Toucan Harry’s at the Stardust Hotel and Casino was my late night spot on the Las Vegas strip for so long it has its on wing in my mansion of memories. The Stardust Coffee shop had food specials throughout the day and I would stop in after a long night and sit around with an iced tea and the last of my adult beverage while I waited for my prime rib and lobster tail. When the Stardust closed I was depressed as my long time favorite late night casino coffee shop was imploded to make room for a large vacant lot. I soon found more reason to actually eat at the Peppermill instead of just heading into the lounge. The evening before I was to be married I spent about 4 hours laughing and reminiscing in the cafe at the Holiday casino. The 24 hour cafe has long been a piece of my Las Vegas experience.
Times are different and the need for a 24 hour coffee shop in Las Vegas seems to have changed. Sure, some hotels kept them open but plenty abandoned the idea and trying to get a quality meal from those that are open is tough. That is until Caesars Palace brought in Michel Richard at its new 24 hour restaurant sitting center stage right near the massive registration lobby. Central by Michel Richard is nothing like the beige coffee shops of the past. The spacious dining room is accented by the type of bar that could entertain me for hours and huge windows that allow the Las Vegas sunshine to play a role throughout the day. It’s the new, modern version of the hotel coffee shop.
As for the food at Central, well, Michel Richard is a James Beard Award winning chef but that means something only to those people who keep score with those types of things. I’ll tell you that his track record is spectacular and the food at his Washington D.C. restaurants make them worth a visit when in the nations capitol. In other words, this guy knows a thing or two about how to make it happen in the kitchen and you can be sure that this Las Vegas restaurant offers some classic American dishes with a Richard touch. I won’t go so far as to call it a French twist on American, instead I’ll say that after a couple of visits and one late night drop in that the menu is mixture of brasserie, bistro and American cafe. Are you confused?
Don’t be. The service is spot on and every successive visit has raised the bar for my expectations. You should know that it is not cheap. If you are a Las Vegas veteran you already understand that the late night prime ribs specials have been absent for years so you should expect an $18 burger and some meatloaf for $20. Listen, you’re in Vegas, you would have dropped that much and more at the tables. Order another drink and do not forget to order the chocolate bar. It’s like a giant Kit Kat and for $8 it is my type of late night snack.
Photograph © 2011 Zeke Quezada, licensed to About.com, Inc
Central by Michel Richard at Caesars Palace Las Vegas originally appeared on About.com Las Vegas Travel on Thursday, October 20th, 2011 at 16:00:57.
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