New restaurants at The Palazzo are refueling Las Vegas dining and providing appetizing answers to “where shall we eat?”
Are you in the mood for a great bowl of hearty soup or a fast, flavorful meal in a fun setting? Mainland (as in China) prepares lots of tasty choices.Do you want to immerse yourself in world-class, multi-course gourmet dining? Restaurant Charlie provides a sublime meal and serene setting.

Are you determined to satiate your craving for beef? Wolfgang Puck’s CUT is a rare find. Given the variety of restaurants at The Palazzo, the biggest question is which one to choose. Parking is a snap, either valet off the Strip under the building or self-park off Sands. It’s also easy to find the restaurants encircling the casino. But, unless the signage has improved since we researched this article in late May, you may have to hunt for those on The Palazzo Shoppes level. However, they’re worth the search. www.palazzolasvegas.com

In a Glass by Itself: Double Helix
A sleek, chic wine lounge with high tables and chairs and a full-service bar, Double Helix occupies a domed Palazzo Shoppes roundabout. What’s more, if you want to buy a wine you enjoyed by the glass, their retail shop nearby stocks them all giving a 10% discount to locals.

A restaurateur by profession, owner Ray Nisi comes from a family of doctors, hence his choice of the genetic shape of DNA, the double helix, as the name of his convivial enclave amid bling and boutiques. “Wine in moderation has been shown to be healthy,” he added as further explanation.

The Double Helix wine list is eclectic and includes about 45 high-quality wines by the glass, among them some scarce gems like Von Simmern Rieslings from the Rheingau, Ken Wright Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley, and “The Prisoner” from Swift Cellars of Oregon. Although they offer several flights by region or varietal, you can create your own, with either a 2-oz. taste or 5-oz. pour. They have a full bar for the non-wine drinker and run sports programs on plasma TVs set into the back bar. Hooks under the edge of the bar hold handbags, briefcases, or shopping bags; and they’ll even check shopping bags in the wine shop. If you’re hungry, light fare is provided by nearby Emeril’s Table 10.

Hours: Sunday–Thursday, 10A.M.–11P.M.;
till midnight Friday and Saturday. Food available
11A.M. to 10P.M. Phone: 735-WINE

Fresh, Flavorful, Fast: Mainland
Giant red, purple, and green “mushrooms” erupt from floor to ceiling in this bright, airy, casual restaurant in a remote corner of The Palazzo Shoppes. James Bond themes, soft jazz, and easy rock add to the upbeat atmosphere. This is a great place to go with friends or to make friends since the colorful circular tables with curved, backless benches seat from eight to 32.

Chef Hisham Johari, who hails from Malaysia, cooked at Red 8 at Wynn and Noodles at Bellagio. Food portions are ample and meant to be shared. To start, we chose duck pot stickers with plum relish, grilled calamari with a red chili sour sauce, and grilled chicken skewers with tamarind sauce, each with a deliciously different taste.

From among 10 noodle soups, we ordered beef soup with rice noodles—thinly sliced beef (very tender), Thai basil, cilantro, and bean sprouts, and steamed Manila clams (very fresh) with grass noodles in cilantro-lime broth. Each serving could be a meal in itself. A grilled pork chop on chilled rice vermicelli, lettuce, cucumber and bean sprouts added a tangy cilantro, mint, and pickled carrot vinaigrette. Another flavor explosion was zesty braised short ribs with a lemongrass-galangai sauce and toasted coconut rice.
They have a good sake list, full bar, “cocktails for two,” and novel alcoholic milkshakes. Food quality is high; prices are low, ranging from $7 to $15 per dish.

Hours: Sunday–Wednesday, 11-11; Thursday-Saturday, till midnight.
Phone: 739-6462.

All in the Family: WOO
Fans of the Mayflower Restaurant, a neighborhood favorite for 30 years, will find the Woo Family in a new home, WOO Restaurant, at The Palazzo Shoppes. “We never imagined we’d see our family name in lights on the Strip,” said general manager Theresa Woo. “We came from Hong Kong in the 1960s, and this proves that with hard work, anything is possible.”

Matriarch Ming See Woo, who, with her husband, Henry, established Mayflower, was the long-time chef. Now their son Peter, who launched Nobu at Hard Rock and was Executive Chef there for six years, is now executive chef of WOO. However, Ming See is still a presence in the kitchen as both proprietor and sous chef and also strolls around the dining room greeting guests.
Simplicity reigns in both decor and food. Ecologically-oriented designer Anne Snelling-Lee of Boston has used sustainable bamboo walls and table tops and worm-eaten Butternut wood panels to set an unpretentious environment. American slate tile floors, round windows, and a cream and chocolate brown color scheme add to the ambiance.

Chef Peter’s contemporary Chinese menu is spiked with Thai and Japanese influences and is meant to be shared. It’s divided among cold and hot starters, salads, hot dishes, sizzling platters, and dinner entrées, as well as dim sum and desserts. Our sweet and tender seared scallop with Yuzu had a colorful crunch of shredded beets and zing from aji panka Peruvian chili. Braised Berkshire pork belly with a tamarind glaze was enveloped by a profiterole (they also offer a Peking duck profiterole). Chinese chicken salad “popped” with a honey-mustard vinaigrette. Their sizzling platter of lobster was hugely popular throughout the dining room. They put a tangy twist on seared foie gras served with orange jicama and Mongolian sauce.

After we ate every bite of the outstanding Mongolian grilled lamb chops with macadamia crust and cilantro mint sauce, we were ready to quit. However, we couldn’t resist the almond cake topped with Granny Smith apples and an exotic marmalade of passion fruit, pineapple, mango, and papaya accompanied by coconut sorbet.

Hours: Sunday–Thursday, 11:30A.M.–11P.M.;
till midnight, Friday–Saturday.
Phone: 699-8WOO (8966)

South of the Border: Dos Caminos
The bright red neon sign for Dos Caminos is visible from virtually every area of the casino. You enter along a ramp with a water feature cascading down each side and go into the dramatic bar and lounge where serpentine leather benches and round cocktail tables snake their way down the room towards individual nooks with sofas and plasma TVs. Bottle service, VIP areas, and DJs ratchet up the late-night action.

Themes of Mexico’s famous holiday the Day of the Dead dominate panels behind the bar and on the divider between the bar and dining room. One wall of the dining room is hung with over 1200 skulls. Colorful posters cover the other walls and mask the black, industrial-warehouse-style ceiling.

Corporate Executive Chef Scott Linquist’s forays into the Mexican countryside have given classic Mexican cuisine a boost. The chunky, made-to-order guacamole is a must. If you can’t make up your mind among the three ceviches—tuna, lobster, and a crustacean combination—order a “trio” of all three. Chef Linquist had just introduced a delicious ahi tuna poached in aromatic olive oil and served as a salad with fire roasted Anaheim chili rellano. “It’s not in any way related to Chicken of the Sea,” he quipped.
Sweet and flaky sea bass lolled in an olive-tomato sauce with a kick that was tempered by potato slices. The meat fell off the bones of the Niman Ranch chipotle BBQ ribs in a spicy sauce with black bean and chorizo chili and cumin braised cabbage. Dessert was overwhelming—a platter of coconut bombe with tropical fruit ceviche, chocolate mousse cake with pistachio ice cream, and a Mexican banana split with churros and caramelized plantains. The huge tequila list (35) includes blanc, reposada, añejo, and extra añejo, served with custom-flavored salts.

Hours: Lunch, Monday–Friday, 11–4; brunch, Saturday and Sunday, 11–4; dinner daily 4–11; late night tasting menu. The lounge is open until at least 1A.M. Phone: 577-9600, www.brguestrestaurants.com

Chopsticks Riff with a Latin Beat: SushiSamba
When I asked managing partner Matt Johnson how two such divergent cuisines wound up sharing the kitchen at SushiSamba, he gave me a quick history lesson: Japanese farmers emigrated to Brazil to develop coffee plantations around 1908. Roughly seven years later, the Brazilian government reclaimed the coffee fields and left the Japanese without a livelihood. They turned to fishing.

“Today the largest overseas Japanese settlements are in Sao Paulo and Lima,” he said.
SushiSamba’s main dining room extends out into the shopping corridor and has a bar, sushi bar, raw bar, and open Robata (wood-burning) grill. Sugarcane, the adjacent ultra lounge, breaks the sound barrier Thursday through Saturday nights and offers bottle service, entertainment, and a DJ. “We expect every night to be Carnivale,” Matt said.

Expect exciting cocktails based on fresh fruits and juices and “cashasha,” the national rum, and “Capariñia,” the national drink. They also shake a mean strawberry Saketini and pour a Sakegria. Tiffany Soto, the first woman master sake sommelier in Las Vegas, will help you navigate these exotic libations. Their signature “cocktail” tree has twelve branches, each “blooming” with a 3-oz. drink.
“We are a food-driven, not chef-driven restaurant,” Matt stated. “Chefs from our seven restaurants get together and collaborate.” He described Robata cooking as very simple, relying only on salt, pepper, lemon, and rum sauces and marinades. Among the foods they’re grilling are lobster, baby lamb chops, and veggies. Also on the menu are “anticuchos,” Peruvian street food on skewers—shrimp, chicken livers, meats—served on a bed of Peruvian corn, which Matt defined as “corn on steroids.” They source their fish from the famous Tsikiji
market in Japan.

SushiSamba’s opening date was scheduled for late June, when this issue of Luxury
was already on the press. Call before you go. Tentative daily hours: 11A.M.–4A.M.;
late night menu from 11P.M.; Sugarcane, Thursday-Saturday, 10 p.m.–4 a.m.
Phone: 607-7777, www.sushisamba.com

Dining with the Cars: Dal Toro
You can’t miss the famous “Toro” logo on the left just inside The Palazzo’s valet entrance. The curved staircase leads to Dal Toro, the restaurant of this two-story temple to everything Lamborghini. You can also take the straight staircase, pass the sports book, and then hang a left into the espresso bar and café. On its right is a chrome and glass retail boutique which sells baby “onesies,” vests, and orange bikinis, all with the logo, and collectible cars. Next is the Lamborghini Las Vegas dealership of Mark Chase, owner of Symbolic Motors/Lamborghini USA. Actual cars worth $200,000-$250,000 each provide eye-candy as you wend your way to the restaurant past a circular indoor-outdoor bar.

Chef Fiorenzo Trunzo from Il Fornaio and Caneletto is in charge of the Italian fare. There’s a 200-seat, ground-level outdoor patio that’s bounded by a 100-foot tiered Palladian fountain. Inside, Italian red Murano glass chandeliers, costing $100K each, illuminate a room of highly polished wood tables, bold red and orange-striped booths, and faux finished red and gold walls. A thick, rustic communal table seats 20.A “club level” sound system reverberates throughout. Two wine cellars with vine-mural ceilings, one for red wines, one for white, seat six to eight people in a glass enclosure complete with flat-screen plasma TVs and internet access.
A white and gray marble staircase with color-changing LED lighting and padded black leather walls connects the dealership with the super-car gallery of ultra-expensive Bugattis, Saleens, Spybers, Lotuses, perhaps even a Rolls Royce Phantom, displayed on a Brazilian walnut floor. Estimated value of the collection is $12 to $14 million dollars. All are for sale. Legitimate buyers are admitted free. Others may view the cars for a fee (TBD).

Dal Toro was scheduled for a late
June opening. Call before you go.
Daily hours: Coffee Shop, 9–9; Restaurant lunch, 11–4, dinner, 4–11.
Phone: 437-9800

More than Mushrooms: Morels French Steakhouse & Bistro
From the spacious upper level terrace at Morels, diners have front row seats for the TI Sirens. However, the food upstages the show.
Morels serves a roster of steaks, both wet- and dry-aged from the Midwest, and Japanese A-5 Wagyu beef, with your choice of sauces, plus traditional sides. However, for a different accompaniment, try Executive Chef Eric Bauer’s Provence-style ratatouille with elephant garlic chips or the broccoli rabe with toasted almonds and golden raisins. There’s also rich and hearty Chef’s Mac and Cheese with country ham.

Unique features are an iced seafood bar and a showcase of house-made charcuterie and gourmet sausages and over 50 farmhouse and artisan cheeses. The sausages come from Italy, France, and the US. The international cheeses, served with honeycomb, fig and nut bread, and date and walnut cake, are made of domestic or imported cow’s, goat’s, or sheep’s milk, or are a blend—Cashel blue from Ireland, Lincolnshire Poacher from England, Clisson from Bordeaux, Torta la Serena from Spain, not to mention Coupole from Vermont, Fog Lights from California, and Rouge River Blue from Oregon.

Their wine program is equally inspired. The wide-ranging list offers bottles, half bottles, and 70 wines by the glass. An Enomatic dispenses 24 wines in 2-, 5-, and 8-oz. pours. If you’ve always wanted to taste spectacular cult wines but balked at the prices, you can sip them by the ounce, depending on availability, of course, for a fraction of the bottle cost. It’s still a hefty price tag...but within reach; for example, Colgin “Cariad,” 2-oz. $130; 5-oz. $325; 8-oz. $520, or Rubicon at 2-oz. $24; 5-oz. $60; 8-oz. $96.
If wine isn’t your thing, try an exclusive cocktail created by master mixologist Livio Lauro, maybe with tasty bar snacks like grilled American Wagyu sliders, house-made tuna prosciutto, or potato and chorizo Rockefeller.

Hours: Lunch, Monday–Friday, 11:30–3; brunch, Saturday and Sunday, 8–3;
dinner Monday–Thursday, 5–11, Friday–Saturday, till midnight, Sunday, 5–10. Lounge hours match meal hours. Phone: 607-6335

Cut to the Chase: Wolfgang Puck’s CUT
When our server brought a tray laden with raw beef to our table, it was obvious CUT is serious about its steaks. Three cuts of American Wagyu/Angus “Kobe Style” beef (Snake River Farms, Idaho) were enveloped in a white napkin; the true Japanese 100% Wagyu beef from Kagoshima Prefecture, in Kyushu, Japan (two cuts), was identified by a black napkin. As if that weren’t enough, CUT also offers four cuts of U.S.D.A. Prime Illinois corn-fed beef aged 21 days and three cuts of U.S.D.A. Prime Nebraska corn-fed beef dry-aged 35 days. If this is too overwhelming, just order the “tasting” of New York Sirloin, which includes Nebraska Prime (4 oz.), American “Kobe Style” (4 oz.), and Japanese Wagyu (2 oz.). That’s what I did.

Executive Chef Matthew Hurley told me his grilling technique. Steaks are grilled over mesquite and charred to sear in the juices. Then they’re finished in a 1200° broiler for 30 seconds on each side and then an additional 30 seconds on the first side. Fantastic! The Nebraska Prime was tender with great texture. The “Kobe Style” had more fat and buttery flavor and softer texture. However, the Japanese Wagyu was the ultimate melt-in-your-mouth indulgence. Conservative Rod was delighted with his favorite, a petite filet.
Now, about the rest of our meal...A basket of “Gougeres,” spicy French Gruyere puffs, tuna tacos with a ginger wasabi kick, Kobe beef sliders with cheese pickles, and salsa, and Kobe sashimi with spicy radishes opened our meal. Creamed spinach with a fried (organic) egg and wild field mushrooms complemented our steaks. Hot mixed berry shortcake with vanilla ice cream and strawberry sorbet elegantly crowned my dinner. Rod went on his chocolate binge with a sensuous warm dark chocolate soufflé with whipped crème fraîche and Gianduja ice cream.

Must mention the wines. Head sommelier Lindsey Whipple chose a Gevrey-Chambertin, Vielle Vigne, from Domaine Fourrier and a Chianti Classico Riserva 1997 from Fattoria d’ Felsina. Excellent! CUT’s extensive wine list includes two novel sections: Esoteric Whites, listing Viognier, Grüner Veltliner, Torrontes, Chenin Blanc, Gerürztraminer, Pino Gris and Pinot Grigio; and Esoteric Reds, spotlighting Cab Franc, Palmina, Petite Sirah/Syrah, Barbera, Corvina (Amarone), and Malbec.
One additional note...The lively bar is a great place for pre- and post-theater interludes, and its “Rough Cuts” menu is a winner.

Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 5:30–10P.M.; Friday–Saturday till 10:30P.M.
Bar: 5P.M.–1A.M. Rough Cuts menu till
half hour after dining room closing. Phone: 607-6300. CUT is located on the casino level by The Palazzo Shoppes’ waterfall and escalators. www.wolfgangpuck.com

Red Wine with Beef: Mario Batali’s Carnevino Italian Steakhouse
Carnevino is a conundrum. The casino-level restaurant has four dining rooms encircling a long wing...two are charming, intimate “libraries” with a wrought iron fence defining their perimeter; the cavernous, Tuscan-yellow main dining room is a stark, barren vault. The tabloid-size menu devotes three pages to wine, especially expensive Italian reds, and one to food. Our food was delicious; our wines, disappointing; our service, dreadful.

First, the good news—the food of Executive Chef Zack Allen, the top toque. My appetizer special of the evening, duck egg on a bed of crunchy asparagus, was fresh and light. Both of our pastas were excellent: cannelloni with duck and Amarone liberally frosted with Asiago, a great balance of zing and richness, and “Spago,” al dente hand-rolled cordalatta pasta with lamb ragu and Pancetta dusted with Pecorino Romano. My sweetbreads “Al Boscaiolo” ranked among the best I’ve ever eaten; tender, sweet, and served with mushrooms and fava beans and al dente veggies. My husband’s thick, luscious, perfectly charred 12-ounce filet was sauced with a fabulous Bernaise. We also ordered a side of “Carciofi alla Romana” artichokes; really unusual, smoky, and spicy. For dessert, Rod enjoyed three gelatos swirled in a brandy snifter, and I devoured a Florentine rice tart.

Unfortunately, wait staff and wine service didn’t meet expectations for a prestige restaurant. Our server hyped the food as if he had a quota to meet. We asked our sommelier to pair wines with each course. Mistake. The Italian Brut was bubbleless and tasteless. The second, a Sangiovese blend, was equally vapid. At this point, my usually reticent husband told the sommelier we were unimpressed by the wines, to which he replied, “Well, you don’t expect me to pour the best ones first, do you?”  You betcha we do! And with every course! A tough call. Flip a coin.

Hours: 5–11 daily. Phone: 789-4141. www.mariobatali.com

A “Perfect” Score: Emeril’s Table 10
At Table 10 in The Palazzo Shoppes, Emeril Lagasse has developed yet another dining destination with distinctive decor, fabulous food, and fantastic service. Several people from other Emeril restaurants now call Table 10 home, including Chef de Cuisine John Paul Labadie and general manager Ki Song An, both from Emeril’s Fish House at MGM Grand. Table 10 has multiple dining areas—a “sidewalk” cafe extending into the mall, a large circular bar, two dining rooms, and chef’s table adjacent to the open kitchen. An elevated “dining bar” in front of the kitchen seats guests on high stools and gives them a bird’s-eye view of the chefs in action.

Table 10’s menu tantalizes. The AZ lettuce wrap (lunch) sets the taste pace with bibb lettuce surrounding sliced raw hamachi, sriracha chili sauce, cilantro, shaved jalapaños, and crisp wonton strips. At dinner, Hamachi stars as a cold starter in a tartare trio including salmon and tuna. Black truffle vinaigrette adds zip to grilled and chilled scallops, accompanied by addicting portobello mushroom fries. A salad of baby Bibb lettuce assumes a new identity with pickled fennel dressing, shaved parmesan, pickled red onions, and homemade bacon, crunchy and tangy.

A whole lobster claw dominates the rich lobster pot pie with sweet corn, mushrooms, leeks, and spinach in truffled sherry cream. On the lighter side, Bronzini (Mediterranean sea bass) basks in a savory Provencal relish of eggplant, onions, tomatoes, and Kalamata olives. Another seafood success is the miso-marinated black cod, a hot starter that has entrée potential. A big hit from the rotisserie, succulent roasted leg of lamb, is enhanced by a black truffle reduction.

You gain pounds just looking at the dessert menu. My favorites—deceptively innocent looking and absolutely sinful White Chocolate Malassadas rolled in Cinnamon Sugar with Vanilla Bean Crème Anglaise and satiny Sweet Potato Cheesecake with Graham Cracker Crust, Orange Marmalade and Pecan Praline Sauce.

Since we had ordered totally different dishes, we asked Sommelier Jean Paul Henaff to choose versatile wines for us. Great choices (available by glass or bottle)! A sparkler—2003 Cava Reserva de la Familia Brut, Juve y Camps, Penedes, Spain; 2005 Semillon “Seven Hills Vineyard,” L’Ecole No 41, Walla Walla Valley, Washington; and 2006 Sangiovese “Il Nero di Casanova,’ La Spinetta, Tuscany, Italy.

Hours: Monday–Thursday, 11–11, with light menu 2:30–5:30 and 10–11P.M.;
Friday and Saturday open till midnight, with light menu 2:30–5:30 and 11–midnight. Phone: 607-6363,
www.emerils.com

Welcome Back Trotter: Charlie Trotter’s Restaurant Charlie/Bar Charlie
When Charlie Trotter introduced his famed Chicago cuisine to Las Vegas in 1994, he was a prophet without a country. “Dining” was an undiscovered art. Eating and getting back to the tables was the name of the game. Now the tables are turned, and Chef Trotter’s triumphant return has launched Restaurant Charlie and Bar Charlie. Everything about them—decor, food, wine, cocktails, staff, service—is superlative.

Designer Joshua Zinder remarked that Chef Trotter didn’t want a “themed” restaurant. “He wanted it to be timeless,” he said, “and to reflect how he addresses his food—authentic, real materials, not a lot of glitz, simple, fresh, warm, and welcoming.”
Zinder achieved this effect with Sapelle wood in a “turtle shell” pattern in the main dining room, geometric forms, warm lighting, comfortable aqua chairs, and leather booths, all in blues, greens, and browns. In Bar Charlie he incorporated wood paneling and ceramic tiles, a fabric panel ceiling, and slate countertop. His biggest challenge was the Chef’s Skyloft, which is cantilevered out over the kitchen.

Connecting Bar Charlie and Restaurant Charlie is the cocktail bar. Seating is at tall, thin tables with bar stools. The “back bar” is shallow glass shelves that seem to float with very few bottles displayed. “The emphasis is on the drinks,” Zinder explained, “and illuminated disks on the bar top illuminate them from below.”

Bar Charlie offers a Japanese Kaiseki-style dining experience during which flavors progress from light to full. To watch the three chefs is to see art being created. There’s an eight-course tasting menu, a 14-course “meal,” and a la carte choices, both chilled and hot. It’s impossible to describe all the exquisite textures and flavors and the elegance of the presentation. Since we asked sommelier Desmond Echavarrie to pair sake and wines with what we were served, it was an amazing occasion. What was especially fascinating was his placing a sake “shot” glass in a lacquered box and then over-pouring so sake flowed into the box. “This is a Japanese tradition,” he explained, “to ensure prosperity.”

After three exceptional “courses” combining rice, seafood (shime saba, bigeye tuna, needlefish, cuttlefish, Japanese snapper), dried elements, citrus, ponzu, sea weed, we moved to Restaurant Charlie where Matthias Merges is Executive Chef de Cuisine. Our marine exploration continued with terrine of Maine skate wing, braised octopus, and roasted wild Alaskan halibut. “We knew there were three steakhouses at Palazzo,” Chef Trotter told me, “so we wanted to do something different and focused on seafood.” Nevertheless, our last course before dessert was a rich, “true” Japanese Omi beef strip loin. Since Desmond had, again, paired wines with each dish, we had a marvelous wine quest with selections from Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Hungary by the end of the evening.
The finale of our culinary tour de force was staged in the Chef’s Skyloft. The two-story, white-tile walls are the canvas for tile seafood and citrus panels. A strawberry mint salad and sorbet and steamed cacao nib cake concluded our extraordinary dining experience.

Hours: Sunday–Thursday, 5–10; Friday and Saturday, till 11P.M. Phone: 607-6336, www.charlietrotters.com

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