Can anyone recommend a place located in either Wynn or Encore that's non-Asian (g/f won't eat Asian cuisine)?

Eating at the Twist in the Mandarin Oriental is an adventure, and I mean that in a good way.You take an express elevator up to the 23rd floor and find a small restaurant with views of both the strip and their kitchen. Twist serves you, unbidden, a number of small treats including potato chips with sardines, sesame bread sticks with a whipped tuna dip, a chopped salad consisting of cuttlefish, bell peppers and onions, tiny button cheese crackers with wings and small cubes of Jack Daniels in gelatin. I ordered the mushroom broth and gnocchi which came with a side of bloody mary sorbet. My main course, Dover sole looked more like calamari strips in a pink sauce. Garnish for the sole were two small dishes of tart apple sauce or sorrel. Side dishes included steamed broccoli. Dinner for four with drinks came to $465. All the food was top notch, playful and a suprise. After dinner we went down the hall to the Mandarin bar. A table next to the floor to ceiling windows makes you feel like you are floating over the strip. To the North is the Planet Hollywood, MGM and Paris. Unfortunately right across the strip is a tacky hawaiian Marketplace and golden McDonalds arches. The Madarin restrooms are all black marble with black commodes and dim lighting. Felt like a cave. This was the only negative of the restaurant and bar.

actually I think SW steakhouse in the Wynn is pretty good. Not as awesome as CUT but still a very good steakhouse.

the dirty secret is that you often dont even need to tip to get that table, you just need to be charming. Personality is often all the incentive the host/hostess needs for them to find you that special table.

The only high-end Asian places between the two hotels are Wing Lei and Okada, both at Wynn. So don't go there I guess.

Aside from non-Asian, what kind of place are you looking for?

Italian, steak, seafood, and even French would be fine. I'm somewhat interested about Sinatra at Encore as well.

Every time I'm in Vegas I end up going to DB Brasserie-- mainly to satisfy my love of charcuterie.

They also have a killer burger-- with foie gras in the center.

Service has always been excellent and the sommelier's wine suggestions have been perfect. Unlike so many restaurants, they also score points for serving wine at the right temperatures.

Has noone mentioned Aquaknox yet? Great food, incredible service, good wine list, gotta get the seafood platter, and the pear martinis are incredible

is eating steak considered fine dining in America? I don't get it

If you like seafood try Bartalotta @ Wynn. If you care to go very high end try Alex. (tab there will run you at least twice as much as other Wynn/Encore restaurants.)

Yes - if you like seafood, DO NOT MISS THIS PLACE!!

Steak in itself is not high end dining. And people will distinguish a place like Craft from Joel Rubuchon or Guy Savoy by noting that it is a steakhouse.

But steakhouses are their own style of restaurant, and there are tiers in that class. A place like Craft or SW Steakhouse aren't the Argentine steak places you are going to find in Belgium or Amsterdam.

They are higher end restaurants, specializing in steak as entrees. There is an expectation of a certain level of service and quality at someplace like Cut or Craft.

Typically they will also have tasting menus that also showcase seafood, vegetable plates, etc., that won't be on offer at mid range or lower end steakhouses (or for that matter, most mid range or lower end restaurants of any kind).



Agree with this. If you want a good restaurant, and like Italian cuisine and seafood, you will enjoy Bartolotta. Family style serving means that the plating is not necessarily the fanciest, but everything else about the meal was fantastic.

Ok thx for clearing that up Stevie, I only been to las vegas once, stayed at Circus Circus and one thing I remember was the steakhouse.

and it was pretty good with good price

i will have to hit the circus circus steakhouse next time. i am amazed antything in cc is mentioned in this thread.

I haven't been to Sinatra but I've heard and it appears to be very pedestrian yet Wynnpriced. For steak go to SW Steakhouse, seafood has got to be Bartolotta. Daniel Boulud is great for French but they will be closing soon.

Was at Sinatra last August with the wife, we both thought it was very good. It is a limited menu and the service isn't anything above what you would expect at a place like it, but the food was worth it. I had the Milanese and my wife had a special of filet mignon that was fantastic. We also shared the risotto which was amazing. We each had an appetizer (tonno and the caprese) and a dessert that was ok, but unmemorable. I would go back again.

Now, has anyone been to Rao's in Caesars? I'm interested...

Rao's is pretty good italian food with a chill atmosphere

Rao's is more upscale Italian American.

its not all that upscale imo especially considering this is a fine dining thread and its way way way on the low end of that spectrum

And the dishes you mention above, plus my looking at the menu, make it sound like it's just a typical Americanized Italian place (albeit well-executed), but much higher priced.

I haven't been to Sinatra yet either because if I want Italian I tend to want Tuscan food, not Italian American which this place seems to be. But I do want to eat there eventually, the decor is stunning.

So are you guys saying that to order a steak medium well or well done is basically a waste of money? Might as well buy a burger?

Personally I think it completely obliterates the taste and texture, but if you like it like that then order away. Not to be a jerk, I have just never understood why anyone would want their steak cooked well-done. Anyone care to fill me in?

There are many steak preps that include a medium-well, or well done preparation, for example some Mexican carne asada type dishes. Its my personal opinion that when your eating in a fine dining establishment your going to have the best meal if you just say "however the chef recommends" - they Chef knows best, trust his/her vision IMO. Most of the time the chef will recommend medium rare, but not always... your paying top dollar, you might as well eat it as the chef envisioned the dish in the first place IMO!

I think I could get down to medium but not medium rare. I might have to stick to high end burgers if I want a nice piece of meat. :P

What is the taste difference between salmon and sea bass? I want to venture out to different fish other than salmon and sea bass seems like a natural extension. Who makes the best sea bass dish in Vegas?