Derek C.'s Profile

A friend was visiting from out of town and wanted to see the sights of the city, and is a big fan of Frank Gehry so we had to stop by and check out the Disney Concert Hall.  It was about 1pm and we hadn't eaten yet so I pulled up yelp to find something quick and nearby and low and behold I found the listing for this little gem located in the Los Angeles Superior Court building.  While it was a bit intimidating to go into a courthouse for lunch, the promise of a wonderful view and cheap lunch drew me in and I was starving.

When you step inside, you're immediately greeted by a clean, modern looking cafe - much nicer than any office building cafeteria's that I've been to.  I am always looking for a few things - a place that doesn't feel like it's from 1980, good variety of food, and a nice environment to sit and eat.

While it was a bit past 1 and there was quite a line, but there was still a decent selection of salads and things available.  The menu was pretty diverse and  I wasn't in a sandwich or salad mood and wanted something more so when I read a review that said they had sushi rolls it was a bonus.  I'm usually very picky about my sushi but do appreciate a sushi roll now and then and Panorama did not disappoint! I had a lobster roll and it compared favorably to the abundance of restaurants that had rolls on the westside, but for less $$$!  The wait was a bit long and I was hungry, but the combination of the company I had, and scoping to grab a table outside kept me busy.  Once the food came, it was fresh (didn't taste like lukewarm, premade sushi) and my friends salad was great too.

As for the view, they have a beautiful patio setup with amazing views of the concert hall which my friend thoroughly enjoyed.  While she discussed intricacies of the architecture I enjoyed my sushi roll with my sunglasses on and just took in the cityscape.  It was a good day.

Would I go back? If I'm in the area...definitely.  I'm a sucker for mom and pop shops and love to recommend them to my friends.  I'm rarely in the area though so I'll just have to recommend it to those visiting who want a relatively cheap bite to eat, or just want to relax and take in a great view.  Go on a nice day, you won't regret it...and bring some sunglasses - the reflection off the concert hall can be bright.

Unless you play a lot here, or find specials, the cheapest room rates always get you the Roman tower rooms, which are on the disappointing side for Vegas rooms.  They're older, and don't have all the luxuries that you'd expect from a hotel fit for the Gods.  The new towers are nice and have those things, but will cost you more.

As for the rest of the hotel, I do like the grounds.  Like the Venetian, it's very large and extends through the multiple towers but is quite easy to maneuver.  The pool is one of my favorite in Vegas.  Full of marble (faux?) columns and fountains, it is one of the prettier sights to just relax at, and the people there usually aren't too bad eye candy either.  

The restaurant offerings are broad, with all types of cuisine, and there is a line to PURE and Pussycat Dolls every night.  It's fairly centrally located on the strip and allows for quick access to all the other hotels.  

Suggestion is to look for package deals - and as with all Vegas properties, sign up for players cards/email lists - you'll get special offers that make it much more appealing.

It's hard for me to rate a buffet as a 5 star since well, I don't think any buffet has any 5 star food, but I'll give this one as high one as I can - which would be 4.5

For around the same price as all the other higher class buffets in Vegas, this one is aimed at giving everyone the best seafood, and it delivers!  Crawfish, Lobster, Oysters, King Crab legs, Snow Crab claws, shrimp, sushi (and sashimi) are all available.  There's also the necessary prime rib, chicken, and other ethnic foods, but who eats those!  All things are eaten up quickly so it's freshly restocked continuously, and the servers bring you buckets for shells and crackers for crab!

The desserts were also amazing.  Specialty cupcakes, freshly baked donuts, and awesome gelato.  The only thing missing was fruit, uh yeah, don't know why they missed on that one.

Overall, one of my favorite buffets - and will gladly revisit anytime.

I've only stayed here once, but I've been to numerous "party" rooms here and I do have to say that I've enjoyed them all.  If you're into the more hipster scene and don't need the stuffiness that some of the strip hotels offers, this is your place.  It's full of a younger crowd, there are 2 clubs, 2 cool lounges, great views, and I've always done well at the tables!

The one time I have stayed here normally, was midweek, and for the first night I was immediately offered a room upgrade to a massive suite that had a 2 person jacuzzi tub with multi colored lights and wave controls, a wet bar, and full on home theater system.  While I was only able to spend one night here, and unfortunately alone, it was well worth it.  The second night, I was back to a normal room but it was still comfortable, with amenities aimed toward the party crowd (rohto menthol eyedrops anyone?).  

Besides that, housing a movie theater and 24 hour mcdonalds in the lobby, the entertainment in Rain, GhostBar, Moon, and Playboy, as well as a nice casino and staff, I like visiting here and would stay here again.

One day, I'll stay in those suites that have the pools ala the Girls Next Door...and I'll update my review then...

Like some other Yelper's I got my tickets off of Goldstar because of the discount they are able to provide.  There were 6 of us, yet we still got AWESOME orchestra seats next to the right aisle along the same line as the chandelier.  

The show itself was amazing.  To actually sit in a theater that has been specially designed for a specific show in mind is a totally different experience.  I had previously seen the show performed in San Francisco, as well as seen the movie so the music and story were nothing new to me.  I was especially impressed with the shorter run-time, the inclusion of all the songs, and the added special effects.  It was obvious how much time and money was put into this production.  

The cast was great, but I think the acoustics in the theater itself could have been a little better.  The sound was almost fake-sounding at times, and didn't blow me away as some other productions have in the past.  On top of that, a mother and child were constantly talking behind me throughout the entire show which ruined the immersion a bit for me.

Overall, I highly recommend this show.  It was worth it.  I'd definitely go again, without the talking behind me of course.

I almost always stay here while I'm in Vegas.  To the same point, I don't always pay for the room so I may have some bias towards it - But I really do enjoy staying here, with some minor quips.

First of all, the property is huge - this isn't your normal Vegas venue.  There is no buffet or coffee shop, and the people here are generally the types that look like they restrict themselves to staying here, the Bellagio, Wynn, Trump, or equally extravagant venue.  With the addition of the Palazzo, this property has tons of restaurants run by famous chefs, great designer shopping (including a Barney's New York!), and the lowest full service restaurant is the Grand Lux Cafe.  The casino is large, the gaming tables in the center of all of the slot machines.  The limits on tables are usually $25 mins on weekends and $15 at other times.  There is a fairly large poker room with mid to high level games going on at all times.

The rooms are huge.  Probably the largest "normal" rooms on the strip, they rival the square footage of many studios here in Los Angeles.  They come in arrangements of 1 King size, or 2 Queen size beds, with a lower level that has a pull out sofa-bed, dining table, and desk.  The bathrooms have separate showers and baths, as well as a separated toilet room, and two sinks.  The larger suites have are very spacious and some have amenities such as elliptical machines, guest bathrooms with bidets, large televisions, huge bathrooms, and nice formal living rooms.  It's very easy to just get a normal room here and share with multiple people - 4-6 can sleep very comfortably for the same cost as other establishments.

The negatives I have are kind of derived from the positives.  The place is just too large.  Because of the way the hotel was built, with the original venetian first, then the Venezia, and then the Palazzo, it's a wonder they've been able to layout everyone on the limited amount of land they have.  Aside from the fact that pools are above the mall, and the canals rest above the casino, the various towers and rooms start on totally different floors.  The Venezia tower, for example, has a lobby that is equivalent to the 10th floor of the original Venetian.  Because of this, people get lost very easily, and it takes forever to get from one place to another if you're trying to meet people up.  Also, if you're trying to explain where things are, it gets very confusing to people who don't know their way around the property.  

Size issues aside, the only other quip I have is that because of the old world elegance that the Venetian is emulating, it's not going to have some of the same luxuries as say, the Wynn, or the Trump.  There are no electronic curtains in the rooms.  The beds don't have down comforters.  These are things some people who are paying for a 5 star resort may come to expect.

With the negatives aside, I still really enjoy coming here.  Add that to the fact that it houses two great Broadway shows in the Jersey Boys and Phantom of the Opera and it's hard to miss out whenever I come and stay here.

Was in Vegas for a conference and had a night where we all had the chance to grab a nice bite.  We were already staying at the Palms so, logically we came here to eat.  It was midweek so it was pretty easy to get a reservation.

Located between RAIN and Ghost Bar, it's centrally located to side of the casino closest to the elevators to both towers.  When I got inside, I immediately noticed the modern decor and purple mood lighting.  I liked.  There's a bar immediately to the right, and the main dining room next to it with some private rooms farther inside.

Food: I started off with the lobster bisque, we shared the ahi tuna tartar, and then I shared a rib eye steak and order of seared scallops.  The bisque was good - not the best I've had but excellent.  It had a large chunk of lobster on a plate, and they proceeded to pour in the piping hot soup on top of it.  Just the way I like it.  The ahi tuna was typical - nothing special here, but presentation was very nice.  It came out in a kind of cone shaped hand-roll style.  The real treat was the main courses.  The rib-eye was by far one of the best steaks I've had anywhere.  Juicy and tender, it melted in your mouth and was full of flavor.  The other dish, the seared scallops were equally as good, being extraordinarily fresh and large.  Each scallop was probably 2-3 inches in diameter.  

Didn't have the chance to have any desserts because we were definitely stuffed after the meal, but I would love to revisit and try again.  Highly recommended - even with the other great choices Vegas has to offer these days!

Korean food in Culver City? Of course it's gonna be upscale - with a nice industrial decor, excellent service, high prices, and beautiful people.  Just opening a few weeks ago, I decided to try it out - so a reservation was made via OpenTable (lots of availability for prime dinner hour) and was able to walk in 20 minutes later to sit immediately at a table.  Upon walking in, I noticed that there weren't very many people in the restaurant, and only about 5 or 6  tables were filled - but one was noticeably occupied by Mr. Jaleel White (aka Steve Urkel) and some friends.

Giving a cursory glance over the menu, it was filled with "traditional" Korean dishes along with the meats for BBQ.  All were explained in detail so those new to this style of dining will be satisfied.  Along those same lines, the waiter was extremely attentive, giving recommendations as well as explaining everything in case we didn't know how to order.  It was a far cry from the all-you-can-eat joints in K-town.

We ordered the side of pan-fried, shrimp dumplings, and the G1, one of the 4 combination's of meats available on the menu.  It consisted of marinated bulgogi, galbi, chicken, and pork belly, and was recommended for 2  people.  Like all Korean places we were served salad and sides as accompaniment.  When it was all set and done, the food was more than enough for two, and probably good for three people.  The combo also included a large plate of japchae (noodles).

Overall the food was very good, but short of spectacular.  Having chicken was odd since we never traditionally order chicken at these BBQ places, but it was good (in that BBQ chicken way).  The rest of the meats were extremely well marinated, and the galbi was exceptional.  The meats were marbled well, and the quality really showed.  They were tender, and almost melted in your mouth.  I was disappointed that the sides weren't really marinated well enough, so the cucumbers tasted like...well, nothing.  But what really stood out here was the service.

From the start, our waiter was extremely helpful and attentive, to the borderline, almost-creepy.  When the meats came he offered to layout the first batch of meat for us, and subsequently after our grill change offered to "perform the show again".  He refilled our waters as soon as we reached the quarter-left point, and made sure we were OK on regular, but not interrupting, intervals.  In short, he made the experience that much better, and made up for any shortcomings we found with the food.

In the end, it was a good experience and I will be back.  It was pricey, but closer to home, and they have a cool looking bar.  It's nice to see Culver City changing.  If i want Korean food I'll probably go to K-town.  But if I want a nice dining experience, in a cool, hip, environment - I'll come here.  If you're in business, this is the Korean dining experience you would take clients to - you won't be disappointed.

Came here with a friend for dinner.  I do have to say, the ambiance was nice.  We were seated at a table on the second level, overlooking the entire restaurant - not bad.  Parking was valet - which is good considering how hard it is to find parking in Westwood sometimes.

When it came down to the menu, everything looked good enough.  Some izakaya basics, some main courses, sushi, and rolls.  Large selection of sake.

When the food came, it was extremely disappointing.  Everything was forgettable and bland.  The portions were small, and expensive.  Definitely not worth the price you're paying.  The most memorable thing, was the toro.  Oh, the toro.  On the menu they offer three different grades of toro - and they are priced as such from lowest to highest according to grade.  We ordered the top tier.  When it came out, the quality was horrible - the fish was chewy, didn't have much flavor, and sliced into small pieces that definitely wasn't indicative of the price we were paying.  Memorable.  In a BAD way.  Never again!

Saved by the fact that down the street they have a pink berry and in the other direction they have a red mango.  At least dessert would be good.  Finished dinner around 9 o'clock on a Thursday night - the restaurant didn't close until at least 10.  Walked to red mango and came back 10 minutes later to find that the valet had closed up shop and was nowhere to be found.  Luckily i saw my car parked at a meter up the street on my walk back from Red Mango, but c'mon! Went into the restaurant and they had no idea but turns out one of the managers had my keys in the back.  Definitely not a plus in my book.  Probably won't be coming back here, and don't recommend it.

All I can review is lunch - but I think at Thai places you can pretty much order anything at lunch you would normally order at dinner - except that there are generally lunch specials!  This place was no different.  Looks like they took over an old 80's restaurant, so it's spacious, and decorated with as many Asian accents possible (that you could fit into a place like that.  Parking wasn't hard, but there didn't seem to be a lot of spaces, located on the side of the restaurant.

Lunch specials - not bad pricing.  Various items such as egg rolls, satay, curries, came with a side of pad thai, rice (steamed or fried) and a soup or salad, for around 8 bucks.  Not bad.  You could also go the standard fare of any noodle dish (pad thai, pad see ew, etc with choice of meat) for about the same price.  Ordered the lunch special with soy sauce marinated beef, and a spicy squid a shrimp.  

The soup that's included is a wonton soup - but it's more like boiled water, with pork, and a wonton in it.  There was hints of salt or MSG flavoring on top but it didn't help the flavor.  1 star.

The main course wasn't anything special.  The shrimp and squid was ok, had some flavor.  The beef was generic with a sweet soy/garlic flavor and wayyy too many sesame seeds on top.  The pad thai that came with was not fresh, stuck together and didn't have good flavor.  The fried rice was bland and the rice was also mushy.  2 stars.

The highlight was the appetizer of egg rolls.  The order was another 8 dollars but it had to have included 10 small (around three inches each) egg rolls.  Each were fried to perfection, filled with pork and mushrooms, as well as bean sprouts and some glass noodles.  Accompanied with a sweet and sour dipping sauce, they remained crispy even after a half hour.  3 stars.

Overall, wouldn't come back here to eat - was mediocre at best - glad they had the egg rolls, or it would have been a 1.5 star.