Planning a very special evening for my next visit to LV.  Looking for a special restaurant to start the evening.  I know there is alot to chose from but thought I would start here for recommendations.

Looking for something young, hip and fun with great food and atmosphere.  Any input is great.

Thanks to all and happy and safe hobbying.

Young, hip and fun. Chucky Cheese???? LOL, jk

I like Mesa Grill in Caesars, it's my prsonal favorite. Also, Stripsteak in Mandalay Bay. NINe in the Palms is excellent. I have not heard anything about Cathouse yet, in the Luxor, but the chef is Kerry Simon, and he is excellent. Daniel Boulod's restaurant in the Wynn is very good, and Mon Ami Gabi in Paris is a nice place, with a view of the Bellagio Fountains(no res. for an outside table, you have to wait). Also, The Eiffel Tower restaurant in Paris has a fantastic view of the strip, so that might be what you are looking for.

I hope these help.

Brian

dreas is great food and dont forget the top of the world at the stratosphere
they steak house in planet hollywood is good too
rum jungle at mandalay is fun too

Let me add to this:

- Little Buddha at the Palms, good pan-Asian scene and fruity drinks that the youngsters seem to go for,

- Tao at Venetian is also pan-Asian, and as a bonus turns into a trendy nightclub (so it also attracts hipsters)

- Kerry Simon also has another place at Hard Rock, Simon, which is comfort food, and had a lot of young people there when I went during one weekend.

- AJ's Steakhouse at the Hard Rock gets it's share of the beautiful people as well.

Had dinner there last summer.

I haven't eaten at any of those places.  As a matter of fact, I think the last time I went to a restaurant, you were sitting to my right.  LOL

was replaced by Ago ("ah-go"), which is competent, but not as good as they think they are.

Yes, I do believe I was seated to your right, and thank you for keeping your hands to yourself as well. LOL

Simon has Cathouse (Luxor) which seems to be in the restaurant/lounge/nightclub vein like Tao and the 6th floor resturant in Palms Place with the pool outside making a sorta L shape around the inside space.  Supposedly the Palms Place restaurant is a little more causal Americana but the prices are still above average for most people.

One of the local freelance entertainment journalist happen to be there when they were doing a photo shoot for the ads for the Palms Place location.  Here's a link with some nice photos:
http://thestrippodcast.blogspot.com/2008/05/simon-says-yum.html

Venetian/Palazzo and Wynn/Encore seem to have an influx of high end dining options with some well known chefs putting their name to a particular eatery.

Not sure how busy it is but there's also a restaurant in Trump's new place, DJT?  Might be worth checking out while it's under the radar, relatively speaking.

It does help if there's a particular cuisine and/or if there are dietary restrictions to help narrow down the choices.

Bob

Went there the other night and was pleasantly suprised.  Younger crowd, good food, and a very diverse menu.  We didn't stay for the nightlife aspect, but it was getting pretty crowded when we left.

Well, there were 3 VERY attractive women there as well, so I had one hand in my lap, and the other reaching for any of them.  You would've been safe for quite a while...

...Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare at the Wynn and Alex also at the Wynn.  The Mix at Mandalay Bay, atop their "THEhotel" is also super.

I went to Mesa Grill earlier this month and everything was terrific. Great service, too. Can't go wrong there.

Yanno Phil, I used to live in Hawaii. Never went to the beach or hiked in the mountains, or swimming (hardly ever) .  I've often wished I lived in Vegas, if for no other reason than the grew dinning, but i suppose it would be much like Hawaii in that respect.