Our food writer ascended the 50-foot Tower as one of Harley's Wine Angels for the day. It was not for the faint of heart.

From top to bottom, Charlie Palmer's restaurant is reimagined for a new era of dining.

If you think feeding me would be the way to my heart, you’re right. But you can keep your chocolate-covered strawberries and chocolate lava cakes. I’m more of a sardine and bone marrow kind of girl.

If you’ve been to a farmers market or supermarket produce section lately, you’ve undoubtedly noticed that pumpkins and hard winter squash are in season.

Have you been to Aureole at Mandalay Bay lately? Admittedly, I hadn’t, so it was nice to return to see what was new at Charlie Palmer’s flagship Las Vegas restaurant.

When a meal at Aureole ends, it ends with a flourish. As the head of chef Charlie Palmer's pastry program, Romano is not only responsible for the sweet finishes at Aureole and Charlie Palmer Steak next door, but she is conscious of keeping them in line with Palmer's seasonality-driven philosophy while maintaining the sense of whimsy that dessert should express.

Even in the dog days of summer, the food scene here is as lively as it is during the peak tourism season. François Payard, the pastry and chocolate genius who has a venue at Caesars Palace, recently unveiled a dinner menu in his tiny, wedding-cake-like dining room, and it’s killer. Payard Pâtisserie & Bistro has been open for breakfast and lunch since it opened, and it reopens for dinner in early September.