Eating In Las Vegas: Heraea at the Palms

Many of the most successful people in the world will tell you: A problem is just an opportunity in disguise. And apparently, Las Vegas had a problem. The problem, I’m told, was that women didn’t feel comfortable in our Sports Books.

Well, The One Group, operators of STK at the Cosmopolitan (pretty much the most ‘happening’ restaurant on the Strip) saw that as an opportunity. And so we have Heraea at Palms.

From the moment you step to it, clearly Heraea is different: It’s open, it’s modern (with a touch of Ancient Greek influence), the amphitheatre-staged seating includes plush leather banquettes. Yes, there are huge flatscreens everywhere, and yes you can see the scores and the handicaps, and yes, you can place a wager right at your table. But when a serious game isn’t on, there’s a DJ, and the private skyboxes either function as a group watching space or bottle service tables. There’s even a patio overlooking the pool.

And of course, there’s real food. Most of it will be pretty familiar crowd pleasers. But they’ve thrown in a few twists that would impress maybe even your snobby foodie friends. Like the piquillo pepper poppers, stuffed with braised short rib, mascarpone cheese and horseradish sauce—a little sweet, a little heat, a little meat. You’ll get two orders, seriously. Crispy tempura green beans are a nice bar snack alternative too, that maybe won’t leave you feeling as guilty as a bowl of chips might.

You can get a no-nonsense New York steak here or brick chicken, but I really liked the char-grilled prawns, about six big juicy and flavorful jumbo shrimp over some fried basil brown rice. It might actually take your attention away from the game. Back to the female appeal, in addition to a solid list of wines by the glass and creative cocktails, they have a salad of field greens, crispy quinoa, snow peas and yellow beets that’s really nice. And it will totally justify you ordering the mac‘n’cheese, which is one of the better versions I’ve had in a while, rich, earthy, creamy. The real deal.

So if you’re dead set on a seeing a game, and you’re with the better half, consider Heraea, a slightly more mature place than that place with chicken wings. But no less fun.

I should note that on a night when my hockey team was playing from behind and eventually lost in a shootout I still had a good time at Heraea. I would have preferred a win, but the environment was just happy enough for me to forget my own irrational love for hockey and have a good time and a good meal. The real bonus is that you can get the same food and environment right near the Palms pool.