Las Vegas Weekly

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Most of the time, it would be inadvisable to eat something off the ground on the Strip. But at Serendipity 3, the New York import next to the fountains at Caesars Palace, the ground is good soil, and the edibles are seasonal herbs and vegetables.

The garden is said to be the first of its kind on the famous boulevard, and its benefits range from the lovely visual to the reducing the restaurant’s carbon footprint to kicking up the freshness of ingredients available to executive chef Michael Wolf and his crew.

What’s growing now? Sunflowers, cherry tomatoes, globe artichokes, Roma tomatoes, Japanese eggplant, bell peppers (yellow, red and green), rosemary, basil, cilantro, chives, mint, curly parsley, shallots, dill, marjoram, oregano, tarragon, savory, hyssop, anise, coriander and garlic. The tomatoes and basil can be found in the Heirloom Tomato Salad ($18) with creamy buratta cheese, toasted Marcona almonds and herb vinaigrette. The New York Steak of Mind ($30) is flavored with some of the fresh rosemary, and basil accents the Margherita Pizza ($15). And fresh herbs are being used behind the bar, as well (so order a mojito).

“Our seasonal edible garden allows us to help the environment while improving the quality and freshness of our food,” Wolf said in a press release issued by Caesars. “Guests enjoy seeing where the ingredients are grown, especially since a wide variety of our menu items benefit from the herbs.”

That green sentiment is echoed across Caesars Palace, which follows the Caesars Entertainment environmental strategy CodeGreen. For Caesars on the Strip, the strategy includes planting drought-resistant plants, removing 30,000 square feet of landscaping to reduce water usage and sorting all trash for recyclables. Updates on its progress are on the CodeGreen blog.

If you want a glimpse of the delicious garden contributing to that green goal, look beneath Serendipity 3’s trademark ice cream sundae topiary the next time you walk past. Eating something wholesome from it might make you feel a little less guilty about that frozen hot chocolate.