Trip report: Las Vegas, June 2011
 

Viva Las Vegas, indeed.

Looking around Vegas is like eating junk food with your eyes. It’s a total sensory overload; impressive (crazy?) architecture, super-luxurious spaces inside gigantic hotels, bright lights that glare even in the dessert sun, and some outfits that simply defy description.

Wynn|Encore was the base of operations for three nights, and it delivered in spades. (Gambling reference intentional, although I don’t indulge) Guest rooms here are gorgeous, there are some great restaurants, and the staff is professional and friendly. Plus, as a wine geek, I love that the meeting rooms are named for famous wine estates, i.e. Margaux.

While waiting for our room to be ready, we had lunch at Café Society in Encore. (Wynn and Encore are two hotels that are joined) We were given pretzel bread with a German mustard compound butter to nibble on before our meal showed up. The Lunch Box Special ($23) brought fresh, flavourful Market Chop Salad, Charred Rare Tuna Sliders with wasabi mayo on a sort of soft roll, and some fresh fruit. Accompanied by a bottle of Ponzi Pinot Gris from Willamette Valley ($36), it was the perfect start to our stay.

Since we had booked a spa treatment for that afternoon, we had access (with in-and-out-privileges) to the water features. When we arrived we were given robes, some slippers, and assigned lockers, then we checked out the space. We jumped in and out of a hot tub, two plunge pools, a dry sauna, a eucalyptus sauna (heavenly), and something called a deluge shower. You stand under an opening that is high up the wall, and water thunders down on you. Great for sore shoulders.

My treatment was a Body Polish ($170), which consisted of a scrub with exfoliant, removal of the scrub with a hot, wet towel, drying with another towel, and finally a massage application of grapefruit body butter. The treatment finished with a scalp massage using warm oil. It’s a wonder they didn’t need a wheelbarrow to cart me out of the treatment room, I was so relaxed. My skin felt reborn, and any jet lag I might have had was gone.

After my treatment I took a few moments to enjoy the lounge, which is stocked with tasty snacks, beverages, great magazines, and even a bowl of wet towels sitting in ice and cucumber slices. For the price of one treatment, you could really make a great day out of this place. There are showers, plastic-wrapped, single-use hairbrushes, hairdryers, and all the other stuff you need to fix yourself up afterward. The attendant and the therapist were wonderful, too, so I feel bad that I don’t remember their names. I did remember to tip them, though, so I hope that’s enough.

For our first night’s dinner we chose Bartolotta, an Italian restaurant at Wynn with a reputation for great fish and seafood. Wanting to try as many things as possible, we ordered the four-course Menu di Paranza, at $145 per person. The first course featured artichoke salad, octopus salad, scallops with mushrooms, clams in red wine, and another dish, the name of which I forgot to write down. My companion swore she can never eat octopus anywhere else now, after the amazing example we got.

The second (starch) course consisted of a lobster pasta, seafood risotto, and ricotta ravioli in a Marsala sauce. The moaning from our table while we ate these carb/crustacean delights bordered on the obscene. We were at least partially drowned out by the man at the next table demanding that none of his food have dairy in it. Bartolotta’s staff and kitchen handled both situations with grace.

Roasted whole turbot arrived for the third course, and was expertly filleted tableside by our charming server. It was plated with some warm, crushed grape tomatoes, and extra virgin olive oil. Simple, and simply gorgeous. The wine we had with all this was Argiolas “Costamolino” Vermentino di Sardegna 2008 ($44). It was full bodied, and showed peach, pear, and floral notes, with some mineral. I considered it a really good value, as it matched perfectly with everything.

As a coda to this incredible meal, we were treated to a “symphony” of desserts, which included pineapple granita, raspberry sorbet, a gelato; panna cotta with berries; and chocolate budino with banana gelato.

Wynn bills itself as a resort, as opposed to a hotel, and while we were poolside the next day, we got a taste of the difference when a server appeared to take a drink order. We treated ourselves to a mojito and a margarita ($14 each) as a means to combat the heat of the desert sun. Of the two pool areas, the one at Wynn is more spacious than the one at Encore, and somewhat quieter. After a good bronzing, lunch was in order, so we stepped off the pool deck, and into La Cave Wine & Food Hideaway.

In a town where wine distribution appears to be controlled by just a few companies (wines repeat on lists all down the Strip), La Cave’s offer of some lesser known varietals in tasting flights was a happy discovery. Given the heat of the day, we chose the World Wide White selection ($15) that had 2-ounce pours of the following in it:
Kerner, Produttori Valle Isarco, Alto-Adige, Italy – peach, apricot, and baked apple;
Riesling, Zind Humbrecht, Alsace, France – lemon peel, tangerine, and slate;
Albariño, Paco Y Lola, Rias Baixas, Spain – green olives, orange peel, and brine;
and Chenin Blanc, Mulderbosch, South Africa – beeswax, honey, mushrooms, and pear.

As an amuse-bouche, our server brought us cubes of three kinds of fruit, each with a different seasoning. There was papaya with mint and orange, Asian pear with lime and cilantro, and mango with sea salt and chilli powder. So tasty, and so refreshing. All the plates at La Cave are small, which makes them perfect for sharing, or not overstuffing yourself. We made lunch out of salt-roasted beets with whipped goat cheese and pistachio; prosciutto, caramelized onion and arugula flatbread; and bacon-wrapped dates with blue cheese fondue. It was all delicious.

Needing to walk off some of our meal, we headed across the street to Neiman Marcus to take advantage of the sales. We each got a dress, and then as we were leaving, some ladies in the cosmetics department asked if we wanted our make-up done. Does anyone ever say “no” to that? The lovely and talented Beth used products from a company called ‘29’ on my face. Apparently, this line uses the by-products of wine production in its cosmetics, so it’s supposed to be full of anti-oxidants. All I know is that Beth worked magic with her kit, and I loved the look of my face afterward.

Post-shopping/primping, we stopped by Isla, the Mexican restaurant in TI (Treasure Island) for a mojito and a margarita. They are both done really well here, and they are well worth a little detour.

We had enjoyed La Cave so much at lunch, that we went back for dinner. This time I had yellow tomato gazpacho with crab salad, and roasted salmon on spinach with a red wine reduction. I paired the meal with an Oregon Pinot Noir that went really well. My companion had mixed greens with oven-roasted tomatoes and champagne vinaigrette, followed by scallops on polenta, and she loved both dishes.

We were on the guest list at XS, the hot nightclub, so that’s where we flaunted our fancy selves. While there is a dedicated dance floor, the action can also be found outside (this is the Encore pool during the day). Away from the crush of sweaty people, we had fun sipping cocktails, and watching Steve Wynn and his new bride walk by, surrounded by bodyguards.
(Faith in humanity story: my friend thought her purse had been stolen at the club, so she filed a report with Wynn security. She was given the number for Lost & Found, just in case. The next day, a very nice security lady informed my friend that her purse had been turned in, with EVERYTHING in it, including over $200 U.S. in cash. Security had vouchered it, and gave it back to a very grateful woman)
After shaking our collective bon-bons, we needed a serious breakfast the next morning, and found it at the Terrace Pointe Café. My bacon and avocado omelette was just the restorative I craved. It was also big enough that I didn’t need lunch. By dinnertime, however, food was again on the agenda (bit of theme here), and for the first time, we left Wynn to get it.

Bouchon is part of the Thomas Keller empire, and it’s in the Venetian, although it’s a French restaurant. If you have ever been to France, or have ever wanted to go, Bouchon is the place to fuel good memories and/or desire. Between the zinc bar, the tiled floor, and the full-length aprons on the servers, it feels authentically French, and the food delivers here, too.

The sharing of plates is one of my great dining joys, and I am lucky that my companion feels the same way. We had smoked halibut rillette, cold mussels (with a sort of Dijon-aise dip), beet salad, and goat cheese salad, accompanied by Crémant d’Alsace and a lovely Vouvray. To wind down the evening, we went back to Wynn, and installed ourselves at Parasol Up, the lobby bar. There was really good music playing, but people can smoke in here, and did, which made us wrap up the night quickly.

For our final day in paradise, we decided that a proper lunch was in order, so after a quick dip in the pool, we trekked down to Aria, one of the new properties in the middle of the Strip, to try Julian Serrano, a Spanish tapas restaurant. To give some idea of how serious we were about this lunch, the table next to us turned over three times while we sat there. (Yes, I’m giggling as I write that)

We began with Marqués de Gelida Brut Cava 2006 ($11/gl). Our first plates were ahi tuna tempura ($14), and bacalao (cod) à la gabardina with rocoto mayo ($10). As a wine match, we chose Burgãns Albariño from Galicia ($9/gl). It was crisp, with flavours of lemon, green olives, and white grapefruit.

Next up was white fish ceviche ($10), prepared with lime, salt, cilantro, paprika, watercress and shallot, and served next to a salad with grapefruit segments, and taro chips. After that we had crispy pancetta iberica (pork belly) with molecular mozzarella ($14), which was a great mix of flavours and textures.

For our final round of savoury dishes, we chose chicken chilimdron in a ragout of peppers, tomato, and iberico ham ($12), and pato confitado (duck confit) ($14) in an orange sauce with bits of fresh orange. There were two Tempranillos on the list, so naturally we had to try them both. The staff at Julian Serrano accommodated our request for both of us to have a half glass of each wine. One was Rioja Vega Reserva 2004 ($13/full glass), which showed sandalwood, black currant, vanilla, pipe tobacco, and dried cherry, while the other was Creta Roble 2007 ($15/full glass) from Ribera del Duero. It showed baking spice (nutmeg and cinnamon), raspberry, dark cherry, cedar, sandalwood, and vanilla.

At last, it was time to finish our fantastic lunch with dessert. Two classics were on the menu, so again, we had to have both. Churros con chocolate ($8) brought a plate of skinny pieces of deep-fried dough, accompanied by a dish of melted chocolate that had been zinged with some chilli spice. The other sweet was a bowl of something called buñuelos ($8), which look like sugar-covered doughnut holes. Those came with a caramel sauce that was to die for. Just to gild the lily, we had Don PX Albala 1982 ($18/gl). PX (Pedro Ximenez) looks like motor oil in the glass, but tastes like heaven in your mouth. This one had an intense nose of tar, dark raisins, burnt sugar, molasses, cocoa, and coffee. The palate was luscious, and tasted like raisin pie, butterscotch, and molasses.
We used the long walk back to the Wynn to check out some other properties, including Crystals, the Cosmopolitan, and the Mandarin Oriental, which was so elegant that we whispered as we walked around.
It may be hard to believe, but after all the walking we did, we wanted some dinner before we got on the red-eye flight to come home, so we honoured La Cave with a third visit. We kept it (relatively) simple by ordering a salad of Bibb lettuce with Gorgonzola, pickled onions, and crispy prosciutto ($10), along with a tomato, caper, and mozzarella flatbread ($10).
Las Vegas took a lot of my money, yet it also captured my heart even more firmly than it already had. It may not be for everyone, but it’s definitely for me, as often as my wallet (and my waistline) can afford it.

Nice report and yummy too!! Thank you.

Wow--what an amazing trip report--thanks! Our 3-night/4-day adventure at the Wynn begins two weeks from today so this was very timely.

Thanks for the report, the foodies out there are drooling!!

Unbelievable, I didn't think anyone could eat that much every day. Oh forgot it is America!!

Lovely report, and I enjoyed all the wine and food references.
It isn't for everyone, and I am not a huge gambler, but I find it to be very relaxing, and a terrific girls' getaway adventure destination. I have the hair that loves the desert.

I susually see one show, and maybe a concert, depending, plus some good shopping.

If others want good deals, remember to sign up directly with the hotel websites. Sun.-Thurs. are the best prices, for 4/5 rated hotels and specials.
Even Last Minute Travel had Four Seasons as a Best Value, and indeed, the price was amazing!

OK. I want to go with you two the next time you go! I am forwarding this to my husband to read while he is away on a business trip. We love Vegas and the food there! Bouchon is our favorite - for all the reasons you say!

Nice trip report. I will have to try the restaurant when we go. Glad you had a wonderful time. I love reading reports and seeing what people did on their vacations. Give me an idea of what to plan. Thank you.

Lateagain,

It is precisely because I don't eat like this everyday that it's noteworthy. For a few days, decadence does a body (and soul) good. Btw, in case it's relevant, I'm Canadian. :-)

willowjane,

You are welcome to join me.

FYI: If anyone would like to see pictures, this trip report has been posted (with photos) on my personal blog: http://www.suesterling.com.

Seems like a long way to go for a massage and some food. And some more food. You don't have any good restaurants in Canada?

Oh your Canadian, well somebody has to be.

This trip report made me laugh because it reminds me a bit of the trip that my husband and I took in April. It was our first trip away from our young kids (we hadn't had an adult vacation in 4 years) and so we PACKED the trip with delicious restaurants (Bouchon, Le Cirque, Sage, Fleur... and the list goes on :) ). I must say that our favourite was Sage at Aria -- the poached egg appetizer was so good, I still dream of it. The funny thing is that we ate so much that at certain meals, I would seriously be full after our appetizers and could barely eat my main entree (something that isn't common for me!).

And if it counts for anything, I'm Canadian too. :)

Jenn

Gosh, don't they have food in Canada.

Thinking that going to Las Vegas is just about having a massage and/or some food is like thinking that going to the beach is just about sand. Travelling is about being away from the usual stuff, seeing and experiencing something you haven't seen (or eaten) before.
We have plenty of great food in Canada, but that isn't the point. Besides, I didn't think that a trip report full of descriptions of how I lay by the pool would really add anything to anyone's information banks. :-)

Well at least you wouldn't be able to eat so much! I do agree with you that travelling gives one the opportunity to experience different cultures, vistas and experiences, but you don't get that sitting in restaurants do you!

I can't think of a locale much further, in almost every respect, from most people's everyday lives than Las Vegas. I will be there in a little more than two weeks and anticipate I will feel as if I might as well be on another planet for those few days...it's called a VACATION! :)

That's my point exactly it is a VACATION not an eating smorgasbord.

Not a real Vegas fan except for the wild burros nearby but "Charred Rare Tuna Sliders with wasabi mayo on a sort of soft roll" caught my attention as did the fruit cubes and the raisin pie.

Thanks for sharing. It seems you know how to have a very good time!

or a heart attack!

Lateagain....What is your problem? Goddessintl presented a fabulous trip report and your only concern is her cholesterol count. Lighten up or go pick on someone else. You apparently have different ideas on what one should do on vacation. What's good for you is not for everyone. Foodie types, myself included, thoroughly enjoyed her reporting. If it is not for you.....move on.

Goddessintl -- My husband and I have enjoyed Bartolotta before, but really got nailed last time when we selected a fish course. Being that they charge by the ounce or less, you never know what the end result will be regarding the bill. While the fish course was delish, we felt that $140 for the entree alone was a bit steep. HOWEVER, after reading your review, we will be dining there again next month and will be trying the tasting menu. La Cave will also be one of our stops due to you. We are staying at the Aria, which is a fabulous hotel, but travel up and down The Strip for excellent restaurants; and does Vegas ever top the charts with more fabulous, gourment chefs and restaurants than we can handle at any one time. Thus, our return. Julian Serrano's is wonderful....love the tapas and a yummy drink called a Flamenco; Grey Goose L'Orange, Grand Marnier, mango puree with Habenero chile infusion, lime juice, house-made agave simple syrup and club soda....so refreshing. We're taking note of your wine selections and are going to give them a try...always like to try something new. Your website and blog and incredible. I'll be checking in periodically. What a blessing that you enjoy life to the fullest the way you do. Life is too short!

Quote 'life is too short'. - certainly is the way some people eat! just had to say that.. Now I will move on to something more interesting.

What could be more interesting than collective shaking of bon-bons, a lost purse returned with $2oo intact, and a eucalyptus sauna?

Ok, maybe a civet plug, but other than that...

"that’s where we flaunted our fancy selves."

You've gots that right toots.
Anyone who writes like that, and uses fancy shmancy words like "amuse-bouche" is either filthy rich, or just imagines they are. Perhaps your majesty made it all up for the amusement of the paupers on this list.

Would you care to recommend a capuccino cleansing treatment of the rear orifice?

POMAH,

I'll assume you are being funny. Our comments are actually rather similar with you mentioning a a capuccino cleansing treatment of the rear orifice and my reference to the civet plug.

Goddess, you gave a well written and entertaining trip report about Las Vegas that doesn't deserve snide remarks.

Even for those of us who do not want to order what you did or "flaunt our fancy selves" it was a fun read.

Was the fabulous report actually about Las Vegas or was it about any city with fabulous restaurants? I think this is a foodie report not a trip report and would have been better placed on Chowhound, after all, the OP even called the desert sun the "dessert" sun.

And how exactly is it a "vacation" if you're taking meticulous notes on how much everything costs and how everything was "plated"? And no wonder Julian Serrano was turning over 3 tables while you sat there and made notes that your wine had "notes of tar."

I'm glad, however, that you didn't leave out that one wine had notes of South African beeswax. This sort of information is invaluable to a foodie and I hope you have cross-posted on Chowhound where this report will be much-appreciated.

So it is a foodie report? So what? I'm not a foodie but if restaurants and spas and such make the Las Vegas trip for the poster, then that's what the poster should write about.

What upsets me is when the focus is fancy food in remote locations where the purpose of going to such a location is nature not food, yet expectations are for haute cuisine. Then such emphasis on food is out of place, especially if it is critical. Similarly, emphasis on the poor birdwatching opportunities on the strip would be out of place. But Vegas is center of excess and indulgence and that's what we have with this report.

I would think these unique dining experiences will appeal to certain potential Las Vegas visitors and they'd enjoying learning what they can eat where.

Oh, and let me add a personal food experience here. The 99 cent shrimp cocktail at Golden Nugget is legendary, even though I think it has gone up a buck to $1.99.

Party on Goddess. Maybe I'll see you at the hors d'oeuvres table some day.

Everyone travels differently, and this report illustrates exactly what many people go to Las Vegas for...relaxation, food, shopping. Sorry, not everyone wants to tour the dam and Lake Meade, fly to the Grand Canyon, or wander in the desert.

Some of you people need to get over yourselves. I found Goddesses report to be interesting and entertaining, some of you didn't, so then just move on. People write their personal experiences, they aren't writing a travelogue.

Wow, I can't believe the snotty responses to this trip report. And people wonder why some travelers don't post reports, which by the way take a lot of time and effort.

It is a wonderful report, full of interesting information and gives a sense of the fun visit these two had. Thank you Goddess for taking the time, it was a fun read.

"I think this is a foodie report not a trip report and would have been better placed on Chowhound,"

I agree 100%.
And why is her blog written in the 3rd person? Did someone else write her bio? Is she some over educated, French speakin', amuse-bouche eatin', snub who thinks a trip to Vegas is about food?
This could be a prank ifcourse.

POMAH,

You're being funny again, right?

Perhaps we are witness to several cases of caloric envy.

Trip reports amaze me, all the details that people go into. I could never do that and wonder how they're done. Are you taking notes down into your cellphone during each course of the meal etc? Does it annoy the people that you're traveling with? Or do the people who write these extensive trip reports just have phenomenal memories about things like which wine tasted of South African beeswax.

I enjoyed the report but a title of "eating our way through Vegas" might have kept others from the disappointment of reading and reading just waiting for something to happen besides food.

P.S. What pray tell is molecular mozzarella and what is rocoto mayo?

"molecular mozzarella and what is rocoto mayo"?

How would anyone know, unless they've graduated from something called a "Wine & Spirit Education Trust". ahem. amen.
In the words of Robin Leach... "Champagne wishes and caviar dreams."

Great report. Thanks for the link with the pics.

Oh my...such incredibly childish responses to someone who took the time to write an interesting trip report that one can choose, if it doesn't interest them, NOT to read. This is what really turns me off the Fodors Forum. Grow up people...POMAH.....YOU have a real problem.Vegas flaunts it's gourmet dining and top chefs and this report focused on just that very aspect.No wonder people don't want to write trip reports.

Thank you for this report. We are going to Vegas later this week, and you may well have talked me into tapas at Aria.

GREAT report! Wow... this place has gotten mean...

It was wonderful and I enjoyed it all and giggled at your writing style.

We love Vegas and I do not gamble. I love a nice hotel room and enjoyed your photos and by your appearance I would say you do not dine in this fashion every day or have the best metabolism known to man-kind.

I would travel with you any day! :)

My goodness, you go away for a little while, and a fight breaks out. :-)

I debated for quite a while before posting the link to my personal website. The reason I did it is because I wanted to share my photos, I stand behind every word I write, and I do not feel I should hide behind the anonymity the Internet can offer.

When dining with a companion, I always ask if they mind my taking pictures and/or notes. For this trip, I was accompanied by a dear friend who took just as many pictures of her food as I did of mine. We went on this trip looking for an extraordinary food experience, and we found it. Neither one of us is rich (not even close!), nor are we pretentious. We each set personal goals, saved our money, and when we reached our goals we rewarded ourselves with some girl time.

To those who offered words of encouragement and support, you have my sincere thanks. For those who brought out the brickbats, I have no words.

<i>"My goodness, you go away for a little while, and a fight breaks out."</i>

A food fight in this case. Duck! Womeone just threw a pineapple granita. A near miss.

This is a great trip report. I really enjoyed it, and since I just took a very different kind of trip to Las Vegas, found a different perspective really interesting.

The Wynn is a beautiful resort, and one of the many great things about Las Vegas is that it is perfectly fine to walk around in those sumptuous environs and spend a small amount of money, even for those who cannot afford to stay there. We spent a very enjoyable chunk of afternoon walking around, window shopping and enjoying the decor, essentially for free, since we got free slot play for joining their club, which pretty much cancelled out the nine dollars worth of soda water from Parasol Up.

Envy for those who can afford a particular indulgence is ill-becoming, and it is rude to comment on other people's eating habits.