Guys' guide tip: Get bottles of vodka, so when you finish them, you can fill them up with water and pass it off as vodka to unsuspecting people trying to muscle in on your booze for free. Mix it with some cranberry juice, and they won't know the difference. Trust us on this one.
The steak dinner
Among the many rites of passage in a man's life, the bachelor-party steak dinner ranks near the top. It is not something to be taken lightly. The best man can misplace the wedding ring, but screwing up the steak dinner is legitimate cause for dismissal.
Vegas puts plenty of its dollars -- OK, your dollars -- into amazing restaurants. Reading the menu at Emeril Lagasse's Delmonico Steakhouse at the Venetian (702-414-3737, venetian.com) will bring a bachelor party to a carnivorous rage. When the waiters line up at the table and serve the entire group in one smooth move, you'll stand up and hug them.
Feel more highbrow than you really are as you sit in a huge red velvet chair at Michael's at the South Point Casino (702-796-7111). Formerly in the Barbary Coast, this first-rate steakhouse moved three miles south of the Strip last year, but the level of food and service never wavered.
Many steakhouses have a jacket policy. Not Michael's. They have a no-
shorts policy and have a closetful of embroidered house pants they will make you wear. If you play your cards right, you just ate a great piece of beef and walked out with a free pair of pants. Possibly the best deal in town.
More picks: You won't have to worry about losing the best-man title if you score reservations at Prime at Bellagio (702-693-7223, bellagio.com), Craftsteak at MGM Grand (702-891-7318, mgmgrand.com), or Del Frisco's at 3925 Paradise Blvd. (702-796-0063, delfriscos.com).
Guys' guide tip: Perhaps the most underrated beef experiences on the Strip is the Range at Harrah's (800-392-9002, harrahs.com). The food is outstanding -- try the sauteed mushrooms -- and there's no need to go all in at the poker table beforehand to pay for this meal. Oh, yeah, when you call to make reservations, ask for a table that looks directly out at the Strip. It's the best view in town.
Showtime
Sinatra and the Rat Pack made going to a show in Vegas a pop-
culture phenomenon. So much so that now "Did you see any shows?" is the third question people ask when friends return from the trip. (The first two are "Where'd you stay?" and "Did you win anything?")
