Columnist Muriel Stevens: Appetizing choices for holiday dinners

Friday, Dec. 14, 2001 | 9:14 a.m.

Muriel Stevens' dining column appears Fridays. Her shopping and travel columns appear Wednesday. Reach her at 259-4080 or muriel@lasvegassun.com.

At Christmas time Las Vegas hotels are aglow with Christmas lights and decorations. Pastry chefs vie to see who can produce the most beautiful gingerbread house. Tall, elegant Christmas trees fill the public areas. Bellagio's conservatory is glorious with lush banks of red and white flowers. In the center of the gardens is a tall tree from North Dakota that shines with 15,000 lights. All is calm this week before the excitement of the New Year.

Restaurants, too, are dressed for the holiday, and many menus feature holiday dinners along with the regular menu. Christmas is, indeed, a lovely time to be in Las Vegas:

Palatium buffet will serve a holiday champagne brunch from 8:30 a.m.-10 p.m. ($19.99 per adult; half-price for youngster under 12). Breakfast specialties offered until 3:30 p.m; after 4 p.m. fresh one-pound steamed lobsters are offered for an additional $12 each.

Terazza Italian restaurant will offer its regular carte as well as a three-course seafood dinner ($55). Neros will add a three-course holiday meal ($55) to its usual menu of Prime steaks and fresh seafood. The American station at La Piazza food court will feature a holiday dinner plate ($11.99) that includes roasted Prime rib au jus, seasonal vegetables and mashed potatoes from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. La Piazza will be open from 7:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Other Caesars Palace restaurants -- Hyakumi Japanese, Empress Court, 8-0-8 and the spectacular Caesars Magical Empire -- will serve their regular menus. A special price at the Magical Empire is available for children ages 5-10. Seatings at CME begin at 4:30 p.m.

Al Dente Italian restaurant will offer a four-course price-fixed menu ($38) in addition to its regular menu from 5:30 p.m. Bally's Steakhouse will feature a four-course price-fixed menu ($44.95) from 5:30 p.m. along with its regular menu. Sidewalk Cafe will offer its usual menu as well as a Christmas dinner ($15.95) from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Included are a salad of Bibb lettuce with blue cheese, breast of turkey and pecan-crusted leg with sage dressing and lemon-thyme gravy and maple and pumpkin cheesecake with bourbon creme Anglaise.