The palaces of excess lining the Strip are no slouch when it comes to excellent edibles, and they’re going all out on December 31^st. Most of these hotel restaurants have two seatings, but expect to pay more for primetime.

Not all big restaurant successes are built to scale up, but in the case of Le Cirque, the Maccioni family's legendary New York haunt, build up they will. And like many restaurateurs, they’ve found hotels to be a useful partner in their expansion, choosing to align their brand with properties that cater to both their current jet-setting customers. We spoke with Marco Maccioni, one of the sons of founder Sirio Maccioni, to get the scoop on where they’re headed.

● Louis Vuitton Bellagio Las Vegas (Strip: Central) - Luxury French fashion house stakes claim in luxury American casino resort.

As a manager and partner at 4AM DJs, I’m constantly producing performances, events, and photo shoots around the world. Every day I get reports back from my DJs filled with the kind of wild adventures I rarely get to be a part of as a desk jockey. The people who flock to these stellar international events get to experience the end result of months of prep, but do they really know what a day in the life of a DJ is like? In this column, you'll hear first-hand accounts of DJ war stories, with photos and videos from the world’s best to show for it. In this 4AM DJ Tour Diary, read about DJ Phresh's insane weekend in Vegas. Yours truly, Adam Alpert.

Meet the man responsible for the best hangover you've ever had

This Saturday, cities all around the world are participating in a little thing called "Earth Hour". From 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time, the lights are going out. Restaurants are serving by candlelight, hotels are creating entire packages around the event, and monuments like the Golden Gate Bridge and the Eiffel Tower will go dim for the 60-minute tribute to promoting awareness about climate change.

There's rumblings of the "B" word in Las Vegas. MGM Mirage, of the Bellagio, Mirage, Mandalay Bay, and MGM Grand, is in danger of defaulting on their debts of $13.5 billion and filing Chapter 11. Other hotels are in similar predicaments, so this is the time to book hotel rooms in Vegas, as rates are dropping to unheard-of numbers at primo properties -- like $149 a night at the Four Seasons.

Elizabeth Blau, founder and CEO of Las Vegas restaurant consulting firm Elizabeth Blau & Associates, was recruited by Steve Wynn early in her career and has helped shape the Vegas restaurant landscape. She caught up with BlackBook about having the occasional truffle, getting hooked on Wii, and where the Vegas connoisseurs dwell.

The creator of the Mediterranean masterwork menu at Lavo at the Palazzo in Vegas, chef Ludo Lefebvre on his rebel image, the year of the Aries, and succumbing to In-N-Out.

C’mon! Big money! Big money!