Food, Glorious Food

The buffets are good and plenty, however, Las Vegas is home to some of the country's finest dining. And many of these top chef-helmed eateries have special menus planned for Christmas and New Year's. Here's a sampling:

Eiffel Tower Restaurant
Francophiles will fawn over Chef J. Joho's Eiffel Tower Restaurant, perched just above the Strip on the 11th floor of the Paris Las Vegas' replica tower. The elegant restaurant overlooks the dancing Bellagio fountains and is the perfect spot for a romantic dinner. The savory cuisine is sure to please French food purists. For New Year's Eve, the restaurant offers three-seatings where diners will feast on a starter choice of Maine lobster salad or trio of imported or domestic caviar; an entrée choice of slow roasted salmon, braised oxtail, or a vegetarian option of grilled Portobello mushrooms; and crème brulee or chocolate molten cake for dessert.
Eiffel Tower Restaurant, 702-948-6937, Paris Hotel, 3655 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas

Stratta
Italian food so good you'll want to lick the plate when you're done; that's what's in store at Chef Alessandro Stratta's casual, elegant Wynn hotel eatery Stratta. For New Year's Eve, the restaurant hosts a three-course Gala feast for $120 per person including tax and gratuity. Highlights include the starter "Corsa" with warm goat cheese, arugula, fire-roasted mushrooms, avocado and sweet corn; the second course of butternut squash cavatelli with toasted hazelnuts; the main course of garlic and herb crusted half tail Maine lobster ravioli "Fra Diavallo"; and a choice of desserts. Mangia!
Stratta, 702-770-2040, Wynn Las Vegas, 3131 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas

Fiamma
Fiamma prides itself on affordable, gourmet Italian fare. The spaghetti with or without Kobe meatballs and the melt-in-your mouth tender char grilled octopus appetizer are crowd pleasers. For New Year's Eve, from 5:30 to 11:30 the swanky MGM Grand trattoria's menu includes a pasta course with sautéed king crab served with house made ravioli filled with smoked bacon, potato purée and spinach ($50); a second course choice of a butter poached Maine lobster tail ($145); and a tempting dessert course ($16) selection of a Tartufo gelato and chocolate hazelnut cake with caramelized hazelnuts, finished with warm Valrhona chocolate sauce poured tableside.
Fiamma, 702-891-7777, MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas

Family Fun

Mirage Volcano
Kids of all ages will marvel at the new Mirage Volcano. The redesigned and re-launched audiovisual spectacle raises the bar with never-before-seen fire effects and an exclusive soundtrack composed by Grateful Dead drummer and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Mickey Hart, and Indian tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain. The Volcano's choreographed FireShooters send massive fireballs more than 12 feet into the air, as realistic lava erupts and flows down the volcano into the surrounding lagoon. Take that Bellagio dancing fountains!
Mirage Volcano, 800-374-9000, Mirage Hotel & Casino, 3400 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas

Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay
The Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay is a tranquil deep-sea escape from the Strip. Touted as North America's only predator-based aquarium and exhibit, you'll see sharks of all kinds, along with sawfish, giant rays, piranha, and rare golden crocodiles. In all, there are over 2,000 animals in 1.6 million gallons of seawater.
Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay, 702-632-7777, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas

It's Show Time

"O"
Cirque du Soleil's has six distinct productions on the Strip, including the newest addition Criss Angel's Believe at the Luxor. The French-Canadian company's crown jewel, however, remains the surreal "O" at the Bellagio. Since it opened in 1998, this international cast of world class acrobats, synchronized swimmers, divers and quirky characters, has dazzled more than 7 million spectators.
"O," 888-488-7111, Bellagio Las Vegas, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas

Lance Burton's Magic Show 
Master magician Lance Burton continues to leave audiences at his long-running Monte Carlo magic show pondering how he does those amazing tricks. Even illusionist David Blaine is a fan and was spotted at a recent performance.
Lance Burton's Magic Show, 877-386-8224, Monte-Carlo Resort & Casino, 3770 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas

Crazy Horse Paris
The Crazy Horse Paris topless revue is inspired by the Paris nightclub and show of the same name. The sensual show features 12 stunning, natural bosom beauties dancing choreography that celebrates the female body as an art form. Creative light displays and cheeky music selections ranging from Eartha Kitt to Rod Stewart make the show a playful experience.
Crazy Horse Paris, 866-740-7711, MGM Grand, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas

Tips for Enjoying New Year's Eve in Las Vegas

New Year's Eve in Las Vegas sounds like a huge party, so let's go! Unlike previous years, however, where fireworks were fired from hotel rooftops, 2009's display will be shot off at ground level. That means you'll have to be on the Strip in the thick of the crowds to see the show.

More than 30,000 effects will be fired from eight locations during the eight-minute, 10-second program. Firing locations include Mandalay Bay, the Luxor, MGM Grand, Caesars Palace, Treasure Island, the Las Vegas Convention Center, Stratosphere and Fremont Street. The downtown Fremont Street Experience celebrations will also feature eight tribute bands.

If you're planning to ring in the New Year in Las Vegas, here are some helpful tips from Vegas.com:

New Year's Eve Tip #1:
Hotel rooms sell out early and prices can soar for the holiday, so make sure to book your room as soon as possible to get the best prices and your first choice of accommodations. Go to www.vegas.com/newyears for rates.

New Year's Eve Tip #2:
If you're planning to party on the Strip, get there early, even if you're going to attend an event or party within a casino. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police shut down Las Vegas Boulevard (better known as the Strip) between Sahara Avenue and Russell Road to cross-traffic as early as 6 p.m. If you need to travel across the Strip (east-west), use the Desert Inn super-arterial (which runs under the Strip). For north-south travel (parallel to Las Vegas Boulevard), try Frank Sinatra Drive to the west or Koval Lane to the east. Either way, plan extra time for jammed roads.

New Year's Eve Tip #3:
If you decide to stay on the Strip, the best ways to get around on New Year's Eve are by taxi, walking or using the Las Vegas Monorail. If you have a car and want to park in a hotel garage, you might want to choose one that's near one of the ends of the Strip rather than in the middle. It'll be easier to get out once you decide you've had enough and want to head back to your hotel. But please make sure you have a designated driver. You do want to live to see 2009, right?

New Year's Eve Tip #4:
This may not be the Big Apple but the party that takes place in downtown Las Vegas under the lighted canopy of the Fremont Street Experience rivals that of New York's Times Square and is broadcast on just as many stations. For only $40, not only can you party all night to the sounds of several popular live bands and watch fireworks on a gigantic Viva Vision LED screen but you can also join Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and more than 10,000 other partygoers in attempting the world's largest toast!

New Year's Eve Tip #5:
If you're not a fan of huge throngs of people dancing or huge throngs of people standing around drinking then don't pick a club, Las Vegas Boulevard or the Fremont Street Experience as your New Year's Eve headquarters. A lot of the shows in town do something special for the occasion, too, so you could catch a Broadway show and then toast another year with a bunch of like-minded people.

New Year's Eve Tip #6:
This is Vegas and while the sun is almost always shining during the day and the temperatures can be quite pleasant, it is still the desert and it does cool off quite a bit at night, so be prepared if you're going to join the party outside on the Strip. Bundle up and save your cute little black dress for the indoor parties. On the other hand, don't forget to drink plenty of water.

New Year's Eve Tip #7:
Be aware that if you're trying to get into one of the jam-packed hotels on New Year's Eve, you could run into some technical difficulties. A number of Strip hotels, in an effort to keep the crowds inside within occupancy limits set by county officials, will allow only those with proof they are guests of the resorts to enter the properties during the height of the festivities outside.

New Year's Eve Tip #8:
It's officially 2009. The last firework has exploded, the final piece of confetti has drifted to the ground and your hangover has started to kick in. The city will begin to clean up the streets almost instantly, but that doesn't mean the party is over. You may want to head indoors, whether it's to get a bite to eat at one of several 24 hour cafes inside the hotels, join the party at a nightclub or try your luck in one of Las Vegas's many casinos. The Strip does not typically reopen until well after midnight, so if you're in a hurry to leave, you will want to heed our earlier advice on New Year's Eve transportation and travel. Otherwise you may as well plan on spending the first few hours of 2009 stuck in a traffic jam.

What to Wear this New Year's Eve

SheKnows editor Alison Bills and stylist Marlene Montanez share a few tips on What to Wear to a New Year's Eve party.
Check out the clip from SheKnows Flawless Fashion:

Happy New Year's from SheKnows!!