Red Rock Casino and Resort

This is the second post in the series titled An Exploration of Asian Food in Vegas

We flew into Vegas around 3PM on a surprisingly windy and relatively cool Friday afternoon. “This is unusual weather” we kept hearing from everyone. Apparently the weather had been the typical hot and sunny desert climate just a few days ago.

We were picked up in style by Presidential Limousine Company. Our driver, wearing black suit, took our luggage and drove us to Red Rock Casino and Resort, a really elegant casino located about a 20-25 drive from the Strip (and conveniently, about 5 minutes from the entrance of Red Rock Canyon).

We were floored when we saw our room, a suite that even came with a butler! Ha ha, just to be clear, the room pictured below is not our room. It was one of the higher level suites.  I forgot to take a photo of our room.

Apparently, our suite was the lowest level suite, and we soon got a tour of all the other suites (there are 27 in total). The larger suites are stunningly beautiful, over-the-top luxurious, and are often booked by dignitaries (e.g., Condoleeza Rice), celebrities (hello George Clooney!), and rich families.

Our butler told us that it’s his job to make sure the people staying at the suites are happy. He and his colleague (there are two full-time butlers on the property) are available 24/7 and will help you with whatever you ask, whether it be to recommend activities, book restaurants, pick up medication, or deliver coffees to your room in the morning.

I must say, it was *very nice* having a butler during our entire stay. It’s definitely something I’ve never experienced before and I found it extremely helpful. We had him help us with all sorts of stuff, like recommending a hike at Red Rock Canyon, arranging transportation to the canyon for us when all the cars in the city were booked (he ended up letting us use Red Rock’s private black car), personally delivering cappuccinos to us every morning, and much, much more.
We had a quick lunch after arriving at the hotel at 8 Noodle Bar, an Asian fusion noodle places with dishes from Japan, China, Vietnam, and Thailand. Bryan enjoyed a fun blue curaçao lychee cocktail to start before we ordered a couple menu items to try.

Chef Andy Vu (pictured below) is the executive chef and draws influence from all different Asian regions, often in one dish! For example, the Five Spice Noodles was reminiscent of a Vietnamese Pho except that it used Japanese udon noodles and had a spicier broth with a kick (more like Chinese than Vietnamese).

The Shrimp Toast was another fun fusion snack - probably our favorite  - consisting of a slice of toast topped with shrimp cake, sriracha mayo, hoisin sauce, and a runny egg. The Combination Lo Mein,  made using ramen noodles, had perfectly cooked shrimp but was a bit on the salty side. Sadly, the Tonkotsu Ramen was our least favorite. The components were right and it seemed authentic, but the broth lacked flavor and the egg was a bit overcooked.

The next morning, we visitdc the massive pool area and enjoyed lunch right outside the pool.

Even though we didn't have our own private little pool (like some of the suites have, as shown above!). we still enjoyed ourselves immensely at the poolside cafe.

The server told us they were known for their mojitos, so Bryan obliged and ordered a pineapple mojito, which he thought was pretty good.

I was quite pleasantly surprised at quality of the food served poolside. Everything was really fresh, and I loved how avocados were featured so prominently everywhere. Pictured above: Avocado Toast.

We were craving vegetables at this point, so it was nice having the option to order a fancy salad with lobster, as well as a roasted broccoli bowl topped with shrimp. Both were very tasty, and both made us feel quite healthy.

The best part of Red Rock Casino and Resort is the park's proximity to Red Rock Canyon (only a 5-minute drive!). It's really a different world out there. There are dozens of excellent trails you can hike. Or, if you'd rather stay in the car, you can drive the 13-mile loop around the park.

Bryan and I took our 10th anniversary wedding photos there and had a blast (Thanks Emily!).

This time, we set aside a morning and hiked one of the trails. It was a refreshing change of scenery and pace from the frenetic activity that defines the Vegas Strip.

I highly recommend coming here for a hike!

- a fun quick video showing you the landscape of the region!

Disclaimer
This trip (food, lodging, transportation) was sponsored by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. I was not paid to write this post or any other post in this series. All opinions are my own.