text: Tao is currently the hottest and trendiest spot in Vegas I do not actively go to places because they are trendy and I do not actively avoid places because they are trendy I care about the foodnnDay ended with a visit to this hot spot Tao is both a restaurant and a nightclub We had reservations for and a good thing we had reservations because this place was packed and a long line for the nightclub had already formed We marveled at the fact that people were already lining up before pm nnRESTAURANT REVIEW the nightclub review will be belownnAfter waiting a few minutes we were seated along the side of the restaurant with corner bench seating which I loved because we had plenty of room and a good view of what was going on Or at least we would have had a good view if we could see what was happening because it was one of the darkest restaurants I have ever been in Dim lighting for romantic ambience good Only candles for light when you need to read the menu bad The table next to us was prepared and a guy pulled out a flashlight and accidentally blinded my friend in the process when he was not too careful with the beam of light nnWe wanted to start with cocktails and appetizers but oddly everything came all at once I particularly loved my cocktail Lemongrass Cooler which is made of citrus vodka oolong tea and lemongrass syrup It was light crisp refreshing and utterly delightful It is the perfect summertime cocktail The sweet potato tempura was delicious The batter was crispy and light and not at all oily nnFor my entree I had the soy glazed salmon with udon and spinach When the waiter did not ask me how I wanted my salmon I was a bit concerned Either the restaurant firmly believed that there was only one correct way to serve cooked salmon medium good or they were so used to tourists unsophisticated palates that they are very conservative with how they cook it welldone bad Guess what I got sigh Overcooked dry salmon on top of overly soft overly cooked udon noodles nnAlthough I could be talked back to Tao for drinks and appetizers I will do dinner elsewherennnNIGHTCLUB REVIEWnnAfter dinner we decided to check out the nightclub I was starting to get annoyed by the pretentiousness of this place If you eat at the restaurant you can skip the ridiculously long line and the cover charge But in order to skip the line someone stamps your left wrist with Line Pass then you leave the restaurant to go stand outside in a line albeit much shorter in order to get another stamp on your right wrist that says Tao Why cannot you just give us our Tao stamp right at the table nnBTW coat check is nnAt the club was already packed and hopping This was the most crowded club that I have ever been to regardless of the time much less way before midnight It was unbelievable We were packed in on the dance floor like sardines The official crowd capacity is but we are pretty certain that it was over that I hate to be at Tao if there were a fire I am sorry but that place is a death trap with so many people and narrow points of entryexit nnWhats it like partying in Vegas at Tao the hottest spot Ho hum I guess it is great ifnn You are under The crowd is awfully youngn You are a guy over with low selfesteem so you can only handle a silly young thingn You think Jersey ShoreBT Bridge and Tunnel is the height of fashion No one looked sharp Most looked really trashy Quite frankly most the people would never make it off the line in New York or Miamin You have never partied in NY or Miami n You girl want to be molestedn You guy want to be emasculated in front of your friends which by the way the fastest way to achieve that is to grab a girl by her waist from the back catching her unaware and start grinding her If that girl is a ped off NYer she will rip you a new one nnI do have to admit that the music was great The DJ played a really terrific selection and mixed them creatively nnWhen we left a few hours later the line to get into Tao was a labyrinth around The Venetian As for me with Tao show me the way out of here