Michael and Jenna Morton’s Crush restaurant and lounge at MGM Grand feels more like a stylish living room than a Las Vegas Strip nightlife venue. The crisp yet rustic design affords an ideal setting for group dining and drinking, offering bottles of wine to share and pair with filet mignon tartare, wood-fired pizzas and ricotta gnocchi with braised shortribs.
But you won’t want to share Crush’s hand-crafted cocktails, which can skew adventurous. Are you up for something a bit more offbeat? We recommend the Curious George—don’t worry, there are no bananas involved, but it’s a pretty playful concoction anyway. The foundation is St. George green chile vodka, a spirit with layers of flavor created with California-grown jalapeños, serranos, habaneros and sweet red and yellow peppers. Crush adds fresh lime and pineapple juices to add some bright notes to the sweet and spicy vodka, and the results are bold and refreshing—and a great match for some of the restaurant’s more decadent dishes.
You’ve never had a cocktail like this in your own living room. Crush at MGM Grand, 702-891-3222; Sunday-Thursday 5:30-10:30 p.m., Friday & Saturday 5:30-11:30 p.m.
