As a straight woman, I can say that I've been to almost every gay bar in the city. (I think the only two I've missed are Central Station and the Woodshed, but I don't understand why anyone would go to those anyway, straight or not.) Somehow, when I wasn't looking, I ended up with an arsenal of gay men as my best friends. I can also say, without hesitation, that Sidelines is one of my favorite bars in the city. Not one of my favorite gay bars, one of my favorite bars, period. You do either have to have a membership or pay a cover (usually $5) to get in, but I think it's worth it. They have great drink specials, and the bartenders are great. Pool is free, Wii is free, darts and cornhole are free. Generally, our time is spent hijacking the jukebox with weird songs (Monster Mash, anyone?) and writing made-up personals ads on the little slips of paper intended for getting someone's number, and then leaving them in odd places for Kevin and Ralph to find. We also hosted an impromptu Belinda Carlisle Dance Party a few weeks ago. (Yes, that was us. Sorry. I was the one on the pool table.) We generally say we're going to start there, but more than once we have just stayed there all night. Plus Skyland is right next door for easy access, so why would you ever want to leave?

positive

The best part about this place is the cozy atmosphere. We took our dog with us for dinner, and we were able to sit on the patio. So if you have a four legged family member, this is a nice chill place, with very good service. I had the Crab Cake BLT, and although it sounds unappealing, it was surprisingly good. My better half had the Windsor Burger, but commented that the burgers at Deluxe are much tastier. The signature drinks are decent, but definitely on the sweet side. There appeared to be a good wine and beer list, which I will most likely opt for next time. Bottom Line: I would go back without hesitation.

positive

during my latest trip to lv, my friends and i came here for dinner one night. my first impressions upon being seated: the hosts are attractive, the decor is modern and dig the extended glass separators, and 'damn those complimentary fries look delicious'. the restaurant's open space does not make it a quiet evening, but that's not what i was looking for! i ordered the prime rib, cooked medium. i was a little concerned about the servings being small, but was pleasantly surprised upon it's arrival. the meat was cooked to perfection. although i was a little surprised with how it was charred at the bottom, as i never had prime rib like this. but it didn't stop me from finishing it. we all shared sides of the creamed corn, mac & cheese, and scalloped potatoes. all the sides were very rich, but delicious. but what makes me a fan of this place is their service, and willingness to accept a couple of my requests. one of the chefs actually came by our table and asked how everything was. also - the day after, i received an email from one of the team members, ashley, thanking us for our dining experiences. that was a nice touch...

positive

I saved my 400th review for our first nice dinner in Las Vegas at Michael Mina. Michael Mina is a huge name in fine dining, especially coming from San Francisco, so expectations were high. I was particularly excited because this restaurant had a prestigious Michelin star. Having already been to a two star Michelin at Picasso, I expected good things. We arrived early to make it in time for the prix fixe pre-theater menu, but I actually ended up choosing ala carte since I knew we would probably end up full and sharing the dessert. We were seted close to the windows that overlooked the Bellagio fountain, which was nice. We started dinner with an amuse-bouche of a small piece of watermelon with goat cheese. I never developed a liking for the strong pungent taste of goat cheese, but it actually worked quite well with the piece of fresh watermelon. The melon mixed very well with the strong flavor of the cheese, which resulted in a smooth aftertaste. For dinner, my companions chose items from the pre-theater three course menu. I went for the savory black mussel souffle with saffron-chardonnay cream. Having tried to make a souffle, I can appreciate one that rises as it should and is light and airy. It had a great seafood flavor and saffron as the most expensive spice in the world makes it even better. It reminded me of a seafood paella made into a souffle. For only $15, I was also surprised at how cheap it was (relatively). I got to try the market greens salad and also the chilled English pea soup as well for the first course. The salad was your typical salad (I don't have a great appreciation for salads) made fancy by Michael Mina chefs, but the pea soup was full of pea flavor. It made for a refreshing starter for the rest of the meal. For the main course, I had the rack of lamb with anchovies, which also came with gnocchi and broccolini. The lamb was cooked a perfect medium-rare with a nice crust on the outside. The anchovies were a great touch since it didn't overwhelm with the salty flavor; instead, it had a rather tangy touch. The gnocchi looked like miniature scallops and came a bit dense. The broccolini was a bit over-roasted. I was lucky enough to try the Maine lobster pot pie, which was one of the signature dishes from Michael Mina. I enjoy table side presentation so it was nice that the server scoops everything out for you and presents it on a plate read to eat. The pie crust on top was huge and covered the whole top of a big pot. At $30 supplement to the pre-theater menu, it is worth trying. The filet of beef was juicy and tender, but I was more impressed with the "cottage pie," with mashed potatoes topping the short rib meat underneath. After the second course, we were already beyond full. It was probably not a good idea to accept some of the freshly baked breads at the beginning of dinner. We shared the root beer float and also the opera cake. I liked the sassafras ice cream and root beer sorbet a lot with the two freshly baked chocolate pecan crisp cookies. I'm a big fan of root beer so to have it turned into sorbet is something new. The opera cake was very rich in flavor so I didn't really taste the almond sponge cake because of the chocolate. Overall, dinner was fantastic. I have a great appreciation for plate presentation and all the food looked as good as they tasted. A minor complaint about service was that I had to request water twice and waited a while before I was served water. Usually such high class places like Michael Mina will not let your water glass drop below 50%. It was a great meal and I left satisfied, but it wasn't one of the best fine dining meals I've had.
positive