Bellagio developer Steven Wynn started the trend by convincing Julian Serrano of San Francisco's Masa to come east and set up Restaurant Picasso at the hotel. Nearly all of Las Vegas' high-end restaurants are now located in posh casinos like Bellagio, Mandalay Bay and the Venetian. San Diego County certainly has its share of casinos. I think so. Of particular note is The Grove Steakhouse at Viejas Casino in Alpine.
Guests enter through oversized wooden doors into a fabulously designed dining room.
The most surprising thing about the dining room is how quiet it is. Those great big wooden doors do a good job of muffling the clanking and bell ringing of the nearby slot machines. Inlaid wood walls meet dark suede booths and both are accented by hand-blown Murano glass light fixtures. Some of the tree branches have hanging amber-colored Murano glass fixtures which light the table below. It creates a lovely, serene and romantic atmosphere.