On our first full day in Vegas, we managed a solid sleep in followed by an initiation to American breakfast junk food. But over thirteen hours of flying and changing time zones can really mess with your sense of adventure.

The idea of straying further than the comfortable confines of our hotel in search of lunch on our first full day in Vegas was a little stressful.

Luckily, the huge range of restaurants at the Cosmopolitan offered us lots of great options for a late lunchtime feed. We stopped in at Holsteins, a burger restaurant which was tailor-made for the hotel.

Executive Chef Anthony Meidenbauer is the mastermind behind the menu concept, which primarily focuses on fresh organic produce (no mean feat for land-locked desert like Las Vegas).

My favourite part about the menu is that many elements in the dishes here are house-made, like the burger buns, fries and condiments.

I was dazzled by all the menu options, but nonetheless I still went with The Classic ($14.00), which featured a traditional beef patty topped with lettuce, tomato, red onions, mayo and pickles (comes with ketchup, but I ordered it without, naturally!). I added Pepperjack cheese for an additional two dollars. All the ‘big bun’ options come with shoestring fries or steak cut chips.

One thing about my burger which I found delightful and surprising? The wafer thin onion slices, which I think had been steeped in either a light pickling solution or just fresh water. This removed the sulfuric harshness of the onions without sacrificing their flavour or texture.

J still hadn’t recovered from our earlier breakfast visit (or possibly from early afternoon snacking), so he chose the Holstein beef tiny buns ($12.00), three sliders topped with grilled onion, pickles, ketchup and mustard. J added American cheese for an extra dollar.

The bamboozled shake menu offers classic ice cream parlour / soda shop flavour combinations with an adults-only twist. My Brown Cow Float ($11.00), pictured above, took my all time favourite float (or spider, I guess, for all my fellow Aussies) – root beer and vanilla ice cream – combining them with with a generous shot Smirnoff Whipped Cream Vodka. For a Wonka-style touch, a generous shake of Pop Rocks was added to the mix (and sprinkled on top).

We loved the burgers here so much so that it was the first food recommendation on our list of suggestions to my Mum and aunties.We even returned another two times!

Besides the drool-worthy burgers, there’s also lots of great sharing options on the menu, including the much recommended Buffalo Wings (favourites of my Mum and aunties who were also in town for the wedding).

The service is speedy and friendly, making Holsteins a popular choice for large groups and special occasions. Even after 2pm (when we arrived), the restaurant was busy and the kitchen seemed to be pumping out dish after dish.

It’s no wonder it was so busy, even at such a ‘late’ lunch hour. With food this good, it’s tempting to try and fit in a post-lunch pre-dinner snack.

Now, what should we call it, Linner or Dunch?