Las Vegas Mixtape v19: Dead Forever, Culinary Delights, and More

Track #2: Lemongrass @Aria Resort & Casino

My favorite Thai restaurants in Vegas are Lamaii, Weera Thai, Lotus of Siam, and Lemongrass at the Aria Resort & Casino where I’ve now dined four or five times.

With its soaring ceiling, massive wooden fixtures, and woven-rope features inspired by silk factories, Lemongrass was the very first Thai restaurant on the Strip when it opened in 2010.

Lemongrass’ eggplant clay pot is one offering that never gets old for me. In this beautiful creation, the wok-fried eggplant dances with the snow peas, carrots, baby corn, and shiitake mushrooms. Another menu standout is the yellow curry, the mildest of Thai curries. It’s a deeply flavorful bowl of coconut milk, onions, and potatoes, to which I added chicken, with turmeric giving this dish its signature hue.

Lemongrass also delivers strongly with the traditional pad Thai (kind of the equivalent of spaghetti and meatballs at Italian restaurants). The one here is addictive—a sweet, salty, and sour blend including rice noodles, tamarind sauce, fried tofu, egg, and chives (choose your protein).

Lemongrass offers a winning blend of food, a dreamy ambiance, and attractively moderate prices for a restaurant inside a Strip hotel. Add it to your must-try list if you’ve not been here.