It’s Only Money

Las Vegas has always been a town of extremes.

In the early days, there were the 99 cent shrimp cocktail and the $1.99 steak dinner; the $30 room rate and $10 show. It was the town of cheap food and cheap fun and it made an impression.

Fast-forward to present-day Las Vegas, where making an impression is still at the top of everyone's list and price is the bottom line.

This time, though, "cheap" has been replaced by "chic."

"I guess people just want a different experience," says Jesse Waits of the change in attitudes. He is managing partner of Tryst nightclub in Wynn Las Vegas, 3131 Las Vegas Blvd. South.

Tryst is where visitors will find Menage a Trois, a cocktail made with gold, diamonds and three very expensive libations: Cristal Rose, Hennessy Ellipse and Grand Marnier Cent-cinquantenaire. They pay $3,000 for the privilege of drinking the 23-karat gold flakes and liquid gold syrup through a golden, diamond-studded straw that is theirs to keep. So far, a few high rollers and guests who want an outrageous story to tell back home have bought the cocktail. And it has become a conversation piece for others.

"I think we were just trying to create an experience for somebody or make an impression," Waits says of the reason for inventing the drink.

But Tryst isn't the only place on the Strip that's luring people in with riches beyond belief. Check out these other over-the-top luxury offerings:

* Ultra Highroller Roll at Sushi Roku in the Forum Shops at Caesars, 3500 Las Vegas Blvd. South. If you want an above-average sushi experience, this is it. The roll is filled with premium toro tuna, a lobster tail, seared Kobe beef, 1/2 ounce of beluga caviar and soy-infused white truffle oil. But the big ingredient is something you'd never think to eat: two sheets of 24-karat gold flakes. Is the roll is a steal at $225? You decide.

* Caviar parfait at Michael Mina Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Decadence on a porcelain dish: You choose your caviar from a cart brought to your table. Add ingredients such as smoked salmon, creme fraiche and potato shallot cake. Priced from $125 to $345 -- depending on the caviar selected -- it's the culinary equivalent of eating money.

* The Fleur Burger 5000 at Fleur de Lys, Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Is it the ultimate burger? Or just ultimately expensive at $5,000? It's a burger and a bottle of Chateau Petrus 1995 served in Ichendorf Brunello stemware. The glasses, imported exclusively from Sweden, will be shipped to your home, along with the keepsake bottle.

* Qua Signature Hourglass Treatment, Caesars Palace, 3570 Las Vegas Blvd. South. If you love couples' massage and spa treatments and always wanted to create your own, you can. For $1,200. You'll get 180 minutes of pampering in whatever ways you wish: hot stones, aromatherapy, even chakra-balancing. Who doesn't need a chakra balancing?

* The Louis XIII Black Pearl in the high roller lounge at Bellagio. Some of these luxury offerings -- if not all of them -- are made for the ultimate niche market: people with a lot of money. You'll have to have that, or at least spend a lot, to get access to the high roller lounge where you can buy this cognac for $1,300.

* Iced Jeans Bishop of Seven at Wynn Las Vegas, 3131 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Diamonds are the ultimate sequin and these jeans are encrusted with seven carats of them. They're set in 14-karat white gold, too. When you pay the $18,000 price tag (at Mojitos Resort Wear), a Brinks armored truck will deliver them to you. You're on your own when you wear them, though.

* King Richard's Pride at BOA steakhouse at the Forum Shops at Caesars. This drink gets its name from the two ounces of Hennessy Richard in it. A bit of Dom Perignon Rose 1996 and Chambord Liqueur Royale De France are blended with lime juice, a bit of orange and a splash of cranberry juice. It's served in a Baccarat Las Vegas glass, which you get to keep. Cost: $1,000.

Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@reviewjournal.com or (702) 380-4564.