VegasChatter

We were watching basketball before dinner when a waitress was making rounds in the sportsbook. She offered to bring food right to our seats at the sportsbook which would have been awesome if we were hungry and hanging out at the book. However, we had reservations and she just sat us inside the restaurant. She and the entire wait staff were all bright and bubbly which made dinner even more fun.

We were tipped off that the wait staff had undergone weeks of training and has tasted every item on the menu at least once. This comes in handy because the house burger menu is full of strange options including a non-burger called the Hot Mess, mashed potatoes, chili, cheese, chicken sticks, cheeseburger, melted onions, bacon, grilled corn, pickled jalapenos, ranch drizzle, cheddar, polish dog, fried egg, roast chili peppers, onion rings, hot sauce, diced tomato, red onion, and pickles.

This writer created a very basic bacon cheeseburger, but others shared some of the recommended choices such the Vintage and house favorite, Rattlecan, cheese, bacon, caramelized onions, pickle, special sauce, crinkle-cut fries, lettuce and tomato. (Rattlecan's burgers range from $9 to $19.)

The bacon on the bacon cheeseburger was thick and smokey. It may have been the best bacon we've ever had on a burger. The beef was nice and juicy (larger plates would be nice with all of the juices), but not seasoned with overwhelming flavor. Chef Sammy (who also runs FIRST Food and Bar) probably could have gone over the top with flavors, but he let the meat speak on its own. Our friend that tried the Savory burger opted to have a second burger instead of a moon pie ($7) for dessert.

The red velvet moon pie wasn't anything special, but it went very nicely with a cold mason jar of Magic Hat #9. A mason jar of beer was $7, but a glass of soda or iced tea was $5. Our fathers remember when soda was a nickel... a nickel!

Rattlecan is a great quick casual dining option at The Venetian. If you're not into rockin' out with your burger, you can eat outside, in the sportsbook or even take the food to eat in the food court.

Gourmet burger joints may not be opening as often as they used to, but we welcome a good quick beer and burger and love that Rattlecan is located next to one of our favorite sportsbooks in Vegas.