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| - As a local Las Vegan, I consider myself lucky to have the opportunity to visit and re-visit some of the highly touted restaurants, entertainment, hotels, and all the excitement Las Vegas has to offer that the tourist typically only gets one shot at. And, usually, I am not disappointed with the offerings the many celebrity chefs have put such great effort to create. However, after being disappointed on numerous occasions when visiting this restaurant, I feel compelled to write about it. This last experience was just last night. After a concert at HOB, three friends walked by Aureole's and saw a sign on an easel that read something like: Happy Hour (hours) Try our Sommelier selections of wine, and our specialty drinks." So, we descend to the bar level and ask about the sommelier selections available for Happy Hour. The waiter brings a bottle of Pinot Noir from "California." Not Napa, Sonoma, Paso, Santa Barbara, or Watts, for that matter. It was simply from "California." We look it up on our smartphones and find that sells for $6.99. We turn it down and instead, I order a glass of sparkling. My friend orders a scotch and water. The sparkling tasted like it was left in a cooler with a plate of cold cuts and cheeses. It smelled awful and tasted awful. My friend, who ordered a scotch and water got a tall glass of water that tasted like ... water. It was so watered down. It seems to me that a "sommelier selection" should do more than leave a bad taste in one's mouth. Was this guy passing off a bad decision to buy a bad wine on his guests as a Happy Hour? And, any bartender who serves a scotch and water the way this was served should be horsewhipped! Used to be that restaurant specials were meant to highlight the wonderful capabilities of the chef and staff.. Nowadays, it seems specials are simply used to clear out the fridge of bad decisions. And, after having written this review, I have to say that Charlie Palmer is a great chef. He has proven it time and time again. However, there is a theory that states: "The whole is only as good as the sum of it's parts." This theory fits my experience at Aureole's. There are too many negatives to call this restaurant a positive.
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