I love Tivoli Village, the European-style development in the Summerlin area of Vegas, and not just because of its charming wrought iron balconies, stone facades, water fountains, and faux boulevards. In a city that prides itself on vast casino spaces bent on sensory overload, it's almost cozy. Tivoli Village has a quiet energy that encourages meandering among the shops and sitting on benches sipping a cocktail under trees accented with twinkling lavender-colored lights. It's also close to home, which doesn't hurt.
All that strolling and shopping requires refueling, and Tivoli Village offers a nice variety of places to nosh. One of them is the gourmet burger joint Bottles & Burgers. One Friday night after work, my husband and I picked up my brother-in-law and headed to B&B to get our burger on.
Kicking off the weekend, the place was hoppin' ... and filled with beautiful people. The servers are not only selected for their customer service skills, apparently, because they all looked remarkably buff and attractive. It wasn't just the waitstaff that was easy on the eyes; a majority of the patrons were good looking as well. Not sure how well we fit into that mix, but no one made us feel uncomfortable.
Our booth was roomy but located right next to the restroom, a little too close for my taste. More hustle and bustle than we wanted, but not too bad.
We started with an order of onion rings accompanied by a creamy green salsa. The onion rings were nicely battered and crisp, and I really enjoyed the salsa. The creaminess gave it a body that worked well with the rings, which wouldn't have been the case with a typical salsa. It was nice step up from the standard ketchup and mustard.
I ordered a veggie burger that came with homemade potato chips. My husband went with a nacho-style burger. My brother-in-law chose the sliders with a side order of fries and a milkshake. The milkshake came first, along with the onion rings, and we all enjoyed a few slurps of chocolaty goodness. It was delish! The fries were another unqualified hit. With both cheese sauce and gravy, they were yummy. My bro-in-law wasn't wowed by the sliders but enjoyed them. The homemade chips were bland enough to let the burger flavors shine... assuming they were there to shine. My husband wasn't wild about the cheese sauce on his burger - he prefers his fromage shredded - but the tortilla chip strips stayed crunchy, and the burger was well done, just as he requested. My veggie burger, unfortunately, was a disappointment. It was mushy and lacked pizazz. Even with a slice of cheese and sauteed onions and mushrooms on top, it remained blah. I didn't finish it.
I firmly believe that a meal isn't complete without a bit of sweet, and both my husband and I indulged. My husband's banana split reached new heights - literally and figuratively - of gourmet-ness, piled with whipped cream and topped with sugar art. No real difference in taste from the diner version, which my husband appreciated. He likes his classics to be classic, so he was happy. I tried the opera cake. It sure looked lovely with cocoa polka dots, a dainty dollop of whipped cream and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The taste was just so-so. I was bummed because I relish my desserts, and I couldn't bring myself to finish it. Can't win 'em all, I guess.
The verdict on B&B? Fun atmosphere with interesting selections that don't always live up to their billing. Worth a second visit.
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