How Tao Has Changed in Ten Years

Al Mancini said happy birthday (or "Happy Buddha," really) to Tao Asian Bistro last week, reminiscing about his many enjoyable visits to the restaurant/nightclub while discovering the positive difference that ten years can make. "A decade down the road, Tao feels familiar but is still visually stunning," Mancini noted, along with the observation that "the food has grown more sophisticated."

Pad Thai and chicken pad Thai too pedestrian for you? They've been usurped by newcomers like drunken lobster pad thai, created to satisfy guests "looking for something a little more over-the-top and a little more high-end when they came to Vegas," chef Marc Marrone told Mancini. Are you so over the New York-style Chinese cuisine the restaurant opened with? The kitchen has augmented it with authentic, modern dishes being served in China, Mancini reported, like "Shanghai-style" kung pao chicken that's "spicier, with more sauce and more authentic cuts of chicken than the version served in the past."

What about the club side of things? Mancini actually enjoyed the fact "that the restaurant no longer feels as closely tied to the club" thanks to the separation of teams running the entities separately. Keep things separate, he advised, "And hopefully I'll still be enjoying Tao's great food in another 10 years."