That’s partly why Diablo’s Cantina at Monte Carlo is such a surprise and an outright delight – so much so that I picked it as my favorite restaurant in Las Vegas for 2007. They do Mexican food not only “right” but “exceptionally” and although the bar is pretty low in Vegas, I’d pit it against even the best of the Mexican joints in Los Angeles, a city that really knows how to do the cuisine well.

The space is a clear winner before you even get to the food. Located at the front of Monte Carlo there is direct access from both the casino inside and The Strip outside. A wall of windows provides great people watching opportunities and the big bar, various tables, and booths cascade up almost as if providing stadium seating for the parade of humanity that passes by in front.

The second floor is a big outdoor nightclub and although it was much, much too cold on the night we visited for it to be of any value, on warmer nights this is going to be a great place to party.

The menu is broad ranging like most Mexican eateries but focused in a way that many of them aren’t. Do you really need 18 different taco options and 36 different burritos plus endless combinations of each? No, you need 5 or 6 of the best in each category so that you’re not sitting there in a state of indecision for hours.

Starters include the basics like chips and salsa – yes, you have to pay a few bucks for what other restaurants provide for free – but these are not chips out of a bag and salsa out of a jar. These are warm, handmade tortilla chips with three different salsas that range from mild to “Oh my God where is the water?”

Other appetizers offer up things like empanadas, loaded potato skins, calamari, chicken wings with multiple dipping sauces, and a Mexican pizza that was practically devoured by the hungry table. It was served piping hot on a crispy tortilla loaded down with multiple cheeses, chorizo sausage, pico de gallo, and sour cream. Absolutely delicious.

Main menu items feature a handful of salads; shrimp, fish, steak, chicken, or pork tacos; multiple burritos; stuffed quesadillas of all stripe; sandwiches and burgers including a massive 15 oz monster that they practically dare you to eat; and full entrees like bacon wrapped filet mignon, grilled shrimp or salmon, tequila baby back ribs, and sizzling fajitas.

One of my dining companions went for the Club Quesadilla, three-layers of steak, pulled-pork, guacamole, and sour cream that was nearly and inch thick. The flavors practically danced off the plate and it is a perfect choice for those with more delicate palates who can’t handle the spicy stuff.

The other two dishes that came to the table were the fajitas, steak and chicken. The plates were in fact sizzling as advertised and were loaded down with tender morsels of meat, warm flour tortillas, guacamole, salsa, cheeses, and sour cream. They were fantastic although, as usual, way too much food for any normal human being to be able to consume.

Desserts include a variety of temptations – we tried the cheesecake and were glad we did. It was not only topped with moist cherries but also had a layer of same stuffed into the creamy middle and topped with fresh whipped cream.

There’s also a full drink menu with the usual broad variety of margaritas and the like.

Prices fall into the low to moderate range depending on what you’re ordering. Our table of three did two appetizers, three entrees, dessert, and soft drinks for about $80 including tax but that’s primarily because two of us went for the fajitas, which fall on the upper end of the menu offerings. You could easily get out of there for less than $20 per person and still come away very, very satisfied.

Service was stellar – friendly, knowledgeable, and almost frighteningly prescient. Every single time I thought to myself “I need a refill” the waiter walked by with a fresh glass before I had a chance to ask for it.

Fans of Mexican food will have a hard time doing better anywhere on The Strip than Diablo’s Cantina.

Monte Carlo
3770 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
702-730-7979
website

Hours:

“Better” depends on a lot of factors and what might make one hotel better for some might not be the things that will make it better for others.

Recently I had opportunity to stay back to back at two casino hotels in Vegas that often compete with one another even though they are owned by the same corporate entity: The Mirage and Treasure Island. So I thought it would be fun to do a head-to-head comparison of the two properties from start to finish.

Parking and Access
The Mirage parking garage is a little harder to access from the street since it’s in the middle of the property toward the back, so you have to dodge a lot of cab and customer traffic. Treasure Island is closer to Spring Mountain and therefore easier to get in and out of.

The walkway from The Mirage parking structure to the hotel is outside, which can be less than fun when it’s 28 degrees and the wind is howling about 50 miles per hour as it was when I visited. However, once you get inside the building it’s a quick escalator ride down to the main floor and the lobby is just steps away.

Treasure Island’s walkway is enclosed but it is much longer and requires a trek through the shopping area and the casino to get to the lobby, a big pain when you are loaded down with bags.

In this category I have to tip it to The Mirage.

Checking In
Some “genius” at The Mirage decided to do away with the single check-in queue, instead offering up multiple lines to the agents behind the desk. To be blunt, I hate this, because I have the worst line-choosing luck in the world. When I arrived there were four agents assisting guests and one person at each station – no additional lines. I stood behind the person that I thought was closest to being done, but five minutes later nobody had moved. Another guest came along and took up a position next to me and sure enough, that guest got to his agent before I did.

Treasure Island still has the single-line queue, where you all get in one line and then are flagged to the next available agent. Even though the line was long when I arrived, I still got through it faster than I did at The Mirage with fewer people.

Clear winner: Treasure Island

Getting to Your Room
Many modern casinos have done away with the schlep through the casino to get to your room, but neither The Mirage or Treasure Island are among them. Both require serious navigation skills to get to the elevators but The Mirage requires you to walk directly through the center of the casino while Treasure Island allows you to skirt the edges of it.

Winner: Treasure Island

Rooms
The décor of both was pretty forgettable earth tones, but the furnishings at Treasure Island seemed to be a little newer and therefore nicer.

The Mirage has more stuff in the rooms – mini-bars being the most convenient that Treasure Island didn’t have. My room at Treasure Island also didn’t have a hair dryer, but that may have just been an oversight since it is on the standard amenity list. I don’t have hair anyway, so I don’t know why I’m whining.

But the rooms at Treasure Island in general were more comfortable and more satisfying – the beds are cushier, the bathrooms are bigger (in the standard rooms), the chair are plusher.

So for this one I’m going to have to give it to Treasure Island.

Casino
I wound up losing at both casinos during my stay but I actually won before I lost at Treasure Island whereas at The Mirage I pretty much just lost consistently. Now, you can look at that in one of two ways. You can say that I lost more at Treasure Island in the long run because not only did I lose what I brought but I lost a big chunk of what I won, but since gambling is entertainment I prefer to at least win something to keep me entertained. Solid losing is boring and demoralizing.

I also like the layout of Treasure Island a bit better – it has better spacing between the machines and more areas that are sheltered from the glare of the restaurants and nightclubs so you can gamble in relative peace.

Both of these things are very subjective, but I’m the one running this cage match so I’m giving the nod in this category to Treasure Island.

Service and Amenities
Customer service was very good at both hotels – I’d call that a draw.

But as far as things to do without leaving the hotel, the clear winner here is The Mirage. The restaurants are better (and there are more of them), there are multiple shows, the pool area and spa are significantly nicer, and the bars, nightclubs, and lounges are of a higher caliber throughout.

Winner: The Mirage.

Cost
I didn’t actually pay for my rooms at either hotel, taking advantage of player’s club offers to make my arrangements, but I checked the rates for when I was staying at both hotels and Treasure Island was a few bucks cheaper (but only a few).

The big difference was in the offers that I got from the player’s club. At The Mirage I was offered two nights between Sunday and Thursday plus $75 in “free play” in the casino and a $40 room charge credit. At Treasure Island I was offered three nights any day of the week, $150 in “free play” (which wound up getting upgraded to $250 at the desk), and 2 free buffets among other goodies.

So paying or not, Treasure Island was the winner in this category as well.

The Decision
Cost, rooms, the casino, and ease of access are usually the most important things to me when choosing a hotel so I’m declaring Treasure Island the winner of the Casino Cage Match.

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