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	<title>Las Vegas &#8211; Adam Parkzer – Parkzer.com</title>
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	<title>Las Vegas &#8211; Adam Parkzer – Parkzer.com</title>
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		<title>Hello, &#8220;Springtime Symphony: Music In Motion&#8221; at the Bellagio Conservatory in Las Vegas</title>
		<link>https://parkzer.com/2026/05/17/springtime-symphony-music-in-motion-at-the-bellagio-conservatory-las-vegas/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Parkzer]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 May 2026 05:17:24 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Las Vegas]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://parkzer.com/?p=14352</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Upon returning to the United States after my Mexican cruise, I had a chance to head back to Las Vegas, Nevada for a bit to take care of some errands before my next trip. While on the Strip, I decided to squeeze in my seasonal visit to the Bellagio Conservatory &#038; Botanical Gardens inside MGM [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Upon returning to the United States after my Mexican cruise, I had a chance to head back to Las Vegas, <a href="https://nv.gov/">Nevada</a> for a bit to take care of some errands before my next trip. While on the Strip, I decided to squeeze in my seasonal visit to the <a href="https://bellagio.mgmresorts.com/en/entertainment/conservatory-botanical-garden.html">Bellagio Conservatory &#038; Botanical Gardens</a> inside <a href="https://www.mgmresorts.com/">MGM Resorts</a>’ Bellagio Resort &#038; Casino. The installation for spring 2026 was called &#8220;Springtime Symphony: Music In Motion.&#8221;</p>
<p>When possible, I usually like to go to these late at night when there aren&#8217;t as many people so that I can get better photos and am not being as disruptive to others around me while they wait for me to stand there for long periods of time taking multiple shots at slightly different trajectories so I can figure out which angle looks the best. As a secondary reason, I have quite a high track record of people coming up to me and asking me to take group pictures for them. It makes sense, considering that I am there with a dedicated point-and-shoot camera, so they probably assume that I have a statistically higher chance of being more qualified to take good photos for them. To be clear, I don&#8217;t mind helping out Las Vegas tourists with their photos, and I always happily accept all requests; with that being said, it still definitely slows me down quite a bit.</p>
<p>However, this is the new spring installation, and I felt like taking spring photos in the dark would be too depressing. The high temperatures in the Las Vegas Valley are already reaching the upper 90s°F, and we&#8217;re even about to hit summer soon. To memorialize the great weather (if by great you mean scorching), I decided to tank the inefficiencies and head out there during the daytime.</p>
<p>As with all floral arrangements, a big part of what makes this so great is the fragrant aroma of the flowers, which I obviously cannot share with you through this blog post. If you&#8217;re in the Las Vegas area and have some free time, I always recommend checking out the Bellagio Conservatory due to how quick and low-commitment it is, and how surreal it always feels in contrast with the Las Vegas desert.</p>
<p>The Conservatory will be entering its dark dates starting June 7, so you still have about three weeks left to check this one out before it gets swapped with the summer display.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1701_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1701_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1701_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1701_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1701_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1701_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1701_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1702_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1702_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1702_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1702_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1702_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1702_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1702_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1703_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1703_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1703_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1703_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1703_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1703_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1703_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1704_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1704_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1704_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1704_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1704_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1704_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1704_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1705_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1705_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1705_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1705_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1705_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1705_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1705_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1706_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1706_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1706_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1706_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1706_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1706_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1706_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1707_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1707_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1707_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1707_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1707_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1707_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1707_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1708_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1708_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1708_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1708_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1708_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1708_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1708_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1709_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1709_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1709_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1709_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1709_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1709_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1709_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1710_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1710_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1710_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1710_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1710_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1710_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1710_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1711_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1711_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1711_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1711_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1711_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1711_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1711_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1712_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1712_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1712_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1712_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1712_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1712_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1712_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1713_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1713_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1713_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1713_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1713_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1713_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1713_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1714_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1714_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1714_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1714_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1714_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1714_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1714_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1715_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1715_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1715_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1715_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1715_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1715_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1715_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1716_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1716_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1716_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1716_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1716_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1716_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1716_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1717_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1717_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1717_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1717_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1717_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1717_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1717_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1718_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1718_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1718_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1718_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1718_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1718_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1718_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1719_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1719_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1719_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1719_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1719_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1719_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1719_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1720_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1720_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1720_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1720_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1720_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1720_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1720_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1721_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1721_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1721_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1721_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1721_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1721_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1721_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1722_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1722_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1722_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1722_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1722_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1722_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1722_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1723_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1723_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1723_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1723_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1723_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1723_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1723_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1724_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1724_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1724_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1724_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1724_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1724_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1724_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p>Here is a bonus spring floral arrangement set up in front of <a href="https://bellagio.mgmresorts.com/en/restaurants/harvest.html">Harvest</a>, a restaurant deeper into the resort near the pool area.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1725_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1725_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="1024"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1725_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1725_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="1024"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1725_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1725_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/05/1725_1.jpg" width="1024" height="1024"></picture></p>
<p>If you liked these photographs and want to see more from previous installations, I also have these past blog posts (in reverse chronological order): &#8220;<a href="https://parkzer.com/2026/02/08/lunar-new-year-horse-bellagio-conservatory-las-vegas/">Lunar New Year 2026: Year of the Horse</a>,&#8221; &#8220;<a href="https://parkzer.com/2026/01/04/all-aboard-holiday-bells-whistles-bellagio-conservatory-las-vegas/">All Aboard for Holiday Bells and Whistles</a>,&#8221; &#8220;<a href="https://parkzer.com/2025/09/05/glam-menagerie-surrealist-summer-bellagio-conservatory-las-vegas-strip/">Glam Menagerie: Surrealist Summer</a>,&#8221; &#8220;<a href="https://parkzer.com/2025/03/14/birds-and-b-bellagio-conservatory/">The Birds and the B&#8217;s</a>,&#8221; and &#8220;<a href="https://parkzer.com/2025/02/06/lunar-new-year-snake-bellagio-conservatory/">Lunar New Year 2025: Year of the Snake</a>.&#8221;</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Hello, Hayworth in Henderson, Nevada</title>
		<link>https://parkzer.com/2026/04/24/hayworth-henderson/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Parkzer]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 25 Apr 2026 06:44:38 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Las Vegas]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://parkzer.com/?p=14359</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m a bit behind on blogging right now, and after my recent trip to Hong Kong, I have since taken and finished another entirely separate trip (which I will blog about soon). However, in between those two trips, I returned to home base in the Las Vegas Valley to take care of some errands, and [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;m a bit behind on blogging right now, and <a href="https://parkzer.com/2026/04/17/starlux-flights-236-2-hkg-tpe-lax/">after my recent trip to Hong Kong</a>, I have since taken and finished another entirely separate trip (which I will blog about soon). However, in between those two trips, I returned to home base in the Las Vegas Valley to take care of some errands, and while in town, I met up with one of my friends who wanted to check out a new restaurant called <a href="https://hayworthlv.com">Hayworth</a> in <a href="http://www.cityofhenderson.com">Henderson</a>, <a href="https://www.nv.gov">Nevada</a>.</p>
<p>I am often fairly selective with restaurants that I blog about. I understand that online reviews can have significant influence on the success of a business, and even though I maintain that I am just a casual blogger who likes to write about my life, the reality of the situation is that my blog posts end up on the front page of search engine results for restaurants with surprising frequency. Thus, when I write reviews, I usually only write about chef&#8217;s tasting menus or omakase experiences such that someone else can go to that same restaurant and replicate my same experience. I avoid writing about à la carte restaurants because a bad experience could be attributed to myself doing a poor job at assembling a meal from the menu options, so for those kinds of restaurants, I usually do &#8220;food photo dumps&#8221; where I just share pictures but don&#8217;t go into too much detail.</p>
<p>With that being said, I do really want to stick with the idea that this is just the personal website of some random Asian guy from America. I don&#8217;t want to hold myself to too high of a standard for my blog, because I want this to be a fun and enjoyable way to leave a record of my life online, and I don&#8217;t want to fall into the trap of not releasing content because I don&#8217;t think it meets an arbitrary, meaningless standard.</p>
<p>The fact that I had to give that introduction probably foreshadows how I feel about this restaurant. However, I do think it is important to note that just because I did not have the best experience does not mean that you also will not have a good experience. As of today, Hayworth has stellar reviews online, and when I went in-person, I did not see any signs or receive any requests from staff that may have prompted those skewed reviews (i.e., nobody asked me to leave a positive review). Surely, that many people can&#8217;t be wrong, so make sure you&#8217;re only taking my opinion as one data point, rather than just trusting me entirely.</p>
<p>So with that out of the way, this was our meal.</p>
<p>&nbsp;<br />For our starter, we ordered some warm challah knot bread topped with poppy and smoked sea salt.</p>
<p>At first glance, the texture seemed nice and it looked very flaky, but upon biting into it, I realized it was very dry. It was not flaky at all; instead, it was quite crumbly. It reminded me of when I was younger and my mom would tell me to buy dinner rolls at the grocery store, but I forgot to look at the expiration date on the packaging so I ended up accidentally grabbing a pack that expires tomorrow, and my mom would try and make up for my mistake by microwaving the bread, but that would only just make it worse.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4001_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4001_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4001_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4001_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4001_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4001_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4001_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p>The bread came with a side of whipped chicken schmaltz. My heart isn&#8217;t healthy enough for me to be eating globs of saturated fat, but I still gave it a taste—not only because I wanted to see what it was like, but also because I was curious if the fat would help soften the bread.</p>
<p>No, I did not like it. And no, it did not help the dryness of the bread.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4002_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4002_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4002_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4002_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4002_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4002_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4002_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p>For my beverage, I asked my waitress to ask the bartender to surprise me with their best non-alcoholic drink. She asked me to narrow it down a bit, so I let her know that I like fruity flavors. She came back with a mixed berry mocktail.</p>
<p>This was extremely intense in flavor and extremely sweet, as if it was overloaded with syrup. That wasn&#8217;t functionally a problem for me, though; I thought the flavor itself was good, and I had no problem sipping some of the drink and then following it up with a sip of water to help dilute it and make the taste less overwhelming.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4003_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4003_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="1024"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4003_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4003_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="1024"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4003_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4003_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4003_1.jpg" width="1024" height="1024"></picture></p>
<p>For our second appetizer, we got steak tartare made from hand-chopped filet. This was prepared tableside as cart service.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4004_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4004_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4004_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4004_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4004_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4004_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4004_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4005_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4005_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4005_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4005_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4005_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4005_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4005_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4006_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4006_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4006_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4006_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4006_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4006_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4006_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4007_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4007_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4007_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4007_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4007_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4007_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4007_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>As you can probably tell from the photographs, there were a <i>lot</i> of ingredients added to the steak and egg yolk. The server was at it for a while.</p>
<p>You might have noticed a strange blue ingredient mixed in with the beef. We asked what it was, and the server revealed that it was&#8230; <a href="https://www.takis.us/product/takis-blue-heat-rolls">Takis Blue Heat Rolls</a>. Now, don&#8217;t get me wrong, I love when restaurants make innovative, experimental dishes and add new twists to their menu. But I feel like there is still <i>some</i> kind of threshold <i>somewhere</i> that should not be crossed. I&#8217;m wondering whether putting blue Takis in beef tartare exceeds that line.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m someone who loves beef tartare for the flavor of the beef. Unfortunately, this beef tartare had way too much going on for my preference. It had too many additions that masked the flavor of the beef, and then to top it all off, the blue Takis were so strong that they masked the flavor of the additions. Ultimately, it sort of just tasted like a mess.</p>
<p>My friend consigned this dish after trying only a little bit, so I ended up eating an overwhelming majority of it. I didn&#8217;t like it, but I didn&#8217;t dislike it so much that I would let it go to waste, so I finished it all. Throughout the process, I was secretly hoping that some magical culinary miracle would happen where my tastebuds would suddenly become taste-blind to the Takis and then a completely new flavor profile would emerge, but alas, the entire thing just kept on tasting like Takis.</p>
<p>I don&#8217;t regret having this, because now I can say that I went to a restaurant and they crushed some Takis into my beef tartare, and that just sounds absolutely hilarious. However, I definitely would not have this again.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4008_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4008_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4008_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4008_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4008_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4008_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4008_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p>For my main entrée, I ordered two pasta dishes. The first was cavatelli with brown butter whey, Grana Padano, soft herbs, and black pepper.</p>
<p>This was my favorite dish of the dinner. It was a bit too salty for my preference, but it was still delicious. The texture of the cavatelli was perfect. The overall flavor profile had a great combination of traditional savoriness with an unexpected kick of light earthiness. I think a lot of what made this dish great was the sauce, so the shape of the cavatelli was ideal for absorbing and retaining the sauce.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4009_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4009_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4009_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4009_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4009_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4009_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4009_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p>The second pasta dish was a disaster. It was beef tongue agnolotti with crème fraîche (which was comically written as &#8220;créme fraiché&#8221; on the menu), chicken jus, chili crisp, and duck fat crumble.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m someone who has tried the most expensive cuts of A5 Japanese wagyu, but even then, believe it or not, my favorite cut of beef is&#8230; tongue. There is just something about beef tongue that is very delicious to me. Maybe it&#8217;s because I&#8217;m tasting my food, my food is tasting me, and thus, great balance emerges into the world. However, there is a caveat to that.</p>
<p>I like to categorize beef tongue into two broad groups: Korean-style 혀 and Mexican-style lengua. Of course, there are many more ways to cook tongue than just those two variants, but basically, the key difference for me is whether it is sliced and seared or diced and braised. I still like the diced and braised style of cooking tongue, but I <i>really</i> like the sliced and seared way. Sliced-and-seared tongue is usually lightly or minimally seasoned, and because of the method of preparation, the flavor of the tongue gets to speak (or lick) for itself. And the best part of it all? The texture is chewy, bouncy, and snappy, and when seared perfectly, sometimes even comes with a light crisp—this all makes for a very fun eating experience.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, this agnolotti was prepared the braised way. Doubly unfortunately, whatever marinade they used was repulsively salty to the point that the shredded beef tongue in each piece of agnolotti tasted bitter. To top it all off, the sauce was also way too salty, and it was just covered in grease and fat.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4010_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4010_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4010_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4010_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4010_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4010_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4010_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p>My friend ordered a 20-ounce prime New York strip steak. When I asked him for a review of it so I could include it in my blog post, he shrugged. I sampled a small portion of it, and my assessment was, &#8220;this steak is steak.&#8221; He agreed with my analysis. There wasn&#8217;t anything particularly remarkable about it&#8230; which isn&#8217;t necessarily a bad thing, but it also isn&#8217;t preferred over being notably high quality.</p>
<p>The strangest thing about the steak, though, is the fact that it came with a side of kettle-cooked potato chips. I think it might have been better if it came with a well-balanced set of thick-cut fries and mixed vegetables as the sides, but I guess these potato chips definitely added to the memorability of the steak.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4011_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4011_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4011_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4011_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4011_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4011_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4011_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>For dessert, we got a sticky plum pudding to share. The portion size was satisfyingly larger than expected, and the flavor profile seemed good, but this was way too sweet for my preference.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4012_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4012_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4012_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4012_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4012_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4012_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4012_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p>Here are some photos I took of the interior of the restaurant. This first picture is of the bar area; my friend ran into some unexpected delays and was about 15 minutes late for our reservation, so I waited in this bar area for our table to be assigned and prepared after he arrived.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4013_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4013_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4013_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4013_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4013_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4013_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4013_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>This is what the dining area looks like. It is empty in these photographs because I took this right before departing and we were some of the last people there finishing our meals, but even just an hour before this, the restaurant was absolutely packed and bustling.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4014_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4014_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4014_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4014_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4014_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4014_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4014_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4015_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4015_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4015_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4015_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4015_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4015_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4015_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>This is the exterior of the restaurant. The sign says they were established in 1976, but this particular location took over the spot and celebrated their grand opening only a couple months ago, in February.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4016_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4016_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4016_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4016_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4016_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4016_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/03/4016_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<table style="margin:10px 0 10px 30px;border-collapse:collapse;float:right;">
<tr>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;'>Warm bread and schmaltz</td>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;text-align:right;font-family:monospace;'>$&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;9.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;'>Steak tartare</td>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;text-align:right;font-family:monospace;'>$&nbsp;&nbsp;27.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;'>Cavatelli</td>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;text-align:right;font-family:monospace;'>$&nbsp;&nbsp;25.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;'>Beef tongue agnolotti</td>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;text-align:right;font-family:monospace;'>$&nbsp;&nbsp;27.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;'>Prime New York strip steak</td>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;text-align:right;font-family:monospace;'>$&nbsp;&nbsp;69.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;'>Sticky plum pudding</td>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;text-align:right;font-family:monospace;'>$&nbsp;&nbsp;14.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;'>Berry mocktail</td>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;text-align:right;font-family:monospace;'>$&nbsp;&nbsp;12.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;'>Diet Coke</td>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;text-align:right;font-family:monospace;'>$&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;5.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;'>Gratuity (18%)</td>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;text-align:right;font-family:monospace;'>$&nbsp;&nbsp;33.84</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;'>Sales tax (8.375%)</td>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;text-align:right;font-family:monospace;'>$&nbsp;&nbsp;15.72</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;'><b>Total</b></td>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;text-align:right;font-family:monospace;'><b>$&nbsp;237.56</b></td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>This table to the right shows how much we paid. My friend and I split the bill half-and-half and processed each of our respective halves separately on the mobile payment device, so he might have tipped more than I did; I used my own numbers and scaled it up accordingly just for the purposes of this breakdown.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s probably needless to say at this point, but I do not think Hayworth is worth the money. If I had shown up for a quick lunch and ordered only the cavatelli with the berry mocktail, then I guess I would&#8217;ve given this restaurant a glowing review, but overall, the dishes were hit-or-miss (with way too many misses).</p>
<p>The service was remarkable. All the staff seemed not only well-trained, but also just socially savvy and intuitive people who genuinely enjoyed working at Hayworth and interacting with customers. Another funny element related to that is, throughout our meal, I think we ended up speaking with and getting checked on by four or five different people. Near the end, my friend started joking about how it seemed like management was basically just throwing the entire kitchen personnel roster at us. If this restaurant was rated on service alone, it would be top-tier.</p>
<p>However, unfortunately, I think their style of cooking is a bit too crude and primitive. The way the dishes were far too salty, fatty, and/or sweet made me think that this kind of preparation would be satisfying for hunter-gatherers who are chasing after those biologically carnal dopamine hits that signal high-calorie survival foods. If you&#8217;re looking for more refined dishes where the individual ingredients are left to speak for themselves, then I don&#8217;t think Hayworth is an optimal choice for a multi-course dinner.</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Hello, &#8220;Lunar New Year: Year of the Horse&#8221; at the Bellagio Conservatory on the Las Vegas Strip</title>
		<link>https://parkzer.com/2026/02/08/lunar-new-year-horse-bellagio-conservatory-las-vegas/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Parkzer]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Feb 2026 00:18:08 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Las Vegas]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://parkzer.com/?p=14159</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Before departing the Las Vegas Valley again for my next trip, I squeezed in another seasonal visit to the Bellagio Conservatory &#038; Botanical Gardens inside MGM Resorts’ Bellagio Resort &#038; Casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. This time around, the rotating exhibit on display was &#8220;Lunar New Year 2026: Year of the [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Before departing the Las Vegas Valley again for my next trip, I squeezed in another seasonal visit to the <a href="https://bellagio.mgmresorts.com/en/entertainment/conservatory-botanical-garden.html">Bellagio Conservatory &#038; Botanical Gardens</a> inside <a href="https://www.mgmresorts.com/">MGM Resorts</a>’ Bellagio Resort &#038; Casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, <a href="https://nv.gov/">Nevada</a>. This time around, the rotating exhibit on display was &#8220;Lunar New Year 2026: Year of the Horse.&#8221;</p>
<p>The Lunar New Year exhibits are the &#8220;bonus&#8221; fifth seasonal exhibits that they slot in between winter and spring, and as such, they end up having the shortest live periods. This one for the Year of the Horse opened to the public on January 10, 2026 and will stay up for about three more weeks as of today, concluding on February 28, 2026 and entering dark dates on March 1, 2026 in preparation for the spring installment.</p>
<p>One special thing I noticed about this installation that I don&#8217;t recall seeing before recently is that they relocated <a href="https://bellagio.mgmresorts.com/en/restaurants/the-garden-table.html">the Garden Table</a>. Usually, this prix fixe chef&#8217;s tasting menu experience is situated across the aisle from <a href="https://bellagio.mgmresorts.com/en/restaurants/sadelles.html">Sadelle’s Café</a> in the northwest corner of the Conservatory, but for Lunar New Year 2026, they moved it to the opposite, southeast corner instead. I still have never dined at the Garden Table, though one day I imagine I will overcome the feeling of strangeness at the idea of literally thousands of people walking by and looking at me while I eat in the middle of a botanical garden.</p>
<p>Here are some photographs I took of the installment:</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0801_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0801_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0801_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0801_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0801_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0801_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0801_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0802_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0802_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0802_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0802_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0802_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0802_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0802_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0803_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0803_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0803_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0803_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0803_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0803_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0803_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0804_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0804_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0804_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0804_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0804_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0804_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0804_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0805_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0805_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0805_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0805_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0805_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0805_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0805_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0806_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0806_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0806_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0806_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0806_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0806_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0806_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0807_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0807_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0807_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0807_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0807_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0807_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0807_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0808_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0808_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0808_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0808_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0808_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0808_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0808_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0809_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0809_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0809_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0809_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0809_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0809_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0809_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0810_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0810_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0810_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0810_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0810_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0810_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0810_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0811_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0811_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0811_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0811_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0811_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0811_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0811_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0812_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0812_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0812_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0812_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0812_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0812_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0812_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0813_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0813_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0813_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0813_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0813_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0813_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0813_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0814_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0814_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0814_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0814_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0814_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0814_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0814_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0815_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0815_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0815_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0815_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0815_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0815_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0815_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0816_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0816_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0816_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0816_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0816_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0816_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0816_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0817_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0817_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0817_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0817_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0817_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0817_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0817_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0818_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0818_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0818_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0818_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0818_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0818_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0818_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0819_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0819_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0819_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0819_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0819_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0819_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0819_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0820_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0820_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0820_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0820_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0820_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0820_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0820_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0821_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0821_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0821_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0821_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0821_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0821_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0821_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>Here is a bonus Year of the Horse decoration that was set up right outside of <a href="https://bellagio.mgmresorts.com/en/restaurants/harvest.html">Harvest</a>, a restaurant in the southwestern quadrant of the Bellagio and on the path to the walkway between the Bellagio and the <a href="https://vdara.mgmresorts.com">Vdara Hotel &amp; Spa</a>.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0822_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0822_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="1024"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0822_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0822_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="1024"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0822_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0822_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0822_1.jpg" width="1024" height="1024"></picture></p>
<p>If you liked these photographs and want to see more from past installations, I also have blog posts from &#8220;<a href="https://parkzer.com/2025/02/06/lunar-new-year-snake-bellagio-conservatory/">Lunar New Year 2025: Year of the Snake</a>,&#8221; &#8220;<a href="https://parkzer.com/2025/03/14/birds-and-b-bellagio-conservatory/">The Birds and the B&#8217;s</a>,&#8221; &#8220;<a href="https://parkzer.com/2025/09/05/glam-menagerie-surrealist-summer-bellagio-conservatory-las-vegas-strip/">Glam Menagerie: Surrealist Summer</a>,&#8221; and &#8220;<a href="https://parkzer.com/2026/01/04/all-aboard-holiday-bells-whistles-bellagio-conservatory-las-vegas/">All Aboard for Holiday Bells and Whistles</a>.&#8221;</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Hello, L&#8217;Atelier de Joël Robuchon at the MGM Grand on the Las Vegas Strip</title>
		<link>https://parkzer.com/2026/01/18/latelier-joel-robuchon-mgm-las-vegas/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Parkzer]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Jan 2026 03:00:24 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Las Vegas]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://parkzer.com/?p=13974</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Joël Robuchon is often considered to be one of the best restaurants you can find in Las Vegas when it comes to high-end dining. Their dégustation (i.e., their tasting menu, but in French because it is a French restaurant) is frequently described as one of the best culinary experiences in town, and I know of [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://mgmgrand.mgmresorts.com/en/restaurants/joel-robuchon-french-restaurant.html">Joël Robuchon</a> is often considered to be one of the best restaurants you can find in Las Vegas when it comes to high-end dining. Their dégustation (i.e., their tasting menu, but in French because it is a French restaurant) is frequently described as one of the best culinary experiences in town, and I know of a few people who dine there annually to celebrate their favorite special events.</p>
<p>I want to go there at some point, but in the meantime, I decided to dine at the more casual version of the restaurant—<a href="https://jrobuchon.com/our_locations/latelier-de-joel-robuchon-las-vegas/">L&#8217;Atelier de Joël Robuchon</a> at the <a href="https://mgmgrand.mgmresorts.com/en/restaurants/latelier-joel-robuchon-french-restaurant.html">MGM Grand</a> on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, <a href="https://nv.gov/">Nevada</a>. Their version of the dégustation is the menu découverte, or the seasonal discovery menu.</p>
<p>Because I was dining alone, I opted for a seat at the bar so that I wouldn&#8217;t be occupying a full table by myself, and so I could see the cooks and chefs in action.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1802_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1802_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1802_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1802_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1802_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1802_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1802_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>Promptly upon my arrival, I was shown the menus and was served a basket of bread. Throughout my meal, I finished this entire basket of bread on my own, and also ate a few more with a refill.</p>
<p>There were three different types of bread, and each of the various dishes had a certain kind of bread with which it seemed to pair the best. For example, I had the miniature baguettes with the richer and fattier dishes, I ate the croissant with the lighter dishes, and I used the cheese bread to dip into any remaining sauces.</p>
<p>I also just generally appreciated that there was a gigantic portion of unlimited bread to go along with the meal.</p>
<p>One of the complaints that I hear from friends who go to omakase or tasting menu restaurants is how they sometimes leave hungry, which adds an unnecessary sense of disappointment to an otherwise great meal. With that being said, restaurants obviously can&#8217;t be expected to serve huge portion sizes to satisfy even the most starving diners. Even though prices are partially set by demand, they&#8217;re also set by the cost of the underlying ingredients, so the chef needs to find a good balance between portion size and the overall affordability of the meal.</p>
<p>One way to address this is to give cheap carbohydrates as a bonus filler dish for those who are still hungry. For example, some omakase restaurants will ask if you want more food, and if so, they will give you complementary scoops of sushi rice until you are satisfied. The way L&#8217;Atelier de Joël Robuchon gave me a ton of bread reminded me of the scoops of sushi rice from Japanese restaurants, which I liked. The bread is going to be relatively cheap for them to make, but the return on investment in customer happiness will be huge.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1801_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1801_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1801_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1801_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1801_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1801_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1801_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>I mentioned this in my recent review of <a href="https://parkzer.com/2026/01/11/gordon-ramsay-hells-kitchen-caesars-palace-las-vegas/">Gordon Ramsay Hell&#8217;s Kitchen</a>, but I&#8217;ve been short of time lately because I once again did my annual &#8220;12 Days of Christmas&#8221; live streaming marathon around Christmas and New Year&#8217;s time in late 2025. I&#8217;m finally getting around to catching up on blog posts, so these photos from L&#8217;Atelier are also a few weeks old.</p>
<p>When I dined there, they had winter season decorations set up everywhere, which was a nice, festive touch.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1803_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1803_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1803_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1803_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1803_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1803_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1803_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>Once I let them know that I wanted to try the seasonal discovery menu and picked my preference of main dish, I was given an amuse bouche to sip on while waiting for my first item. I don&#8217;t quite remember what the individual components were, but I recall that it was pretty good.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1804_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1804_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1804_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1804_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1804_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1804_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1804_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p>The appetizer was <i>la salade de pommes</i>, which translates to apple salad, with fingerling potatoes, tomato confit, truffle vinaigrette, and fresh shaved black truffle. This was a nice, refreshing start to the tasting menu.</p>
<p>My waiter mentioned that they were offering a special truffle add-on where I could have more freshly shaved black truffle added to additional future dishes for a supplement. Although the truffle on this had a nice, mild, soothing flavor to it, I still opted not to get the supplement so that I could taste the other dishes in the way that the chef originally intended.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1805_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1805_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1805_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1805_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1805_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1805_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1805_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p>The discovery menu had a wine pairing, but because I don&#8217;t drink alcohol, I asked for a custom non-alcoholic pairing instead.</p>
<p>For my first drink, I was served their Blushing Mule made from <a href="https://www.seedlipdrinks.com/en-us/shop/seedlip-grove-42">Seedlip Grove 42</a> non-alcoholic spirit, lime, house-made raspberry syrup, and ginger beer.</p>
<p>I enjoyed this drink, and I thought it went along nicely mainly with the umami dishes. The intensity of the flavor was quite high, and it pierced through the fattiness very well. I&#8217;m also a big fan of ginger, so I thought having that familiar zing of ginger enhanced the overall flavor profile of the drink.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1806_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1806_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1806_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1806_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1806_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1806_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1806_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p>The next dish was <i>la homard royale</i>, which translates to lobster royale. This was a Maine lobster dish served under daikon radish marinated in a honey vinaigrette.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1807_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1807_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1807_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1807_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1807_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1807_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1807_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p>To my limited understanding of French cuisine, I was under the impression that the lobster being called &#8220;royale&#8221; usually means that it is particularly rich, buttery, and/or creamy. Funny enough, I would consider this lobster dish to be quite crisp and clean, rather than creamy. The lobster itself was lightly coated in a somewhat creamy sauce, but paired with the daikon radish, the overall dish was very refreshing.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1808_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1808_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1808_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1808_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1808_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1808_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1808_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>Next was <i>la châtaigne</i>, which was light chestnut velouté flavored with cardamom and lardons.</p>
<p>Although it tasted good, this was probably my least favorite dish of the night. That is probably unsurprising considering that I&#8217;m not the biggest fan of bacon, and lardons are strips of fatty pork, which is basically bacon. I particularly appreciated the miniature baguettes and the the Blushing Mule to go along with this soup, as both helped subdue and offset the intense fattiness.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1809_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1809_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1809_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1809_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1809_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1809_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1809_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p>The pacing of the dinner was a bit slower than I would have hoped. Usually when you&#8217;re dining solo, dishes <i>feel</i> like they&#8217;re coming out slower because you don&#8217;t have a conversation with any dining companions to distract you from the wait; with that being said, I go to restaurants by myself with decent frequency, so even after accounting for that factor, I thought it was still a bit slow.</p>
<p>Fortunately, because I was seated at the bar, I had the entertainment factor of watching the cooks preparing other diners&#8217; dishes.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1810_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1810_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1810_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1810_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1810_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1810_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1810_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>After the soup came <i>la noix de Saint-Jacques</i>, which translates to scallop; it was prepared seared in a kumquat and coconut sauce, and came topped with a portion of caviar.</p>
<p>I thought this was a great scallop. It was cooked to a great level of tenderness where each bite was soft, but the outside had a nice firmness to it from the sear. The caviar had a strong saltiness you&#8217;d expect from good caviar, and that saltiness enhanced and intensified the overall flavor profile of the dish. After finishing the scallop, I dipped some bread into the leftover sauce and finished that as well.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1811_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1811_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1811_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1811_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1811_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1811_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1811_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>Following the scallop was <i>la morue noire</i>, which translates to black cod, prepared à la plancha and served with mushroom velouté and champagne foam.</p>
<p>I thought the way this fish was cooked made its textural perks similar to the scallop—the inside was soft and flaky, and the outside had a firmer crispiness to it that made the fish taste very good.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1812_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1812_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1812_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1812_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1812_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1812_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1812_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p>At this point, my second beverage of the non-alcoholic beverage pseudo-pairing came out. It was the café noix de coco, which translates to coconut coffee, made with espresso and coconut syrup. This may be shocking considering how much I like fruity drinks, but I actually liked this coffee better than I did the Blushing Mule.</p>
<p>I would describe this more like a dessert drink than what you&#8217;d expect from coffee. Although it was overall pretty sweet, it still retained a good balance of both sweetness and bitterness. When I drank it along with a regular dish, the sweetness was emphasized; when I sipped it with my desserts, the bitterness was emphasized, thus creating a great balance in flavor profile with the sweeter desserts.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1813_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1813_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1813_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1813_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1813_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1813_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1813_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p>For my main dish, I opted for <i>la caille</i>, which translates to quail, prepared caramelized and filled with foie gras, along with a side of potato purée. There was a very small portion of potato purée served directly on the plate, but they also gave me an additional hearty portion of it on the side in a separate bowl.</p>
<p>The quail was cooked to perfection. The inside was already tender, but the fact that they stuffed it with foie gras made it even better. The outside had a subtle crispiness to it that enhanced the texture profile.</p>
<p>This potato purée might have been the best potato purée or mashed potatoes I&#8217;ve ever had. Usually, restaurants will just overload their potatoes with butter so that it tastes better, but if you&#8217;re someone who doesn&#8217;t eat much butter, the excessive butteriness becomes pretty obvious and off-putting. This potato purée had the deliciousness of a butter-loaded potato purée, but it didn&#8217;t taste insultingly fatty and it still had a strong potato flavor.</p>
<p>If it wasn&#8217;t for this, then the other option for the main entrée would&#8217;ve been <i>le boeuf</i>, which translates to beef, and was a <a href="https://jackscreek.com.au/">Jack&#8217;s Creek</a> New York Strip steak with braised endive, comté, and jambon.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1814_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1814_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1814_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1814_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1814_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1814_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1814_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p>Throughout my meal, some of the waiters who would come to clear my finished plates would also ask how the food was, and I gave them frank and unfiltered feedback each time. The level of detail of my feedback presumably led them to believe and conclude that I have a decent level of familiarity with food, and thus, we developed some rapport over the evening.</p>
<p>Part-way through eating the quail, a waiter checked in on me, and I let him know how much I liked it so far. After hearing my response, it sounded like he was eager to tell me a story that he had been holding in for the past hour or two. Earlier that evening, there was apparently a woman who ordered the quail, was shocked at how small the portion was, and started complaining about how they deceived her. He added on, &#8220;maybe she was expecting an entire chicken!&#8221;</p>
<p>I chuckled, but was a bit confused, so I looked down at my own plate. I confirmed that they had only served a quail leg and thigh, which is like a quarter of the bird. I looked back up and was about to suggest that maybe she was just anticipating receiving more components of the quail, but by that point&#8230; the waiter had already disappeared.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1815_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1815_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1815_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1815_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1815_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1815_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1815_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p>That concluded the main part of the meal, and we were now left with two final desserts. The first dessert was <i>la figue en sorbet</i>, which translates to fig sorbet, served with blackberry panna cotta and fig confit.</p>
<p>I don&#8217;t know if I&#8217;ve just been eating low-quality or underwhelming fig my entire life, but this fig sorbet and fig confit actually tasted like a naturally sweet fruit. Mixed with the coconut coffee drink I mentioned earlier, this was probably my all-time favorite fig dish.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1816_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1816_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1816_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1816_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1816_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1816_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1816_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>The second dessert was <i>la citrouille</i>, which strangely translates to &#8220;pumpkin.&#8221; The dish was actually cinnamon ice cream with caramelized honeynut squash and pecan streusel.</p>
<p>I like nutty flavors, so as expected, I liked this dessert. The cinnamon ice cream flavor went along nicely with the streusel, and the crumbly texture of it made the ice cream more fun to eat.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1817_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1817_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1817_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1817_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1817_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1817_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1817_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p>Upon the conclusion of my meal and along with my check, I was given a macaron as my <i>mignardise</i>, also sometimes referred to as a petit four.</p>
<p>After biting into this macaron, it occurred to me that L&#8217;Atelier de Joël Robuchon did an overall fantastic job at textures on everything they served me. The macaron was soft on the inside and crispy on the outside as you&#8217;d expect from a good macaron, but there was also a ring around the edge of the shell that was <i>extra</i> crispy that added even more depth to the contrast in texture.</p>
<p>I thought all the dishes played around with texture in a more &#8220;advanced&#8221; way like this, which was nice.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1818_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1818_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1818_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1818_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1818_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1818_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1818_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>I was seated at the main bar with a view of the kitchen, but there was a separate alcohol bar in the corner; this is what it looked like:</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1819_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1819_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1819_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1819_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1819_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1819_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1819_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>And finally, here is a shot of a flower arrangement situated outside the restaurant:</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1820_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1820_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1820_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1820_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1820_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1820_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/1820_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<table style="margin:10px 0 10px 30px;border-collapse:collapse;float:right;">
<tr>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;'>Seasonal discovery menu</td>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;text-align:right;font-family:monospace;'>$&nbsp;255.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;'>Blushing Mule</td>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;text-align:right;font-family:monospace;'>$&nbsp;&nbsp;18.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;'>Café noix de coco</td>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;text-align:right;font-family:monospace;'>$&nbsp;&nbsp;18.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;'>Sales tax (8.375%)</td>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;text-align:right;font-family:monospace;'>$&nbsp;&nbsp;24.37</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;'>Gratuity</td>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;text-align:right;font-family:monospace;'>$&nbsp;&nbsp;45.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;'><b>Total</b></td>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;text-align:right;font-family:monospace;'><b>$&nbsp;360.37</b></td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>This table to the right shows how much I paid.</p>
<p>Although this was a very good restaurant, it wasn&#8217;t quite at the level of being a particularly stand-out experience. To be clear, the quality of the food was far better than many restaurants I&#8217;ve been to, and my taste buds had a great time eating everything. However, there wasn&#8217;t anything notably crazy, gimmicky, or memorable about it (which is not inherently a bad thing, and could be considered a positive for some).</p>
<p>This reminded me a lot of <a href="https://parkzer.com/2025/10/20/jeune-et-jolie/">Jeune et Jolie</a>, another French restaurant I went to when I was visiting Southern California. I was under the impression that French cuisine fundamentally relies heavily on butter, cream, cheese, and other fatty ingredients to serve as a foundation for their flavor profiles. However, both L&#8217;Atelier and Jeune et Jolie had cleaner and more refreshing dishes. This could potentially be attributed to local differences specific to regional specializations within France; if that is the case, then this region of French food is something that I much prefer over other French food I&#8217;ve had in the past.</p>
<p>Although I would say that I do recommend this restaurant, it isn&#8217;t such a strong recommendation that I would suggest prioritizing it if you have a limited number of days and a limited number of meals to try in Las Vegas. Also, keep in mind that this is quite a high pricepoint for a meal. Even without the two non-alcoholic beverages, this seasonal discovery menu exceeds US$300.00 per person after tax and gratuity.</p>
<p>With all that being said, I think this was a successful &#8220;trial&#8221; for me for the full-blown dégustation at Joël Robuchon. If I was being really picky about value for money, it might not be worth it, but in that case, I guess a lot of other fine dining restaurants also probably wouldn&#8217;t be worth it either. I heard that the complete dégustation can take up to four hours; my experience at L&#8217;Atlier took about two and a half hours, and I enjoyed it enough that I would not mind a four-hour version of it in the future as well.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Hello, Gordon Ramsay Hell&#8217;s Kitchen at Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip</title>
		<link>https://parkzer.com/2026/01/11/gordon-ramsay-hells-kitchen-caesars-palace-las-vegas/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Parkzer]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 11 Jan 2026 11:33:49 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Las Vegas]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://parkzer.com/?p=13981</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[I have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, a premium credit card that comes with a US$795.00 annual fee but makes up for it in cardholder perks. Towards the end of 2025, Chase reworked the Sapphire Reserve give more credits and rebates on certain kinds of spend at certain retailers or websites, in exchange for an increase [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I have the <a href="https://creditcards.chase.com/rewards-credit-cards/sapphire/reserve">Chase Sapphire Reserve</a>, a premium credit card that comes with a US$795.00 annual fee but makes up for it in cardholder perks. Towards the end of 2025, Chase reworked the Sapphire Reserve give more credits and rebates on certain kinds of spend at certain retailers or websites, in exchange for an increase in the card&#8217;s membership fee. Unfortunately, I&#8217;m not really a fan of the &#8220;coupon book&#8221; style of rewards programs where they make you go to a bunch of different places and buy a bunch of different things in order to get full value from your benefits.</p>
<p>For example, I absolutely hate the <a href="https://www.stubhub.com/">StubHub</a> credit. I think these ticketing websites are a huge rip-off that charge exorbitantly high fees for providing a service that has minimal value. I am eagerly waiting for someone out there to make a great piece of easy-to-use ticketing software so that it becomes industry standard for venues to install it in-house on their own websites (similar to how my blog is run on a customized version of <a href="https://wordpress.org/">WordPress</a>) and forego these ticketing monopolies like Ticketmaster altogether. For events that already do have their own in-house ticket selling systems, I checked on StubHub for those same tickets to see if it was worth tapping into the Chase credit for it instead, and tickets on StubHub were literally over double the price compared to just buying it direct from the organizer.</p>
<p>Luckily, Chase does have one new perk that is worth it for me: the <a href="https://www.opentable.com/c/chasedining/">OpenTable</a> credit. Although their selection of restaurants that qualify for the credit is fairly limited (i.e., it&#8217;s not just <i>any</i> restaurant available on OpenTable), there are some decent options in there. I like going out and trying interesting new spots, and I like taking guidance from curated lists of restaurants because it encourages me to expand my scope of dining outside of my routine preferred cuisines.</p>
<p>The OpenTable credit refreshes every half year, and the cut-off for the first round of US$150.00 in credits was the end of 2025. So, in late December, I decided to try out <a href="https://www.gordonramsayrestaurants.com/en/us/hells-kitchen/locations/las-vegas">Gordon Ramsay Hell&#8217;s Kitchen</a> at <a href="https://www.caesars.com/caesars-palace/restaurants/gordon-ramsay-hells-kitchen">Caesars Palace</a> on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, <a href="https://nv.gov/">Nevada</a>. (Yes, that does indeed mean that these photos are more than two weeks old; I have been short of time lately because I did my &#8220;12 Days of Christmas&#8221; live streaming marathon event again around Christmas and New Year&#8217;s, and I am now finally finding a chance to catch up on blog posts.)</p>
<p>&nbsp;<br />I decided to order the three-course prix fixe menu along with a non-alcoholic beverage. Although often served with predetermined dishes as designated by the chef, this prix fixe menu offered two options, one of which was for the first course.</p>
<p>For my starter, I ordered pan-seared scallops topped with braised short rib and served alongside Brussels sprouts and delicata squash in a celery root puree. Although the presentation seemed a bit chaotic due to the seemingly unorganized and disheveled nature of the individual food items, it was actually quite good taste-wise. The scallop was a good balance of firm and tender, and I thought the flavor combination worked pretty well together.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3402_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3402_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3402_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3402_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3402_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3402_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3402_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p>My friend, on the other hand, opted for something else for his first course—roasted beets and burrata with prosciutto di Parma, Medjool dates, dukkah, clementines, and shallot vinaigrette. He picked this instead of the scallop because he doesn&#8217;t eat seafood (and yes, if this sounds familiar, this is indeed the same friend from my blog post from almost 10 months ago with whom I went to <a href="https://parkzer.com/2025/03/26/stubborn-seed-las-vegas-resorts-world/">Stubborn Seed at Resorts World</a>).</p>
<p>I sampled some of this, just to try it out and see how it tastes, in anticipation of writing about it on my blog. I ate one piece of the beets. I don&#8217;t really know how else to describe it apart from &#8220;very beets.&#8221;</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3401_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3401_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3401_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3401_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3401_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3401_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3401_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p>The mocktail I picked was the Hell&#8217;s Red Infusion, made from apple, strawberry, rhubarb puree, and simple syrup in ginger beer.</p>
<p>When I took my first sip, I don&#8217;t think I mixed it well enough, because it was almost like I took a big swig of a highly-concentrated fruit smoothie. After going back and mixing it more thoroughly though, it became much better—the texture smoothed out, and the drink was sweet but not <i>too</i> sweet.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m curious whether the sweetness ended up becoming more subdued overall because I had accidentally taken a big gulp of the sweetest part upfront. Regardless, it ended up being better that way, because I don&#8217;t like excessively sweet things anyway.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3403_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3403_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3403_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3403_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3403_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3403_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3403_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p>I guess my friend thought the tasting menu wouldn&#8217;t be enough for him, so he ordered an additional bowl of mac and cheese.</p>
<p>This was my least favorite dish of the meal. I think this would probably be fine for someone who likes intensely cheesy and greasy foods, but for me, it was mouth-coatingly cloy. I stopped eating more after a single piece of macaroni in fear that the aftertaste of the cheese would negatively affect the flavor profile of the upcoming course. Luckily, the Hell&#8217;s Red Infusion had enough of an acidic fruitiness to it that it cut through that fat and helped reset my palate.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3404_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3404_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3404_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3404_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3404_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3404_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3404_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p>It&#8217;s time for a short intermission.</p>
<p>I often don&#8217;t eat at celebrity chef restaurants. I have no issue dining at restaurants branded under the name of a chef who got famous simply for being a world-class chef, but I avoid restaurants named after celebrity chefs who earned their fame off the basis of a television show or social media. I&#8217;ve grown a significant distrust of online influencers, and with the few examples that I do have from trying out celebrity chef restaurants anyway (like <a href="https://www.caesars.com/linq/restaurants/guy-fieris-vegas-kitchen-and-bar/">Guy Fieri&#8217;s Vegas Kitchen &#038; Bar</a> at the LINQ), it just reinforced my notion that I should stick with restaurants run by regular chefs who focus more on their food than on being a broadcast personality.</p>
<p>With that being said, I still wanted to try one of Gordon Ramsay&#8217;s restaurants, just for the experience. I vaguely recall joining my friends at a Gordon Ramsay restaurant almost ten years ago when I first visited Las Vegas and before I moved here, but I didn&#8217;t order anything, and I don&#8217;t even remember which Gordon Ramsay restaurant it was. Since then, I&#8217;ve seen a lot of videos about his iconic beef Wellington, so I figured I should try it at least once so I know what it&#8217;s like.</p>
<p>Back to the food. Fortunately, although the prix fixe menu came with only one option for the main course, it ended up being the beef Wellington—a black truffle beef Wellington served together with potato purée and a side of glazed root vegetables atop a red wine demi-glace. There were three ways to order it: with a foie gras add-on, with a lobster tail add-on, or with no enhancements. I knew for sure that I wanted to supplement a lobster tail, but I was considering asking whether I could get both add-ons instead of just one; I ultimately just went with the lobster tail as to not make the dish too overwhelming.</p>
<p>Believe it or not, I actually really enjoyed the beef Wellington. The meat was cooked to a great doneness level and was very tender. The puff pastry was nice and flaky, but still had a very subtle dougheyness to it that enhanced the texture. The vegetables were cooked in a way such that they had a good balance of firmness and softness. The lobster tail, although not particularly remarkable, was still a solid addition.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3405_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3405_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3405_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3405_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3405_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3405_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3405_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3406_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3406_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3406_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3406_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3406_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3406_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3406_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>For the third and final course, I was served sticky toffee pudding topped with a scoop of speculoos ice cream for dessert.</p>
<p>The portion size on this was quite unexpectedly large. It was a bit too sweet for my personal preference, but it was still refreshing compared to the very rich beef Wellington that I had just finished. I also particularly enjoyed trying the speculoos ice cream, as that&#8217;s not a flavor that I have tried before, and I don&#8217;t often have an opportunity to eat even speculoos-adjacent flavors of ice cream in general.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3407_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3407_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3407_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3407_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3407_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3407_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3407_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p>This is a photograph I took of the front entrance area upon arrival. There was a large screen right at the door displaying a video of Gordon Ramsay speaking. Funny enough, I don&#8217;t remember a single word he was saying because I was too busy staring at the fact that he was basically wearing running shoes instead of standard slip-resistant clogs or work boots&#8230;</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3408_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3408_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3408_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3408_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3408_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3408_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3408_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>This was the bar area right near the entrance.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3409_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3409_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3409_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3409_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3409_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3409_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3409_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>Deeper into the restaurant, this was the main dining area. My friend and I were seated at an edge table in the left-side area of the photograph, while the kitchen was just off frame to the right of the photograph.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3410_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3410_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3410_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3410_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3410_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3410_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3410_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>This was the kitchen area. We didn&#8217;t pay the extra mark-up to be seated near the kitchen, so we didn&#8217;t have a good view of it while we were eating, but this area was wide open enough that I was able to just walk right up to it after we were finished dining and take some close-up pictures without needing to disrupt other customers.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3411_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3411_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3411_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3411_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3411_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3411_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3411_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3412_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3412_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3412_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3412_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3412_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3412_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3412_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>This is a view of the front of the restaurant. Even though this Hell&#8217;s Kitchen location is marketed as being part of Caesars Palace and has the same street address as Caesars Palace, they don&#8217;t actually share the same building. Hell&#8217;s Kitchen is right up to Las Vegas Boulevard, nearby the Caesars Palace fountains in front of their main lobby entrance.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3413_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3413_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3413_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3413_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3413_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3413_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3413_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3414_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3414_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3414_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3414_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3414_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3414_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3414_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p>Here&#8217;s what the view looks like if you&#8217;re standing in front of Hell&#8217;s Kitchen and looking westward towards Caesars Palace and the Bellagio (with the Cosmopolitan and a small slice of the Vdara in the far distance).</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3415_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3415_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3415_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3415_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3415_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3415_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/3415_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<table style="margin:10px 0 10px 30px;border-collapse:collapse;float:right;">
<tr>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;'>Dinner prix fixe menu &times;2</td>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;text-align:right;font-family:monospace;'>$&nbsp;271.90</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;'>Lobster tail add-on</td>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;text-align:right;font-family:monospace;'>$&nbsp;&nbsp;25.95</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;'>Mac and cheese</td>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;text-align:right;font-family:monospace;'>$&nbsp;&nbsp;17.95</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;'>Hell&#8217;s Red Infusion mocktail</td>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;text-align:right;font-family:monospace;'>$&nbsp;&nbsp;13.95</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;'>Sales tax (8.375%)</td>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;text-align:right;font-family:monospace;'>$&nbsp;&nbsp;27.62</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;'>Gratuity</td>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;text-align:right;font-family:monospace;'>$&nbsp;&nbsp;50.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;'><b>Total</b></td>
<td style='border:1px solid black;padding:6px 12px 6px 12px;text-align:right;font-family:monospace;'><b>$&nbsp;407.37</b></td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>This table to the right shows how much we paid. This table does not show the aforementioned OpenTable dining credit; you are supposed to pay the full check at the restaurant, and then the US$150.00 gets deducted after-the-fact on your credit card statement.</p>
<p>My final verdict is&#8230; I would&#8217;ve liked it if I didn&#8217;t look at the price. The food was unexpectedly quite good, but not <i>so</i> good that it would warrant paying over US$200.00 per person for the meal. I think if the prix fixe included either the foie gras or lobster tail as part of the menu at no additional cost, and also provided a complementary soft drink, then I think the base US$135.95 pricepoint for the prix fixe would be reasonable. However, with all of those being supplementary, the core prix fixe menu seems marginally underwhelming.</p>
<p>With that being said, it was surprisingly quite packed, even though it was early on in the evening during a weekday when you wouldn&#8217;t expect it to be so busy. Considering the popularity of the restaurant, it seems that natural supply and demand has determined these high prices, so I guess there isn&#8217;t much I can say about that.</p>
<p>One very interesting phenomenon I experienced at Gordon Ramsay Hell&#8217;s Kitchen that I have never before seen at another restaurant is how brutally efficient everything was. When you put in an order at a restaurant, you usually have to wait a bit for the food to come out. However, at Hell&#8217;s Kitchen, the food came out shockingly fast. I realized that this was probably a side effect of making the prix fixe menu their prominent, flagship option for dinner, and with the high volume of customers ordering it, the cooks can reliably constantly pump out the three core dishes over and over again without concern of the dish not being ordered. Consequently, those three dishes are always readily available to be served to diners with minimal wait time.</p>
<p>Although I enjoyed my dinner, I personally would not dine here again, and I see it more as a one-time-only kind of experience. As for others, I would probably only recommend this to people who either also have the Chase Sapphire Reserve OpenTable credit to use specifically in Las Vegas, or for people who are big fans of Gordon Ramsay who want a fun Hell&#8217;s Kitchen experience and are willing to pay a mark-up for the ambiance and the significance of the brand.</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Hello, &#8220;All Aboard for Holiday Bells and Whistles&#8221; at the Bellagio Conservatory in Las Vegas</title>
		<link>https://parkzer.com/2026/01/04/all-aboard-holiday-bells-whistles-bellagio-conservatory-las-vegas/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Parkzer]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 Jan 2026 07:25:12 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Las Vegas]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://parkzer.com/?p=13978</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[To fulfill what has become a seasonal tradition for me, I just went back again to the Bellagio Conservatory &#038; Botanical Gardens inside MGM Resorts’ Bellagio Resort &#038; Casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. If you&#8217;re not familiar with it already, the Conservatory is an area near the registration and check-in desk [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>To fulfill what has become a seasonal tradition for me, I just went back again to the <a href="https://bellagio.mgmresorts.com/en/entertainment/conservatory-botanical-garden.html">Bellagio Conservatory &#038; Botanical Gardens</a> inside <a href="https://www.mgmresorts.com/">MGM Resorts</a>’ Bellagio Resort &#038; Casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, <a href="https://nv.gov/">Nevada</a>. If you&#8217;re not familiar with it already, the Conservatory is an area near the registration and check-in desk of the hotel where designers build themed sets that are decorated based on the season.</p>
<p>I was there to check out their winter installation, &#8220;All Aboard for Holiday Bells and Whistles.&#8221; Yesterday was actually the last day to see this installation, as they&#8217;ve already gone into their dark days to swap everything out to the Lunar New Year 2026 exhibit. In case you missed it, I took plenty of photographs during my last-minute visit before they closed down.</p>
<p>If you want to see past installations, the Bellagio keeps a small photo archive of the most recent ones on their website. If you want to see ones from further back in time, or if you specifically want to see my pictures, I have blog posts up for &#8220;<a href="https://parkzer.com/2025/02/06/lunar-new-year-snake-bellagio-conservatory/">Lunar New Year 2025: Year of the Snake</a>,&#8221; &#8220;<a href="https://parkzer.com/2025/03/14/birds-and-b-bellagio-conservatory/">The Birds and the B&#8217;s</a>,&#8221; and &#8220;<a href="https://parkzer.com/2025/09/05/glam-menagerie-surrealist-summer-bellagio-conservatory-las-vegas-strip/">Glam Menagerie: Surrealist Summer</a>.&#8221;</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0301_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0301_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0301_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0301_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0301_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0301_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0301_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0302_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0302_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0302_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0302_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0302_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0302_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0302_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0303_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0303_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0303_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0303_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0303_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0303_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0303_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0304_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0304_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0304_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0304_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0304_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0304_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0304_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0305_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0305_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0305_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0305_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0305_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0305_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0305_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0306_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0306_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0306_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0306_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0306_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0306_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0306_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0307_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0307_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0307_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0307_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0307_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0307_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0307_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0308_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0308_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0308_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0308_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0308_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0308_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0308_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0309_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0309_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0309_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0309_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0309_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0309_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0309_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0310_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0310_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0310_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0310_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0310_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0310_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0310_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0311_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0311_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0311_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0311_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0311_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0311_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0311_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0312_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0312_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0312_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0312_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0312_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0312_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0312_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0313_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0313_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0313_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0313_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0313_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0313_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0313_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0314_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0314_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0314_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0314_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0314_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0314_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0314_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0315_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0315_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0315_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0315_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0315_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0315_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0315_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0316_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0316_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0316_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0316_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0316_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0316_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0316_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0317_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0317_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0317_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0317_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0317_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0317_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0317_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0318_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0318_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0318_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0318_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0318_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0318_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0318_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0319_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0319_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0319_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0319_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0319_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0319_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0319_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0320_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0320_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0320_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0320_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0320_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0320_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0320_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0321_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0321_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0321_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0321_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0321_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0321_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0321_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0322_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0322_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0322_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0322_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0322_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0322_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0322_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0323_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0323_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0323_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0323_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0323_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0323_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0323_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0324_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0324_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0324_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0324_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0324_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0324_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2026/01/0324_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Hello, Ethel M Chocolates Factory &#038; Cactus Garden in Henderson, Nevada</title>
		<link>https://parkzer.com/2025/12/22/ethel-m-chocolates-factory-cactus-garden-henderson/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Parkzer]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2025 08:57:44 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Las Vegas]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://parkzer.com/?p=13972</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[I talked about this in much greater detail last week in my blog post reviewing Magical Forest at Opportunity Village, but in summary, I&#8217;ve had a renewed and more positive outlook on winter over the past handful of years, and I&#8217;ve lately been seeking out some seasonal, holiday-themed places to check out in my free [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I talked about this in much greater detail last week in my blog post reviewing <a href="https://parkzer.com/2025/12/14/magical-forest-opportunity-village-las-vegas/">Magical Forest at Opportunity Village</a>, but in summary, I&#8217;ve had a renewed and more positive outlook on winter over the past handful of years, and I&#8217;ve lately been seeking out some seasonal, holiday-themed places to check out in my free time.</p>
<p>Another popular holiday-themed spot in the Las Vegas Valley is the <a href="https://www.ethelm.com/en-us/locations/henderson-flagship">Ethel M Chocolates Factory and Cactus Garden</a> in <a href="https://www.cityofhenderson.com/">Henderson</a>, <a href="https://nv.gov/">Nevada</a>. Each year throughout most of November and December, their cacti are adorned with holiday lights for an annual tradition that has apparently been going on for decades. I was heading out of Las Vegas soon for my next trip, so before I left, I squeezed in a visit to the chocolate factory and garden.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2207_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2207_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2207_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2207_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2207_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2207_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2207_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>I timed my visit so that it was early enough that their chocolate factory was still open, in hopes of being able to see the chocolate production process and potentially get a tour, while still being late enough that the sun would set while we&#8217;re on-site and the lights on the cacti would be illuminated.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m not entirely sure what went wrong with the timing—I assume I was just a bit too late—but when I showed up, the little podium near the factory area was vacant (which I assume is where the tour registration attendant or docent would have be stationed), and it didn&#8217;t seem like there was much activity going on inside the production room. There were still windows looking in though, so even though I didn&#8217;t get a proper tour (if there were even some available at all), I still got to take a look at the equipment.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2201_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2201_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2201_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2201_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2201_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2201_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2201_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2202_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2202_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2202_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2202_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2202_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2202_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2202_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2203_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2203_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2203_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2203_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2203_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2203_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2203_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>After seeing all the machinery, I headed over to the retail area of the store.</p>
<p>The only time I eat chocolate nowadays is if I get it as part of a dessert at a restaurant off a tasting menu. Otherwise, I avoid it because I taste nothing but bitterness from dark chocolate, while other sweeter kinds of chocolate just seem to be an unhealthily high source of sugar. Knowing that, it&#8217;s probably unsurprising that I didn&#8217;t want to buy anything that was for sale. However, it was still amusing taking a look at the vast assortment of different available options.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2204_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2204_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2204_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2204_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2204_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2204_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2204_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2205_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2205_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2205_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2205_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2205_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2205_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2205_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2206_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2206_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2206_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2206_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2206_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2206_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2206_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>My friend decided to buy some dark-chocolate-dipped Swiss candied orange slices.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2208_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2208_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2208_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2208_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2208_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2208_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2208_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>I didn&#8217;t want to be <i>too</i> un-fun, so I figured that grabbing a beverage from their Cactus Garden Café wouldn&#8217;t hurt. I decided to try out their peppermint hot chocolate, which came with an incredibly steep price of US$9.00 for a 16 oz. portion size, but ended up being some of the most delicious hot chocolate I think I&#8217;ve ever had.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2209_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2209_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2209_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2209_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2209_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2209_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2209_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p>Warm drink in hand, I headed out into the cactus garden and stood in line to purchase an admission ticket.</p>
<p>The line was incredibly long and was split into multiple different lanes, but I noticed that one of the lanes off to the side was not being used. I suspect that everyone else thought that wasn&#8217;t a proper lane because they saw so few people standing in it, so they all crowded into the other lanes. I, on the other hand, am a thrill-seeking risk-taker when it comes to figuring out ways to not have to wait in line, so I walked down that empty lane to find out&#8230; that it <i>was</i> indeed a proper lane. I got to cut what I imagine was over a hundred people who would have been in front of me.</p>
<p>Admission was only US$3.00, which I guess more than makes up for the expensive hot chocolate.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2210_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2210_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2210_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2210_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2210_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2210_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2210_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>In no particular order, here are a bunch of photographs I took throughout the Cactus Garden.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2211_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2211_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2211_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2211_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2211_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2211_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2211_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2212_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2212_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2212_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2212_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2212_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2212_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2212_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2213_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2213_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2213_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2213_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2213_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2213_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2213_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2214_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2214_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2214_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2214_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2214_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2214_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2214_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2215_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2215_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2215_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2215_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2215_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2215_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2215_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2216_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2216_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2216_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2216_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2216_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2216_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2216_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2217_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2217_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2217_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2217_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2217_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2217_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2217_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2218_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2218_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2218_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2218_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2218_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2218_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2218_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2219_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2219_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2219_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2219_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2219_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2219_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2219_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2220_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2220_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2220_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2220_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2220_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2220_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2220_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2221_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2221_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2221_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2221_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2221_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2221_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2221_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2222_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2222_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2222_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2222_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2222_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2222_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2222_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2223_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2223_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2223_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2223_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2223_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2223_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2223_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2224_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2224_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2224_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2224_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2224_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2224_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2224_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2225_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2225_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2225_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2225_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2225_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2225_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2225_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2226_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2226_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2226_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2226_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2226_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2226_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2226_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2227_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2227_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2227_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2227_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2227_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2227_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2227_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2228_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2228_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2228_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2228_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2228_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2228_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2228_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2229_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2229_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2229_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2229_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2229_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2229_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2229_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2230_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2230_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2230_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2230_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2230_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2230_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2230_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2231_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2231_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2231_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2231_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2231_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2231_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2231_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2232_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2232_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2232_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2232_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2232_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2232_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/2232_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>The garden&#8217;s path was winding and self-intersecting, so there wasn&#8217;t a clear linear route to take to walk through the garden. Because of that, I ended up doubling back multiple times and going in circles to make sure I saw everything before I left.</p>
<p>Even though the items for sale inside the store were pretty pricey, you can&#8217;t really beat and get much more value than what you receive with the $3 admission ticket to the Cactus Garden. You can tell that the garden was designed with the community in mind, i.e., even if the retail area was intended for profit, the garden is intended to serve as a pleasant gathering place for friends and family. At that price point, it seems like their objective is simply to break even with the garden after the extra staffing and electricity costs.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re within a reasonable distance of the southeast Las Vegas Valley, I highly recommend checking out Ethel M Chocolates Factory and Cactus Garden. I thought it was quite good at instilling holiday spirit, and I felt it had a blissfully joyful vibe to it overall.</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Hello, Magical Forest at Opportunity Village in Las Vegas, Nevada</title>
		<link>https://parkzer.com/2025/12/14/magical-forest-opportunity-village-las-vegas/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Parkzer]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2025 06:12:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Las Vegas]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://parkzer.com/?p=13976</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[I used to hate the winter when I was younger. Snow would always be a hassle because my parents bought an impractically large single-family house with a gigantic driveway, so I would have to shovel the driveway. During a snowstorm, I would often have to shovel multiple times a day in multiple different passes so [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I used to hate the winter when I was younger.</p>
<p>Snow would always be a hassle because my parents bought an impractically large single-family house with a gigantic driveway, so I would have to shovel the driveway. During a snowstorm, I would often have to shovel multiple times a day in multiple different passes so that the snow wouldn&#8217;t freeze onto the steep driveway, otherwise my parents&#8217; sedans wouldn&#8217;t be able to make it up and into the garage.</p>
<p>Driving in the snow was a nightmare. My parents didn&#8217;t do proper routine maintenance on their vehicles because they wanted to save money, which I&#8217;m pretty sure meant that their tires were either perpetually in need of replacement or possibly the wrong type of tires for winter driving. There were a few instances of <i>very</i> near misses of their small cars losing traction and nearly causing a collision.</p>
<p>I was always very cold in the winter. I have a pretty low body fat percentage, so I don&#8217;t have much insulation to keep myself warm. My parents kept the thermostat in the low 60s&deg;F to save money on heating. When I told my parents that I was cold, they would tell me to toughen up. Instead of buying me an effectively functional winter coat, they treated me like a fashion accessory and dressed me up in impractical designer coats because they were obsessed with showing off brand names.</p>
<p>&#8230; Then I grew up.</p>
<p>I moved out, got my own job, bought my own clothes, and purchased my own pickup truck. Over time, living my own adult life made me realize that winter isn&#8217;t actually too bad.</p>
<p>During my road trip across the United States, I actually particularly enjoyed the time I spent in the snowier regions. I think back fondly to the snowy hikes I did in Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming; and I remember how cozy I felt when I got snowed in a few times in Colorado and Utah so I spent the entire day in my warm hotel room with the curtains open, watching the snow fall while a video of a fireplace was playing on the TV.</p>
<p>It doesn&#8217;t snow very often in Las Vegas, and in the very rare scenario that it does, it basically never accumulates. I can drive up to Mt. Charleston to see piled-up snow during the winter, which is about 45 minutes away from the Strip, but I can&#8217;t really get snowed in down in the Valley. However, it still gets cold, and the community still likes to celebrate the holidays in their own, dry way.</p>
<p>To get into the holiday spirit, I decided to check out <a href="https://www.opportunityvillage.org/ovevents/magical-forest">Magical Forest at Opportunity Village</a>, an annual winter celebration with Christmas lights, trees, and activities. I knew that this was a yearly recurring thing for a while, but I had never taken the time to head on over before now. I was already looking for some holiday-themed places to visit soon; when I saw that Magical Forest distributing discounted US$17.99 tickets on Groupon (down from the standard US$25.00 full-price admission), I decided to redeem the deal and finally check it out.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1401_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1401_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1401_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1401_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1401_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1401_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1401_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>I showed up right when they opened at 5:30 PM PST because I thought that would be when they were least busy. I figured that, after getting off work, people would need time to commute back home, gather up their families, and drive over to the venue, which would mean that most people would show up later on in the evening.</p>
<p>My logic might have been sound on a weekday, but I forgot that today is Sunday. It was absolutely packed at 5:30 PM, and there was a long line stretching deep into the parking lot consisting of visitors waiting to get through the security checkpoint.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1402_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1402_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1402_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1402_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1402_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1402_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1402_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>I heard that one of the prime attractions at Magical Forest is the train. Unfortunately, I had unlucky timing, because the train was apparently suffering from technical difficulties and was not in operation.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1403_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1403_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1403_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1403_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1403_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1403_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1403_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>After what I think was about a ten to fifteen minute wait, I made it through security and entered the park.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1404_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1404_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1404_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1404_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1404_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1404_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1404_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>For my first activity, I took a right turn directly into the forest where all the decorated Christmas trees were.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1405_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1405_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1405_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1405_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1405_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1405_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1405_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>Right at the beginning, there was a &#8220;Southern Lights Fire Station&#8221; that had a small indoor section with some firefighting equipment on display, as well as a raffle for a fire- and rescue-themed toy car. It seemed like this was the only hybrid indoor-outdoor display throughout the forest.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1406_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1406_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1406_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1406_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1406_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1406_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1406_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>Right outside was a railroad crossing for the Forest Express. I imagine this is the train that was out of service, as disclosed by the sign near the box office.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1407_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1407_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1407_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1407_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1407_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1407_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1407_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1408_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1408_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1408_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1408_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1408_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1408_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1408_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>I continued deeper into the forest. It seemed like a majority of the displays were sponsored, so there were a lot of logos and advertisements integrated into the decorations. (These are some examples of ones where it was either more subtle, or the branding was posted off to the side instead of front-and-center.)</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1409_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1409_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1409_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1409_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1409_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1409_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1409_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1410_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1410_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1410_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1410_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1410_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1410_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1410_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1411_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1411_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1411_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1411_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1411_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1411_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1411_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1412_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1412_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1412_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1412_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1412_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1412_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1412_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p>As I walked even deeper, I started hearing some live music. Because of the curvy nature of the winding path, I was able to see that there was something happening on the other side of some trees, but couldn&#8217;t quite reach it yet.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1413_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1413_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1413_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1413_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1413_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1413_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1413_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>I think this is one of the most comically prominent examples of the embedded advertising.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1414_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1414_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1414_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1414_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1414_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1414_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1414_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>After doing a few more loops and turns, I made it to the Castle Stage, which is from which I was previously hearing the live music. It seemed like it was mostly just younger teens who were preforming, likely as volunteers or as part of a community program. The frequency with which they sang the notes in tune was questionably lacking, but they all seemed to be having a great time and putting in fantastic effort.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1415_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1415_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1415_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1415_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1415_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1415_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1415_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>I stuck around to listen to the music for a little bit, then continued on my way on the forest path.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1416_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1416_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1416_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1416_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1416_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1416_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1416_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1417_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1417_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1417_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1417_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1417_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1417_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1417_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1418_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1418_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1418_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1418_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1418_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1418_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1418_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1419_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1419_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1419_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1419_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1419_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1419_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1419_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1420_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1420_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1420_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1420_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1420_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1420_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1420_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>As I was approaching the end of the forest, I came across the Cookie Factory. The line was quite long, so I decided against trying a cookie.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1421_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1421_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1421_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1421_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1421_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1421_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1421_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>Instead, I continued down the path towards the exit. On my way out, I saw a Disney-themed display, which made me wonder what the likelihood was that this was a properly-licensed display (microscopically low), and whether the very commercial nature of the entire Magical Forest would prompt Disney to actually notice and take some form of action (also still very low).</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1422_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1422_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1422_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1422_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1422_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1422_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1422_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>After exiting the forest, I walked out into the park to check out some more of the attractions. The first one I saw straight ahead was the Avalanche Slide.</p>
<p>Again, the line was ridiculously long so I did not participate, but I&#8217;m not really sure if I would&#8217;ve even wanted to participate at all to begin with, even if there was no wait. I&#8217;m always hesitant to slide down slides because I can&#8217;t get the image out of my head that the butt of my pants is basically being used as a cleaning rag to wipe down the surface of the slide as I&#8217;m descending&#8230;</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1423_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1423_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1423_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1423_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1423_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1423_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1423_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>Nestled under the height of the slide was Frost Bites. At the box office, I received a buy-one-get-one-free coupon for some hot chocolate, but I ended up not using it because I didn&#8217;t want to be double-fisting two cups of hot chocolate and occupying both my hands (because I went to this alone), thus preventing myself from taking more photographs.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1424_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1424_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1424_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1424_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1424_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1424_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1424_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>In the far corner of the park was Santa&#8217;s Brewhouse, Reindeer Games, and Beer Garden. This was a 21+ area that had an additional checkpoint by the entrance with a security guard that was distributing special, age-gated credentials. I don&#8217;t drink alcohol and I didn&#8217;t feel like playing a solo game of cornhole or foosball, so I just snapped a picture from the outside and didn&#8217;t go in.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1425_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1425_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1425_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1425_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1425_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1425_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1425_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>The southern side of the park had a funnel cake truck, a diner, a holiday market, and a row of holiday vendors.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1426_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1426_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1426_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1426_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1426_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1426_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1426_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1427_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1427_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1427_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1427_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1427_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1427_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1427_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1428_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1428_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1428_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1428_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1428_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1428_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1428_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>At the end of the lane was a decorated fire truck from the Clark County Fire Department, along with a short row of children who wanted a tour of the inside.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1429_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1429_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1429_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1429_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1429_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1429_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1429_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>In the activity area, there were some family-friendly games, like mini-golf.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1430_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1430_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1430_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1430_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1430_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1430_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1430_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>This area also had Cheyenne&#8217;s Enchanted Carousel.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1431_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1431_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1431_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1431_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1431_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1431_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1431_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>For those who wanted to warm up and go indoors, Camelot Hall was set up inside a multipurpose room in a nearby building that housed an arts and crafts station and some concessions.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1432_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1432_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1432_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1432_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1432_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1432_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1432_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>At this point, it seemed like I had seen everything in the park, so I circled back towards the entrance/exit.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1433_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1433_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1433_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1433_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1433_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1433_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1433_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>Before leaving, I peeked inside the Holiday Shoppe, which was basically just a regular souvenir store.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1434_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1434_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1434_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1434_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1434_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1434_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1434_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>Right in front of the exit, there was a donation booth themed as a wishing well.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1435_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1435_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1435_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1435_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1435_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1435_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/12/1435_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p>By the time I was leaving, the park was significantly less busy. I guess that makes sense, because parents probably want to get their kids in bed before it gets too late, so they likely prefer to come earlier on in the evening and leave before it becomes nighttime. If I had known that, I would&#8217;ve shown up about two hours later, and I probably would&#8217;ve had a much more peaceful experience compared to feeling like I&#8217;m trekking inside a gigantic crowd of crying children like I did today.</p>
<p>With that being said, I still enjoyed my visit to Magical Forest at Opportunity Village. I&#8217;m not someone who really celebrates holidays, and I usually treat every day like a regular day, so seeing festive things like a seasonal winter event once in a while helps keep things fresh and different.</p>
<p>I think a big part of the allure of Magical Forest is participating in the various different activities, all of which are very family-oriented. If you just want to sightsee the lights and decorations, then going alone is fine and you&#8217;ll be able to see a lot of lights in a high-density space, but you wouldn&#8217;t be getting maximum value out of your ticket. I would probably only fully recommend this for people with children who want to spend time together as a family and try everything out hands-on.</p>
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		<title>Hello, Rita Deanin Abbey Art Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada</title>
		<link>https://parkzer.com/2025/11/01/rita-deanin-abbey-art-museum-las-vegas/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Parkzer]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 02 Nov 2025 04:32:24 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Las Vegas]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://parkzer.com/?p=13527</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Flexibility and adaptability are two traits I value highly in myself, so I often don&#8217;t really have a set schedule or routine to my life; instead, I keep my daily agenda fluid and handle things as they come up in the order of my perceived priority of such tasks. With that being said, one thing [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Flexibility and adaptability are two traits I value highly in myself, so I often don&#8217;t really have a set schedule or routine to my life; instead, I keep my daily agenda fluid and handle things as they come up in the order of my perceived priority of such tasks. With that being said, one thing that has still stayed fairly consistent during my adult life is that I tend to stay indoors and work during weekends so I can avoid large crowds, especially in tourist-heavy cities like Las Vegas.</p>
<p>However, once in a while, I will be summoned outside on a Saturday or Sunday for various different reasons. For instance, if some of my friends are in town visiting for the weekend, I will venture outdoors to meet up and spend time with them. Another example is when certain attractions have free day promotions.</p>
<p>That recently happened with the <a href="https://ritadeaninabbeymuseum.org/">Rita Deanin Abbey Art Museum</a>, an art museum located near the Centennial Hills neighborhood in the northwest Las Vegas Valley. This is a museum that I&#8217;ve had on my &#8220;want to go&#8221; list for a while now because of how unusual it is for there to be any kind of attraction like this so far and deep into the outskirts of the Valley. Admission is usually US$20.00 per person, but I noticed lately that they were running free admission promotions during the first Saturday of every month, so I seized the opportunity and headed over to redeem my complementary visit.</p>
<p>After arriving at the museum, I promptly found out the rationale behind the location—this used to be Rita Deanin Abbey&#8217;s property, and during the final years of her life, she oversaw the construction of the museum on her plot of land. After her death in early 2021, construction was wrapped up and the museum opened to the public a few years ago in 2022.</p>
<p>This is probably one of the most unexpectedly and surprisingly nicest art museums I&#8217;ve ever been to. I assumed it would just be a small, cozy spot that showcased a limited collection of art pieces created by a local artist, but instead, it was a very professional and full-blown art museum with multiple galleries (with even an outdoor exhibit) and a wide variety of art. It had a very clean and modern theme to it, and I actually found it to be even nicer than many of the major well-funded city-namesake art museums found in a lot of large metropolitan areas across the United States.</p>
<p>When I was there, it was sparsely populated, even though it was on a free admission promotion day; I imagine that means that it&#8217;s even less busy on normal days, and this overall probably isn&#8217;t too popular of an art museum. I find that both surprising and unsurprising—surprising because this is a very high-quality art museum that I think deserves much more traffic and appreciation, but unsurprising because it&#8217;s so far away from all the other popular attractions in Las Vegas that it&#8217;s probably rare for people to make the trek all the way out there unless they are true art enthusiasts.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re visiting Las Vegas and primarily staying on the Las Vegas Strip, then I think it&#8217;s unrealistic to thread in a visit to this art museum. However, if you&#8217;re staying closer to Summerlin or are making a trip to Mount Charleston to go on a hike, you&#8217;ll be closer to the Centennial Hills neighborhood, which in that case, I think the Rita Deanin Abbey Museum definitely deserves a spot on your list of places to consider visiting, even at the full US$20.00-per-adult ticket price.</p>
<p>Here are some photographs I took in the museum during my visit:</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0201_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0201_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0201_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0201_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0201_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0201_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0201_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0202_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0202_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0202_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0202_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0202_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0202_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0202_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0203_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0203_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0203_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0203_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0203_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0203_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0203_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0204_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0204_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0204_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0204_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0204_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0204_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0204_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0205_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0205_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0205_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0205_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0205_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0205_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0205_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0206_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0206_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0206_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0206_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0206_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0206_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0206_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0207_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0207_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0207_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0207_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0207_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0207_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0207_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0208_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0208_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0208_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0208_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0208_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0208_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0208_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0209_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0209_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0209_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0209_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0209_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0209_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0209_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0210_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0210_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0210_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0210_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0210_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0210_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0210_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0211_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0211_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0211_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0211_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0211_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0211_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0211_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0212_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0212_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0212_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0212_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0212_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0212_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0212_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0213_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0213_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0213_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0213_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0213_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0213_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0213_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0214_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0214_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0214_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0214_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0214_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0214_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0214_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0215_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0215_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0215_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0215_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0215_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0215_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0215_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0216_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0216_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0216_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0216_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0216_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0216_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0216_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0217_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0217_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0217_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0217_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0217_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0217_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0217_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0218_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0218_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0218_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0218_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0218_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0218_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0218_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0219_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0219_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0219_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0219_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0219_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0219_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0219_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0220_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0220_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0220_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0220_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0220_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0220_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0220_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0221_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0221_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0221_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0221_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0221_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0221_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0221_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0222_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0222_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0222_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0222_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0222_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0222_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0222_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0223_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0223_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0223_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0223_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0223_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0223_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0223_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0224_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0224_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0224_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0224_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0224_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0224_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0224_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0225_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0225_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0225_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0225_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0225_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0225_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0225_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><span id="more-13527"></span><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0226_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0226_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0226_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0226_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0226_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0226_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0226_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0227_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0227_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0227_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0227_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0227_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0227_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0227_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0228_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0228_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0228_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0228_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0228_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0228_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0228_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0229_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0229_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0229_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0229_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0229_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0229_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0229_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0230_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0230_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0230_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0230_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0230_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0230_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0230_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0231_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0231_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0231_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0231_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0231_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0231_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0231_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0232_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0232_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0232_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0232_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0232_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0232_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0232_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0233_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0233_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0233_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0233_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0233_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0233_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0233_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0234_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0234_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0234_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0234_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0234_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0234_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0234_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0235_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0235_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0235_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0235_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0235_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0235_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0235_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0236_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0236_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0236_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0236_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0236_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0236_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0236_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0237_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0237_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0237_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0237_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0237_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0237_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0237_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0238_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0238_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0238_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0238_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0238_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0238_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0238_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0239_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0239_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0239_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0239_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0239_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0239_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0239_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0240_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0240_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0240_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0240_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0240_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0240_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/11/0240_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
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		<title>Hello, Best Friend at the Park MGM on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada</title>
		<link>https://parkzer.com/2025/10/25/best-friend-park-mgm-las-vegas-strip/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Parkzer]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 25 Oct 2025 08:45:49 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Las Vegas]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://parkzer.com/?p=13270</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[No matter how strong my love is for Las Vegas, one of the things I adamantly hate about it is how it is commonplace and acceptable to smoke cigarettes inside casino buildings on the Las Vegas Strip. Basically every other area of the United States has justifiably banned smoking inside buildings (and even within a [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>No matter how strong my love is for Las Vegas, one of the things I adamantly hate about it is how it is commonplace and acceptable to smoke cigarettes inside casino buildings on the Las Vegas Strip. Basically every other area of the United States has justifiably banned smoking inside buildings (and even within a certain distance of the entrance of buildings), but casinos seem to be be the anomaly and are okay with jeopardizing the health of their visitors in order to satisfy smokers.</p>
<p>Fortunately, there is one property on the Strip that has banned smoking indoors—<a href="https://parkmgm.mgmresorts.com">Park MGM</a>. (As a side note, the <a href="https://vdara.mgmresorts.com">Vdara</a> also bans smoking, but it is just a resort and spa and doesn&#8217;t have a casino, and it also doesn&#8217;t have a Las Vegas Boulevard address.) In the spirit of voting with my wallet, I like to support businesses that support my beliefs, so for dinner, I decided to dine at <a href="https://parkmgm.mgmresorts.com/en/restaurants/best-friend.html">Best Friend</a>, a restaurant inside Park MGM.</p>
<p>I dined with two friends, which made us a group of three. All three of us decided to get the chef&#8217;s tasting menu for US$75.00 per person.</p>
<p>The first round of food came out, and as expected from a Korean restaurant, it consisted of a lot of 반찬, pronounced as &#8220;banchan&#8221; and meaning &#8220;side dish.&#8221; In addition, it also came with a side of buns, which is less common for Korean cuisine.</p>
<p>One thing that you might notice is that the buns came out as a set of four instead of a set of three. This is going to be a recurring theme that you&#8217;ll notice on an ongoing basis throughout this meal, which I will point out during my review whenever it was relevant.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2801_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2801_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2801_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2801_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2801_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2801_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2801_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>As the first main entrée, we got slippery shrimp. This had a great balance of crispiness and tenderness. The flavor of the sauce was great, and it had a relatively light and reasonable amount of breading, which meant that the shrimp flavor was not overpowered. This was my favorite dish of the meal.</p>
<p>The slippery shrimp came out as two plates instead of three, so we thought that one plate was missing. However, when we pointed this out to the waiter, he replied that the chef&#8217;s tasting menu at Best Friend is more of a communal, family-style situation, as opposed to the neat, well-presented, singular dishes that you might find in a traditional chef&#8217;s tasting menu or omakase experience. Thus, he said that the slippery shrimp came out in a way where it was intended to be shared by the entire table.</p>
<p>Although that was unusual compared to what I am used to or was expecting, it was understandable, and it made a decent amount of sense considering that the family-style sharing of food is indeed something that is common in Asian cultures.</p>
<p>On top of that, the waiter said that a group of three is a fairly unusual group size for them to see, and that their tasting menu is often sized to be compatible for pairs. Thus, he said that, in situations where they can accommodate a portion size for three people, they would do it, but otherwise, we would end up getting portion sizes intended for groups of four.</p>
<p>Now back to the slippery shrimp. With all that being said above, there was another funny facet to this situation. In our group of three diners, we had one person who does not eat fish or seafood. This meant that this slippery shrimp entrée, which I now noticed was definitely intended for a group of four, is now being split between only <i>two</i> people. Luckily, it was very delicious and I was happy to eat a large portion of it, but it was quite satisfyingly filling.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2802_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2802_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2802_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2802_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2802_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2802_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2802_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>Next up were Kogi tacos from Roy Choi&#8217;s <a href="https://kogibbq.com/">Kogi BBQ Taco Truck</a>. Because these were individual tacos, we got our proper serving of three tacos. I thought these were solid tacos, and I was not surprised when I later found out that they were made to resemble food truck tacos, as it definitely gave off that impression.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2803_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2803_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2803_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2803_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2803_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2803_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2803_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>Next up was the meat. One of the plates was garlic chicken; the other was 갈비, pronounced &#8220;galbi,&#8221; which is Korean barbecued short rib.</p>
<p>These were gigantic portion sizes, and again, I think we got the amount of meat that was supposed to go to four people instead of just three. The galbi was good, albeit a bit heavy on large chunks of fat. The garlic chicken was passable, with decent flavor but a bit dry in texture.</p>
<p>With that being said, this is the point where I was getting extremely full and realized that I was getting some amazingly great value for my money, considering just how much food I was getting and the fact that I was on the Las Vegas Strip where everything is upcharged for tourists. Even though the meat wasn&#8217;t the utmost highest of quality, I couldn&#8217;t really complain about it, because it was still tasty meat, and I felt like I was getting it for way cheaper than it deserved to be.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2804_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2804_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2804_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2804_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2804_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2804_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2804_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>Along with the meat, we also got kimchi fried rice. I left most of this for my friends to eat, especially the one who wasn&#8217;t quite as full as I was due to him not having eaten any of the slippery shrimp dish earlier in the meal.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2805_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2805_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2805_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2805_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2805_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2805_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2805_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>Finally, it was time for dessert. I believe this is another area where we got four people&#8217;s portions instead of just two, as I think each dessert dish is designed with two people&#8217;s portion size in mind, and our waiter gave us one of each.</p>
<p>The first dessert was date cake. I couldn&#8217;t really tell that it was date cake; to me, it just tasted more like a chocolately cake with some good ice cream on the side.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2806_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2806_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2806_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2806_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2806_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2806_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2806_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>The second dessert was what they called a &#8220;strawberry shortie,&#8221; though from what I could tell, it looked like a generic grocery store ice cream pop adorned with some sorbet and cream on the side.</p>
<p>Both of these desserts were fine, but at this point, all three of us were struggling to keep eating, as we were all very full.</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2807_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2807_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2807_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2807_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2807_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2807_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2807_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>From the outside when walking through the casino, the restaurant looks tiny because the only area you can see from the storefront windows is the front &#8220;retail and bar&#8221; area. However, once you go through a hallway, there is a much larger dining area.</p>
<p>Here are some photographs I took of the inside dining area and kitchen, which includes its own bar:</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2808_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2808_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2808_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2808_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2808_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2808_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2808_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2809_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2809_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2809_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2809_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2809_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2809_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2809_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2810_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2810_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="576"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2810_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2810_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="576"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2810_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2810_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2810_1.jpg" width="1024" height="576"></picture></p>
<p>And here are some photographs I took of the aforementioned retail and bar area, which does actually seem to sell merchandise, as well as have some bar dining options for people who just want a quick and more casual meal:</p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2811_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2811_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2811_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2811_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2811_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2811_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2811_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2812_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2812_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2812_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2812_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2812_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2812_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2812_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2813_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2813_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2813_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2813_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2813_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2813_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2813_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2814_1.webp 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2814_2.webp 2x" width="1024" height="768"><source type="image/jpeg" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2814_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2814_2.jpg 2x" width="1024" height="768"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2814_1.jpg 1x,https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2814_2.jpg 2x" src="https://parkzer.com/images/blog/2025/10/2814_1.jpg" width="1024" height="768"></picture></p>
<p>If you weren&#8217;t able to tell already, I have one very obviously and very important recommendation: if you want to try the chef&#8217;s tasting menu at Best Friend, go as a group of three instead of a group of two or four. Surely at some point they are going to address this loophole and figure out a way to not have to give an extra portion of food to every group of three, but until then, I think Best Friend is probably the one restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip where you will absolutely get top value for your money.</p>
<p>With that being said, even if they do patch this loophole, I still think Best Friend is a pretty good restaurant.</p>
<p>For context, I&#8217;m personally not a huge fan of Korean cuisine because I usually find it to just be way too salty and greasy for my preferences, and I think Korean cuisine tends to just overload your taste buds with primitive satisfaction (i.e., through egregious amounts of salt, sugar, and fat) rather than focusing more on refined, pure flavors that are considered desirable in fine dining. Also, my parents are Korean and I grew up eating a lot of Korean food that my mom made, but she was not a good cook, so my brain sort of has the idea ingrained in it that Korean food in general is not that good.</p>
<p>With all that in mind, and even as someone who might be biased and predisposed to not liking this restaurant because it&#8217;s Korean, I still liked Best Friend.</p>
<p>Now obviously, a US$75.00-per-person meal isn&#8217;t necessarily cheap either, but prices have gotten absolutely wild on the Las Vegas Strip lately, so comparatively, $75 is not bad. Considering that they&#8217;re basically serving you enough calories in a single meal to last you an entire day (or more, if you do the three-person hack), if you take into consideration the amount of food along with the unique atmosphere and dining experience that comes along with the restaurant, I think it is absolutely worth my recommendation.</p>
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