| rev:text
| - The Girl and I went here on a quick trip to Vegas a few weeks ago. It was a pricey day of pampering, from treatments at Bath House, to dinner at Alex, to a showing of Le Reve.
I called the week before and they were very accommodating since Wynn houses both Alex and Le Reve. We were given a 6:30pm reservation, plenty of time to enjoy dinner and walk the 500 feet over to Le Reve.
When we got there, it was still fairly empty, but by the time we left at 8:30pm it was filled to near capacity. The place is ornately furnished and dimly lit, the tables are spread out and the ceilings are very very high. The lavishness of the surroundings is astounding. The atrium is atop a staircase that looks over the dining area. The bathroom is no slouch, either. For the women, they had these little stools that you could put your handbag on. It was ornate but somewhat funny looking. They had all the unused ones lined up against a wall which made them look like little booster chairs. For babies. In 19th century England. For royalty. Who wipe their tushes with gold leaf.
HUGE wine list but The Girl and I are essentially teetotalers. At least that night we were. This place costs a pretty penny. We got the tasting menu sans alcohol and still paid $500 flat including tax and tip. A more detailed review of each dish to follow. All in all, the experience was excellent but I've only had 2 other meals that cost this much per person and both outshined this one. We definitely enjoyed ourselves and had a memorable time, but I walked away thinking that it simply cost too much. Were it about 25-30% less expensive, it might be a 5.
Bread. Whipped butter with sea salt and your option of four breads. I can't remember them all but one was rosemary and another was toasted corn. Very good. [4/5]
Amuse Bouche, Carpaccio on breadsticks and mini croquettes, ahi tuna tartare and butternut squash puree.
Very good start to the meal. All very tasty little morsels, particularly the tartare and the croquettes. [5/5]
Nantucket Bay Scallop Crudo with Dashi Pearls, Miso flakes and Osetra caviar. The scallops were sweet and tender and the osetra caviar (my first in a LONG time!) was perfect. The saltiness of the dashi and caviar complemented the sweet scallops. [5/5]
Spiny lobster and fresh hearts of palm, sea urchin and black truffles. The lobster was succulent and slightly sweet. The palm added a different and welcome texture. The urchin and truffles added just a touch of earthiness (I sound like an Iron Chef judge) that went well. [5/5]
Seared foie gras with caramelized onions, brussel sprouts and spiced apple broth. I'm not a huge foie gras fan but I can eat a few morsels. For foie gras lovers this must be heaven. It was flavorful and rich and after about half I simply couldn't eat any more. The onions and apple broth soothed my palate a little but cutting into the richness, but I could only withstand so much. [3/5]
Brioche crusted aji with roasted fennel, provencal relish and balsamic-red wine sauce. The brioche crust added an interesting crunchiness, but combined with the wine sauce I think the taste of the aji got lost. [4/5]
Japanese wagyu beef with shallot-bone marrow gratin, parsnip puree and bordelaise sauce. This is what brought us to Alex, the Wagyu beef. It was definitely medium rare and cooked perfectly. The gratin was interesting and it was good although I'm not a huge fan of bordelaise sauce. [5/5]
Meyer lemon parfait gratin with vanilla citrus. At first this dessert didn't look too interesting, but the lemon parfait was just tart enough and the fruit on the bottom was sweeter than we thought, which was a good thing. [4/5]
Dark chocolate and cherry port caramel with hazelnut nougat. This thing was HUGE (that's what she said). Dark chocolate (it seemed like it was fondant, but I'm not sure) was smothered over a marshmallowey bar with caramel. The presentation was excellent but I didn't quite get the mix of creme and crunchy hazelnut. Nevertheless, it tasted good and we were glad we had a large dessert to finish the meal. [4/5]
All in all, the experience was excellent and we had a great time. They even gave me the menu so I could record it as I am doing right now. We also left with a little box of freshly made macaroons which we've only opened last weekend but still taste good.
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