about the patio table and was pleasantly surprised we would only need to wait 30 minutes if we wanted to.  We opted not to wait and were excited by the table we did get!

Mon Ami Gabi has open air seating on the front side of the restaurant that they do not consider patio seating, but essentially acts as the same type of atmosphere.  When you make your reservation, request to sit near the open air walls, near the bar.  This will give you the best of both worlds.  A patio like table, no extra wait and a wonderful view of The Bellagio Hotel and the happenings on Las Vegas Blvd.

The interior of the restaurant looks like your typical french bistro and like all places in Vegas is wonderfully themed with many details.  Maybe that’s why I like Las Vegas, the themes are detailed like my love of Disney and the Model Home Interior Designer I am.

Anyway, back to the food!  They have a dedicated gluten free menu and the staff is well versed in what this means.  They offer Udi’s gluten free bread as an alternative when your dining partners are enjoying their gluten filled bread!  I love it when I don’t have to be left out!  The bread is served with a sweet cream butter (I opted out because of my diary allergy) and an “amuse of Gabi’s olives with roasted garlic, orange and herbs”.  Let’s just say… yum!

The rest of my party opted for an oyster starter, despite the fact that it was not a month that ends in an R and all raved at how fresh and wonderful they were.  For my main course I choose the Grilled Tomahawk Pork Chop and traded the smashed potatoes which have cream for the Steak Frites.  I was overwhelmed with the amazing flavor and overall beauty of my plate!  As for the rest of my party, they choose the Steak Bearnaise, Filet Mignon and the Hanger Steak each paired with a perfect wine.  We all raved and concluded this was a new Vegas favorite that would have to be visited each trip!

Dessert: Really, who can skip dessert at a place like this!  We opted for the daily sorbet, which was peach flavored and the Banana’s Foster Crepe.  I adored the sorbet and eyeballed the crepe with a longing of dairy and gluten back in my life!  Not really, well maybe sort of!

Mon Ami Gabi is a Vegas restaurant you MUST visit!  I personally can’t wait to get back there myself!

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Canonita

This photo of Taqueria Canonita is courtesy of TripAdvisor

For lunch while wandering the Venetian Resort Grand Canal Shoppes we choose Canonita a “Mexico City Soul Food” restaurant.  I typically don’t make lunch reservations because we tend to spend our summer days at the pool.  It happened to be raining this day so we went out to explore.  We choose Canonita because of its location looking down onto the Grand Canal and it’s patio like setting, although it is completely indoors.

They do not have a dedicated gluten free menu but the staff and chef were very helpful in meeting my guidelines.  In fact, if you only have a gluten allergy there are many options!  Because of my dairy allergy it takes the choices down a notch.  Either way, I was happy with the service and my meal was worth going back for!

To start our meal we opted to try a few of their different drink flight options along with their delicious warm corn chips, amazing salsa and bean dip.

The mojito flight featured

The margarita flight was a classic margarita, a pineapple infusion margarita and jalapeno infusion margarita!  All were wonderful and it was fun to get to try out a few flavors you may typically avoid if you had to order a larger size.

For lunch I shared the taco flight with my brother.  (How is it I took pictures of the drinks, but forgot pictures of the food?) It was more than enough food and we were both equally excited about just how great the tacos were!  They were made with a warm and very soft corn tortilla and various fillings that included  chicken, beef, fish, pork and mushrooms.  The flavor were amazing!  And all were gluten and dairy free (I had the sour cream left off).  My bff enjoyed the Mexican Chopped Salad and her husband took in an enormous portion of their Chile Relleno.  We were all equally happy with our choices!

Canonita is on my recommended Vegas EATS for sure!

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The Capital Grill

Our next dinner reservation was at The Capital Grill.  We have eaten there before and enjoyed the food and service.  They do not a have a gluten free menu, but steak houses can often be one of the easier places to eat with food allergies.  I did find blue cheese in my salad, despite my telling them repeatedly I had a dairy allergy, so I was not pleased about that.  They charged me for the salad anyway.  I find this very irritating and politely asked them to remove it from my bill.  They did so without question.

The Capital Grill is not on my MUST eat at in Vegas restaurant list, but it will do if you can’t get a reservation elsewhere.

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Lagassee’s Stadium

We reserved a table on the patio at Lagassee’s Stadium at the Venetian Hotel for the most recent UFC fight.  Fights are not really my thing, but apparently it was a “big” one and the bff’s husband was dying to see it.  It was his birthday weekend, so we obliged.  Our patio table, was not really a table, but a large sofa and 3 lounge chairs.  This turned out to be quite awesome and fun!  Each area had their own TV and the waiter came around quite frequently to refill our drinks.  They did not have a gluten free menu but offered Angry Orchard and Omission Beer and also had dedicated fryers which meant gf fries.  I was happy with the snack while I drank my beverages and enjoyed the company!

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FiAMMA Trattoria & Bar

FiAMMA is in the entertainmetn district at the MGM Grand Hotel.  We stay at this resort often for a number of reasons.  The rates are very reasonable, the rooms are large and decorated very nicely, especially considering the rate and their are multiple large pools.  Therefore we have eaten at FiAMMA several times.  It is worth going back to though so no complaints here!  Each time I am surprised just how great it is!

There is not a dedicated gluten free menu but the chef makes each meal fresh and is willing to work with your needs.  The wait staff is helpful and knowledgeable and the meals are always worth having!

This time I opted for the Beef Tenderloin, a 10 oz Filet Mignon with a red wine garlic sauce and potatoes.  Who doesn’t love a fancy $50 filet at a 5 star restaurant???  (I split to save on the cost and my waistline.  It’s always enough food!)  I traded the smashed potatoes for the Crispy Yukon Gold Potatoes because they others had dairy.  Honestly, I think I came out better!  The Crispy Potatoes were beyond awesome, complete with Pancetta (like bacon) in them!  Yum!  My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

The drink menu is extensive and presented via Ipad for your viewing pleasure.  I opted for a glass of presecco for a cool bubbly refreshing summer drink.

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The Chandelier Bar

My favorite Las Vegas bar, The Chandelier Bar!  For one reason only, the Buzzbutton.  It’s a fun, totally different kind of drink.  It’s not on the menu, you just have to know about it!  You’ll have to go back every.single.time just because! I won’t say more, it will ruin the fun!  Go! Take your friends!  Order a Buzzbutton!  Please write me back!  Let me know what you think!

The bar itself is gorgeous and spas 3 stories in the center of The Cosmopolitan.  Crystals drape the open walls and appear as though you’re sitting in a chandelier.  Beautiful!

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Previous trips EATS

China Pablano – At The Cosmopolitan.  Food was good, it’s not on my list of must returns.

The Wicked Spoon – At The Cosmopolitan.  The BEST buffet in Las Vegas!  Amazing sit down restaurant quality food with an abundance of allergy friendly options.  Breakfast is amazing.  I was dying to go back, but didn’t make it this trip.

SW Steakhouse – At The Wynn.  Food was good.  Staff helpful.  Insist on sitting on the patio to enjoy the nightly shows on The Lake of Dreams.

La Cave – At The Wynn.  The food looked amazing.  The staff struggled in the worst way I have ever experienced when it came to my food allergies.  On multiple occasions someone would come running out of nowhere to swipe the plate from underneath me as I was about to take a bite.  I never ate.  It wasn’t a trust worthy situation.  Upon my arrival home and complaints/surveys filled out, I was never contacted.  To say I was disappointed and won’t return is an understatement.

Terrace Point Cafe – I ate multiple breakfasts here during my stay at The Wynn.  The food was good enough and the staff was helpful and knowledgeable.

I will continue to update as I visit more restaurants!

Let me know if you have suggestions!

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Where Not to Eat!

The reason I visit Las Vegas so frequently is to attend the Las Vegas Furniture Market each January and August.  One place not to expect to get fed is at said LV Furniture Market. The few cafes and food trucks they have on site are ill prepared and unknowledgeable.  The first year I visited after my food allergy diagnosis, I went the entire day with nothing to eat but apples.  At the end of a long day, apples doesn’t cut it.  I learned a very valuable lesson!  Take snacks ALWAYS! and do your research.  I now pack a lunch!