By pure accident, I noticed a sign in one of the stations of the Las Vegas Monorail, advertising a Giada De Laurentiis restaurant in The Cromwell Hotel, which happened to be about a block from where I was staying, just off Las Vegas Boulevard.

I was already a fan of hers, since I first saw her on Giada’s Weekend Getaways, which debuted on Food Network in 2007. I like the foods she prepares, I like her cookbooks (I own three of them), I like the way she pronounces pancetta and pasta. So, naturally, I made a beeline to The Cromwell and headed up to Giada on the second floor.

The restaurant occupies a large space at the curved corner of the building. There’s a wide variety of seating under the wood ceiling, and I scored a table at the window, where I watched the daily spectacle of The Strip unfold below me. My waiter helpfully adjusted the blinds to protect me from the blazing heat of a late September noontime and provided spot-on service throughout my meal. I was here for brunch, which turned out to be one of the best brunches I’ve ever had.

Try This: The choice is simple: Order the best waffle you’ll ever have. It’s a round, perfectly grilled polenta waffle, served with two eggs sunnyside up, accompanied by mascarpone butter and maple-pancetta gastrique. Adjectives will fail you.

 

 

 

 

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