What we feared was coming for a while has been confirmed.
Aria Cafe is closing to make way for Din Tai Fung a critically, and publicly, acclaimed Thai dumpling shop.
I love Thai food probably more than the next person, in fact, I've warned the groups at work that I manager for years that if they do not select a place for our monthly luncheons, they will be eating Thai food every time, but I cannot help to be just a little disappointed in this news, despite the fact that we have known it's coming for a while now.
In retrospect, the writing was on the wall when they cut back the hours for Aria Cafe. That was too bad because it had long been the one place that the degenerate gambler could go grab a decent sandwich (or, if you had a Galaxy Brain, a bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup) at 3 AM after a long VP or Blackjack session and before you started your early morning gambling.
The Aria Cafe had a great location, was a good room, and had a spectacular late night/early morning view. It was simple, relatively inexpensive for the Strip, and just doesn't have a place in the hyper-competitive, faux-luxury wonderland that the Strip is now trying to be.
The reality is that we don't live in a diner and iced-tea world any more. And Aria Cafe was a throwback on a street that doesn't really care all that much for history. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, only a thing. In this case it's a thing that has eliminated one of the better late-night places on the Strip.
In fact, unless you're looking for high-end dining, the Strip is pretty much a wasteland right now outside of the Cosmopolitan (Block 16 and The Pizza Shop) and the Miracle Mile.
What I am sure of is that Din Tai Fung will be more expensive than was the Aria Cafe, and it will be packed. Whether or not it will scratch the degenerate's dining itch is yet to be known, but I doubt it.
This continues a trend of me finding less and less to do on the Strip as my Vegas time goes forward. While I enjoyed my stay at Park MGM, there just wasn't a lot that I wanted to DO there. I found Eataly to be just "meh" but overly pricey, and the one VP bar that they have remaining was OK, but you still have issues with the pay tables being awful.
Block 16 at the Cosmo, especially Lardo, was exceptional, and I'm sure I'll spend more time there, but outside of that the Strip is just a place to see the Conservatory, the Fountains, V/P and WynnCore and the other high end hotels before moving on to off-strip locations.
I had a better time at Born and Raised Henderson than I did at any place on the Las Vegas Strip. And I spent way less money, ate just as well, and made a ton of new friends as well.
Just another nail in the Strip coffin for me TBH.
