Grand Lux Cafe

Spent Thanksgiving with the lovely folks here. I miss having one in Los Angeles. The menu never disappoints and the portion sizes are excellent.

Mixed feelings. The food we had was pretty good. The chicken pot pie for one, was the best I've had, very tasty. The asian chicken salad was very good too. Our waitress was helpful, and somewhat friendly, but not as cheerful and smiley as one would want. The guy at the check-in podium was very friendly and helpful, but the girl there was absolutely not. The manager seemed less than willing to help us with a problem. All in all, I'd probably still return for the food and 24-hour service.

If you have an accident at the Grand Lux Cafe, expect to be ignored, your accident report will be misfiled and you will be conveniently forgotten. The one desert I ate cost me hundreds of dollars because I had to pay for the damages it caused. Over New Years I stayed in a suite at the Las Vegas Venetian and visited the Grand Lux Cafe three times without incident. The last day I was there I persuaded a friend to try their creme brulee and halfway through eating the desert, I bit down on some GLASS and got it stuck in my tooth. I managed to extract the chunk of glass from my molar (with difficulty) and spat out the shards of glass that filled my mouth. I called the waitress over and advised her that the soft creamy desert was filled with glass and she disappeared into the restaurant before allowing me to finish what I was saying. Eventually the manager, Pablo Cardona, came out and confirmed it was glass by rolling it between his fingers. Mr. Cardona asked me to fill out an accident form and then told me they would remove all the sugar in the area of the kitchen where the creme brulee had been made. He also asked me to call the Hotel Reception during my stay if I had any emergency medical problem from having glass in my food (like a cut esophagus). Luckily I had managed to remove all the glass from my mouth before swallowing! After arriving home in California, I visited my dentist and sure enough I had damaged my tooth. I called Pablo Cardona and was told he was on vacation. I've been calling Pablo Cardona and Cheesecake Factory Risk Services for the last four months and they are always "in a meeting" and my calls go directly to voice-mail.

Good food, was in my hotel so we ate there twice. However, not as good as you can get other places.

The Grand Lux Cafe is in a fantastic location. It is inside the Venetian and the new Palazzo. It is owned by the Cheesecake factory and similarily has a huge menu. The portions are huge, costs are very reasonable and has excellent service. The lines can be long, but they are absolutely worth it. They also have a location in Chicago. This Grand Lux just opened and is interestingly located directly next door to the other Grand Lux Cafe in the Venetian.

save room for the decadent dessert