SOUP???!!! ....... NO!

Actually too many chefs spoil a restaurant's ... chance for success.

It's a proven fact that restaurants are the first businesses to go out of business when the economy is bad for business.

Ruth Chris' Steak House is one example .... and I am sure that there are many others which have gone under or are suffering from too much competition and a lack of customers.

And now we will be seeing the grand opening of the Las Vegas Cosmopolitan in mid December complete with ten new dining spots and another space that offers expensive cups of coffee brewed by 'trained baristas'.

We have way too many good cooks in Las Vegas and now we have ten more and a couple additional baristas.

Are all these guys and gals really necessary in this present economy?

I don't think so!

I walk by or though restaurants that have fewer dinner-time customers than appear at my dining room table on major holidays.

And when was the last time I ever needed a reservation?

Or had to wait for a table?

But now we got ten more dining options opening this December.

Sometime tomorrow I'll do my best to offer a brief description of each one and hope to create enough interest to fill up some of these places over the Christmas holidays.

But if fine dining interest continues to be of little interest, you won't have to rush to make a reservation.

Just walk right in and pick an empty table, order a martini for yourself and the Misses and enjoy a very quiet meal in a very quiet, empty room.

It's been happening all over town.

Here are your upcoming dining options at the forthcoming Cosmopolitan LV -

Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill features a variety of bistro favorites, American comfort foods, chops and fillets, sushi and sashimi. The chefs are brothers - Bruce and Eric Bromberg.

Jaleo - a Spanish tapas restaurant and China Poblano - Chinese and Mexican cuisines each ‘masterminded’ by Jose Andres.

Comme Ca - David Myers French brasserie.

D.O.C.G. (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita), Chef Scott Conant’s wine bar will feature pizza, pasta, an espresso bar, pastries, artisanal cheese and chocolate in addition to a large selection of Italian wines.

Scarpetta - Chef Scott Conant’s Italian cuisie.

Estiatorio Milos – Greek cuisine by chef Costas Spiliadis.

Holstein’s – Specialty burgers featuring house-made sausage, riffs on traditional American snacks and appetizers, as well as a wide variety of shakes and sides. Chef Anthony Meidenbaue.

STK – a steak house with chef Todd Mark Miller.

The Henry … Old-school revamped classics.

Va Bene Caffè - Italian coffee bar

And ….. The Wicked Spoon Buffet

For all the superlatives please refer to the very extensive dining section of the Cosmo website .

Who will be the first to write a review of any of the above?

There's really not a lot of restaurant info here or on the Cosmo website at this time. Especially The Henry with old-school revamped classics. Isn't that a double oxymoron?

I do know that chef Jose Andres has caught my attention before and I hope to try Jaleo. No hurry though. I also like to keep my local burger knowledge fresh, so Holstein's caught my eye.

JMT, Is there really a better burger than the In and Out Protein Burger with fries?

I have never paid over $5 for a burger and am somewhat amazed that you can spend $12+ nowadays in some of these burger 'palaces' along the Strip!

And even more amazed about Pink's Hot Dogs and that other one from Coney Island which I had the misfortune to consume recently at the Palms.

Am I missing something here or what?

Yes will, there better burgers than In and Out. You are definitely missing something. You're missing a lot and you have the option to expand on those items or not.

I'm finding it hard to find a downside to this story?
Hmm, quiet dinning, no need for reso's, stiff comitition for customers. It would seem will, we have them right where we want them! <VBS>

Lee, the down-sides are on the chefs'-sides on the in-sides!

I take a gander on occasions and most of the better dining rooms are relatively unoccupied.

That beautiful restaurant in the Vdara for example! As well as many others.

In some cases that's not true on the weekends though.

(I wanna go back to Coachmen's Inn!)

That beautiful restaurant in Vdara has never done well. Maybe it's crappy food, maybe it's a long walk to get to it from anywhere, maybe it's overpriced. They stopped serving dinner there shortly after it opened because nobody wanted to eat there. When hungry in Las Vegas, what does it have that would make you want to go there?

I know it's name because I took a lot of pictures of it and I've heard bad press on it's service and prices. I'd guess most tourist don't know it's name.

Thanks for reminding me, JMT.

Silk Road is now serving Sunday Brunch - $39 per Adult and $15 per Child (12 & under)

Somewhat pricey! Especially for kids.

If I ran that place, the kids would eat for free with a limit of one child for each paying adult or simply $5 per child and throw in a milk-shake and a handful of Captain Crunch.

If you want that Sunday Brunch, you'd better grab it quick. The countdown clock is ticking for Silk Road to close the doors.