Thanksgiving Holiday Feast at The Palazzo‏ in Vegas

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Our first American Thanksgiving was celebrated at The Palazzo and it will go down in our history books as the grandest Thanksgiving to date. The inagural event, held at the waterfall atrium, was a unique, festive, and sold-out holiday feast fit for kings and queens.  We sat side-by-side at two 30-foot masterfully decorated tables with guests from around the world, sharing the joyous holiday occasion with our “Palazzo family” while being surrounded by magnificent décor featuring autumn leaves, bales of hay, cornucopia, and traditional crops of American landscape. Although it could never compare to my mother’s slow-cooked-to-perfection turkey or her moist, melt-in-your-mouth rolls or being surrounded by my brothers and sisters while reminiscing about childhood and sometimes reliving it, The Palazzo created a welcoming environment that reminded me of all things for which I am thankful.

Executive Chef Olivier Dubreuil prepared an exquisite feast of Thanksgiving spread served family-style while we listened to the sounds of violinists and carolers. Most guests, me excluded because of “baby on board”, enjoyed sipping wines throughout the feast which included I’M, Chardonnay by Isabel Mondavi, Sonoma County 2010, Siduri, Pinot Noir, and Santa Lucia Highlands “SLH” California 2010; I was happy to indulge in Sprite soda and several glasses of water.  Appetizing menu highlights included fresh tomato and corn soup with garlic and basil croutons, Roquefort apple with ginger salad, whole roasted Vermont turkey with sausage sage dressing, and pumpkin cheesecake with marshmallow sour cream.

If the Thanksgiving Holiday Feast was made for kings and queens, the staff were our humble servants, constantly catering to our every request sometimes before we could even think of it. Our table was continuously refilled with innovative holiday selections. Never once did I think, “I wish they had…”. If the thought entered my mind, the food appeared. It was the best magic show a pregnant lady has ever seen.

Conversation and humor filled our end of the table with contributions from Americans, Cubans, Brits, and Canadians. 11 people, covering all ages, spoke freely about life, adventure, travel, and family. Our lives intermingled, if only for a few hours, and we each left feeling like we had gained insight into the lives of others; it had left us with a lasting impression of good nature and kindness from around the globe.

The fall décor set the stage, Executive Chef Olivier Dubreuil prepared the meal, new friends from around the globe and carolers created the atmosphere, and The Palazzo provided the venue. All we needed to do was sit back and take it all in. Maybe we’ll come back year after year for this annual celebration and share in the joyous occasion with our growing Palazzo family. It may be impossible to zip across the continent every year for Thanksgiving, but the four hour drive to The Palazzo is most certainly doable and well worth the journey.

*Photo credit (first two photos): Tomasz Pleskaczynsk/Cashman Productions

67 thoughts on “Thanksgiving Holiday Feast at The Palazzo‏ in Vegas”

    • It’s perfect for families like Darren and I. Without celebrating at The Palazzo, I most likely wouldn’t have celebrated Thanksgiving other than saying, “Happy Thanksgiving” and maybe eating out. It’s just not practical for Darren and I to make a huge turkey dinner for the two of us.

      It actually made me feel like I was part of something more.

      🙂

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  3. Thank you for liking my post!
    Looks like you had a very good Thanksgiving. The food looks delicious!
    Hopefully you took photos and can use the Walgreens deal to get yourself a Free 8×10 Collage print.

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  5. Hi,
    Everything looks so nice, what a great way to celebrate, and I agree, when there is only the 2 of you it’s best to go out and enjoy the day with others, and enjoy being waited on. I love it. 🙂

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  11. Since your daughter will be American (if born here), you now have a standard to aspire to when you host Thanksgiving next year!
    If you start cooking now, you just might be able to finish in time!

    Looks wonderful, glad it was a good introduction to the holiday!

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  12. Thats pretty cool. I’m a Canadian marrying an American so I’ve told him we have to have 2 thanksgivings. More turkey! 🙂 Glad you guys had a great time.

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  16. With all the food and fun in Vegas, I think that is the perfect place to spend an non-traditional Thanksgiving. I’ve only once been to Vegas and I liked what I saw. Happy Thanksgiving!

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  20. Sounded amazing. Another great post. Not sure if you are still in Vegas for the weekend or just for Thanksgiving…but if you are and love steak, check out Jean George or for one of the best burgers in Vegas, try Stripburger. Anywhooo, just thought I’d pass that along since I recently returned.

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  21. Looks like you had a grand Thanksgiving! I love the attention to detail with the decorations even with such a large dining table. No cooking for hours, no family drama…I think you’re on to something here, ha! 🙂

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  22. What a beautiful setting. I I love Thanksgiving and the cooking but I have to be honest, this would definitely be right up my alley to try one year…how simply elegant.

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  24. @ Atasteoftravel, Thanksgiving is the celebration of home, family and freedom with regards to religious practices, all this in remembrance of our country’s founding people, the pilgrims who arrived here in what is now, of course, America. The Pilgrims made peace with the Native Indians. The Indians taught the pilgrims how to grow corn with fish.

    I am of half Native American Indian, and half European decent. When I was a child, as children do today in America, I was taught about the first Thanksgiving in America. Knowing that my siblings and I understood our ancestry at such an early age, my mother decided to hit the Thanksgiving teaching concept home with a little white lie, if you pardon the pun, by telling us kids at Thanksgiving time when both she and my dad were preparing our feast, that that is where our parents met a long, long time ago. She said my dad was wearing the big black pilgrim hat and the buckle shoes and she wore a single feather in her hair when they met. Having no concept of time, my siblings and I believed her. My mother is a very silly woman, something we all adore about her.

    Anyway, in America, Thanksgiving is a very special and important holiday to the Americans, even to those not born here.

    Christmas is another special holiday for America. To answer your question, yes, most Americans, particularly ones of Christian faith, celebrate the holiday like Thanksgiving with a feast that is shared with family and friends.

    I live in a 4 bedroom home in Goodyear, Arizona. We don’t have a large table for everyone in our family to sit together, too many friends and family…so some will sit on the patio, some will sit at the counter, some at the table, some on the couch…it doesn’t matter really, the point is that we are all together. We say a prayer of thanksgiving before the meals and everyone digs in! Then everyone waits for their stomachs to settle and then the next round….dessert, which can consist of pie and coffee (pumpkin, pecan, sweet potato, cherry, apple, mincemeat, blueberry, peach and homemade whip topping!)

    Anyway, you get the idea. If you’re ever in Goodyear, Arizona around one of our holidays, you are most welcome to join in our celebration of life, liberty, family and friends….Thanksgiving and Christmas. 😉

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  26. Quite a lavish spread of food and companionship you had! Even with all that going on, you had time to check on what other bloggers were up to. We have family who live in LV, so our visits rarely include the main attractions, but are family visits in our favorite, small restaurants, etc. Such can be found there, as can be found in most towns and cities throughout the world. I shall be posting our Thanksgiving activities in Colonial Williamsburg (VA) in a few days.
    Oscar

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  29. thanks for visiting! and wow, i’m very impressed with your blog. I’ve personally never been to Las Vegas despite being an American citizen, and it’s one of the places I want to go within the next year or two. It all sounded delicious!

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  33. Though I live and work in Madrid since 1996, we always celebrate Thanksgiving, as it has been my favorite holiday since I was a child. We always invite friends from all over the globe and if for nothing more than a tradition, we have an extraordinary time. The sharing, the fragrances from the oven filling the apartment, the laughter, smiles, and just a beautiful Sunday as we have to hold 1 Sunday before due to the fact we both work. The collaboration and the people we invite, have an unforgettable day. The apple cider and Calvados marinaded 7 kilo turkey from the Galicia province, the candied sweet potatoes, the corn bread or chestnut stuffing, the gravy, and the berry confit … A home made apple pie * I dislike pumpkin and the wines to pair … Pleased to hear, that you and your husband had enjoyed so much, not only the traditional foods of this day, however, a part of alot more ! Truly enjoy your website content.

    Margaux Cintrano

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  37. Definitely a pregnant woman’s dream, I think back wistfully to those days when I could and would eat anything (nursing is even better, oh I miss it, you can eat and eat and the weight just melts off 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!

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  42. Your blog post documenting your Thanksgiving experience added a new and different perspective of this holiday. Thank you for sharing us your experience.

    And thanks for checking out my blog. 🙂

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  43. thank you so much for liking my post lesley! just wanted you to know it made my day, for I’ve only been blogging a short time and thought my friends and family only read my blog (they don’t even hit the like button! lol) wishing you a happy and healthy pregnancy and I look forward to following your adventures!

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