Review of Venetian

Venetian -Perhaps one of the most enjoyable places to spend some time taking a stroll and taking in the sights.
Venetian Sign
Venetian Outside #1
Venetian Outside #2
Venetian Outside #3

Attractions -
Canal Ride- You can enjoy a gondolier-escorted ride in a very comfortable gondola on the canal, which resides on the second floor of the Venetian. Buy tickets in the morning, and return at the scheduled time. From 10 am to 11 pm; until midnight Fridays and Saturdays. Cost $10.
Venetian Canal #1
Venetian Canal #2

Strolling Performers - St. Mark's Square - The Venetians, in clothes of the old Venice, sing, dance, and play instruments, throughout the replica of St. Mark's Square and canal shopping area. One hilarious moment occured while we watched a human "statue" remain motionless. A woman could not believe that it was a real person, and went to go touch the "statue." She jumped about 10 feet high as he suddenly moved to touch her before she touched him - and we just happened to catch that on video.

Where Vegas is know as the town that turns night into day, the sky above the St. Mark's square can do that all by itself. If you're suffering from a lack of daylight, visit the square and get some sun!
Venetian Courtyard
Venetian Sky
Venetian Shops

Restaurants -
Canaletto - Located on the street walk, the views are incredible for a casino restaurant, and the atmosphere was just beautiful. The ultimate Venetian restaurant. Created by the founders of Il Fornaio, Canaletto features the food and wine of the Veneto region of Italy.

Il Fornaio's Executive Chef Maurizio Mazzon evokes Venice and its countryside with his menu of fresh seafood, beef, game and poultry from wood-fired rotisseries and grills. Mazzon - a native Venetian who has worked throughout Venice at renowned dining destinations like All'Angelo and Hotel Cipriani - also includes northern Italian staples like risotto, gnocchi and polenta on Canaletto's menu. The restaurant's unusual wine list spotlights the lesser-known wines of northeast Italy.

Canaletto's unique two-story architecture incorporates many facets of Venetian-inspired design. "Outside" tables surrounding a 40-foot tall statue sit in the heart of St. Mark's square, much like the cafes lining the original Piazza San Marco. Past Canaletto's elegant double-arched bar, luxurious navy blue-striped booths under 16-foot tall ceilings offer a more refined dining experience. Polished hardwood floors blend into terrazzo tile leading to the exhibition kitchen. Spectacular Venetian lights and chandeliers crafted by the artisans of Murano cast a flattering glow.

Upstairs, four distinct private rooms - for groups as small as six or as large as sixty- share a central entrance and lounge, reminiscent of a Venetian palazzo's primo piano. With unsurpassed views of the Grand Canal and the activity below, these are some of the most impressive private dining rooms ever seen. The exceptional food, professional service and remarkable architecture will make Canaletto one of the must-visit restaurants at The Venetian and in Las Vegas. Open: Sunday - Thursday 11am - 12 Midnight, Friday/Saturday 11am - 1:00am.
Canaletto

Pinot Brasserie -Famed Los Angeles celebrity chef and author, Joachim Splichal, an inductee into the James Beard Foundation Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America in 1995, and voted "Restaurateur of the Year" by the Southern California Restaurant Writers Association Inc. in 1999, and his entrepreneurial wife, Christine Splichal, of the Patina Group, bring the lighter tastes of French cuisine to their Franco-California bistro, Pinot Brasserie. The menu offers steak, poultry, pastas, seafood and wild game, complete with a large rotisserie and oyster bar. Chef/Partner Octavio Beccara and Executive Chef Brian Bennington are heading up the kitchen.

The wine is as extensive as the menu and features the best European and American wineries. There is also a wide variety of other liquors from grappa to single malt scotches and dessert wines and ports to choose from.

Pinot Brasserie is open for lunch and dinner in a rich, yet casual authentic French bistro setting. Most of the décor and accoutrements were imported directly from France, including the wooden French door façade from a hotel in Lyon, the copper pots, kitchen utensils, and Coq d'Or, the large weathered cast-iron rooster that stands guard at the entry. The concept is to recreate an authentic urban brasserie featuring a rotisserie and oyster bar and dining al fresco.

For every mood there is a setting and Pinot Brasserie, located in Restaurant Row on the Casino Level, not only has a main dining room, but West and East side private rooms, a fully stocked bar, casual outside dining, and an oyster bar complete with rubber booted, approved waiters reminiscent of a true Parisian brasserie.