Tips on Dining

Getting In -- There are tricks to surviving dining in Vegas. If you can, make reservations in advance, particularly for the better restaurants. (You might get to town, planning to check out some of the better spots, only to find that they are totally booked throughout your stay.) Eat during off-hours when you can. Know that noon to, say, 1:30 or 2pm is going to be prime time for lunch, and 5:30 to 8:30pm (and just after the early shows get out) for dinner. Speaking of time, give yourself plenty of it, particularly if you have to catch a show. We once tried to grab a quick bite in the Riviera before running up to La Cage. The only choice was the food court, where long lines in front of all the stands (fast-food chains only) left us with about 5 minutes to gobble something decidedly unhealthy.

Saving Money -- So you want to sample the creations of a celebrity chef, but you took a beating at the craps table? Check our listings to see which of the high-profile restaurants are open for lunch. Sure, sometimes the more interesting and exotic items are found at dinner, but the midday meal is usually no slouch and can be as much as two-thirds cheaper.

Or skip that highfalutin' stuff altogether. The late-night specials -- a complete steak meal for just a few dollars -- are also an important part of a good, decadent Vegas experience. And having complained about how prices are going up, we'll also tell you that you can still eat cheaply and decently (particularly if you are looking upon food only as fuel) all over town. The locals repeatedly say that they almost never cook, because in Vegas it is always cheaper to eat out. To locate budget fare, check local newspapers (especially Friday editions) and free magazines (such as What's On in Las Vegas), which are given away at hotel reception desks. Sometimes these sources also yield money-saving coupons.

Be on the lookout for weekday night specials as well. Many high-end restaurants offer prix-fixe menus on their off nights for significantly less money. You may not be able to sample the truly extravagant dishes, but it'll get you a taste of the good life.

About Price Categories -- The restaurants in this section are listed in the following price categories (based on the average cost of a dinner entree): Very Expensive, more than $35; Expensive, $25 to $35; Moderate, $15 to $25; Inexpensive, under $15 (sometimes well under). In the expensive and very expensive restaurants, expect to spend no less than twice the price of the average entree for your entire meal, with a tip; you can usually get by on a bit less in moderate and inexpensive restaurants.

A Final Word -- As welcome as the influx of designer chefs is, you can't help but notice that the majority are simply re-creating their best work (and sometimes not even that) from elsewhere rather than producing something new. So the Vegas food scene remains, like its architecture, a copy of something from somewhere else. And as happy as we are to encourage you to throw money at these guys, please don't forget the mom-and-pop places, which struggle not to disappear into the maw of the big hotel machines and which produce what comes the closest to true local quality. If you can, get in a car and check out some of the options listed that are a bit off the beaten track. Show Vegas you aren't content -- you want a meal you can brag about and afford, now!

Great Meal Deals

We've already alluded to the rock-bottom budget meals and graveyard specials available at casino hotel restaurants. Quality not assured and Pepto-Bismol not provided. As prices and deals can change without notice, we don't want to list examples, but finding a full prime-rib dinner for around $5 is not rare (pun definitely intended).

Your best bet is to keep your eyes open as you travel through town, as hotels tend to advertise their specials on their marquees. Or you can go to www.vegas.com and click "Dining" and then "Dining Bargains," though the tips and prices may be somewhat out-of-date. Following are three examples of current options for late-night munchies: Ellis Island offers a $6.99 10-ounce steak (plus potato and other sides), and $7.99 gets you a Porterhouse steak at Arizona Charlie's Boulder. At the Hard Rock Hotel, Mr. Lucky's 24/7 is a particularly good diner, with particularly good people-watching. And then ask your server about the $7.77 steak, three barbecued shrimp, and sides; it's not on the menu, so you have to know about it. And while it's not a "meal" it is certainly a "deal": Onda, at The Mirage, has a complimentary wine tasting, complete with nibbles, from 5 to 7pm on Fridays.

Shhhhhh . . . Half-Price Meals, On the Strip and Off

Here's the latest in restaurant discounting: cut-price meals, at some of the city's top eateries, being sold at the same booths that peddle theater tickets: Tix 4 Tonight. Either stop by the booth, call tel. 800/269-8499, or visit www.tix4dinner.com. Request a reservation from their list of partner restaurants, and when you get your bill at the end of the evening, you'll have saved either 50% or 33% off the cost of entrees or 35% off the entire bill, including drinks (the type of discount varies by restaurant). If you make your reservation by phone, you still have to go to the booth to pick up a coupon to present to your waiter when you order. Occasionally, it's difficult to get the reservation time you want, but usually the process is hassle-free.

Booths can be found at the following locations:

• In the Fashion Show Mall (across from the Wynn)
• In the Hawaiian Marketplace (near Harmon St.)
• Just South of the Riviera Hotel (across from Circus Circus)
• In Bill's Casino (at the corner of Flamingo Blvd.)
• In the Showcase Mall (at the base of the giant Coca-Cola bottle)
• In The Four Queens Casino (downtown, on Fremont St.)
• In the Casino Royale (across from the Mirage)