| The Best City in the U.S.A. For Food and Wine | | | | By: Ron Kapon | << back  Page 2 of 4 next >> |
With that out of the way it is time to wine and dine. *** Next to the name meant I ate at the place mentioned below or interviewed the chef/owner/sommelier/GM. This list is obviously not all inclusive as I only had five full days. The MGM/Mirage group includes 10 hotels (MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Bellagio, The Mirage, TI, Monte Carlo, Luxor, New York-New York, Excalibur and Circus Circus) and their outside and inside public relations personnel arranged most of my meals and shows.
MGM Grand- *** Joel Robuchon and L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon. Chef Robuchon cooks here at least six times a year. He was named Chef of the Century and his Joel Robuchon restaurant has won a Mobil 5 Star restaurant (one of 17 in the U.S.) as well as an AAA Five-Diamond Award. The five room space recalls the glamour and elegance of 1930’s Paris. L’Atelier presents his cuisine in an accessible, informal style. Sommelier Darren Lutz is great at food and wine pairings. 750 wines; tre cher and elegant.
*** NOBHILL- Michael Mina restaurant- 500 wines, 70 champagnes. Try to get one of the semi-private cabanas by the entrance. Meant to recreate the atmosphere and cuisine of San Francisco. Saw KA after dinner.
Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House has 1,275 wines and a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence. I doubt Emeril has much time to man the kitchen here.
Bellagio- Celebrity restaurateur Sirio Maccioni sent his son Mario out here 8 years when the Bellagio first opened. *** Le Cirque & Osteria del Circo have 1,000 wines and the elegance the Maccioni’s bring to everything they touch shows. Both restaurants have a Wine Spectator Best Award of Excellence award.
Picasso has 1,525 wines on their list assembled by Master Sommelier Robert Smith. Another Wine Spectator Grand Award winner and a AAA 5 Diamond winner. French cuisine with a hint of Spanish influence. It is hands off the numerous works of art by the great master Picasso. Cirque du Soleil’s “O” plays here and may be the toughest ticket in town.
Mandalay Bay- I spent a lot of time here. *** Aureole- William Sherer- wine director- a Charlie Palmer restaurant. He has many places outside of his home base of Chicago. Does he still cook here? No other place in LV comes close as a wine lover’s mecca. This Wine Spectator Grand Award winner with over 5,000 selections has a 42 foot temperature controlled wine tower with Mission Impossible bungee jumping “wine angels” who are trained acrobats and gymnastics. Their rare wine collection includes half-a-dozen examples of the prestigious 1900 vintage in Bordeaux. Ask about the eWinebook, the world’s first electronic wine list. Worth the show.
*** Fleur de Lys- Jason Reed sommelier. Chef Hubert Keller commutes from his restaurant in San Francisco and is here at least twice a month. 900 wines, with 100 ½ bottles (great for single diners). Best of Award of Excellence from WS. The chef loves to DJ on occasion. In 2005 Bon Apetit Magazine named Fleur de Lys as one of the nation’s “Hot 50 Restaurants.”
*** RM Seafood is comprised of restaurant rm and r bar café- at Mandalay Place. Located on a 100,000-square-foot sky bridge connecting Mandalay Bay and Luxor resorts it is the first retail center in the world directly attached to two major casino resorts. Christopher Janz- sommelier & beverage director. Chef Rick Moonen has moved to Las Vegas from NYC and is in the kitchen 5 or 6 nights a week. 450 wines designed to compliment seafood specialties with fresh fish flown in 7 days a week. Although rbar café is less formal than restaurant rm, the same menu items are available.
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