A Heli USA Airways helicopter soars above the Strip

 
  Rumor boutique hotel’s Camouflage Mega Suite

The adventurous six-course tasting menu is decadently paced, arriving in waves over three-plus hours. I work my way through scallops and langoustine, surf ’n’ turf (Nebraska prime beef carpaccio, Florida clam salad, shaved foie gras, chestnut soup, razor clams, sautéed mushrooms, caramelized hazelnuts, and a single Fanny Bay oyster), Alaskan halibut, intermezzo (a palate cleanser), Wisconsin veal crepinette, and the five-dessert Pierre Gagnaire Medley. At the end, I catch Pierre’s eye and nod my head. So good.

The Ultimate View 
Fortuitously, I finish my meal just in time to catch my limo to an awaiting jet helicopter for a Heli USA Airways sightseeing tour, leaving from the executive terminal at McCarran International Airport. During my 22-mile journey over the Strip and Fremont Street, I soar over such famous hotel-casino visual effects as the Bellagio water show, Paris Las Vegas’s Eiffel Tower, and the Stratosphere’s illuminated needle. At one point the pilot dips the helicopter, a sort of dive-bomb move so it’s nearly perpendicular to the horizon—a fun yet absolutely jarring moment. But the real thrill for me is seeing the famous Strip from a vantage point no postcard can replicate. I happen to take this aerial trek with four bubbly women from South London on their first trip to Vegas. One says, “I have never seen anything like this!” “Me either!” I shout. With that adventure complete, all that’s left, really, is some Sunday-morning football. And legal wagering.

There is something beautiful about football as it is played out at Lagasse’s Stadium at The Palazzo Las Vegas, a hybrid sports book, restaurant, and sports bar owned by legendary chef Emeril Lagasse. The main viewing area is stadium-style, with white sofas adorned with gold and white throw pillows. I am led to the top row, where I plop into a cushy sofa and am handed a menu. In front, an array of NFL games have just kicked off on the 9-by-16-foot main TV (there are 109 HD TVs total). I notice the menu is filled with meaty delights, including the signature Emeril’s Steak Bam’Wich, and such sugary confections as his banana cream pie—the real winner.

And that’s how it ends: A delicious dish created by one of America’s great chefs. For this ultimate Vegas vacation, there is no more apt dessert.