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| - Le Cirque in the Bellagio has the formula for a perfect restaurant figured out -- gorgeous ambiance and Michelin-grade cuisine, coupled with a fun vibe and none of the stuffiness or pretentiousness that I typically associate with Vegas fine dining.
I was flying solo on a Friday night, so I dropped by Le Cirque since I had read on Yelp that it was very solo-diner-friendly. Even though I had made a reservation just to be safe, I found it to be unnecessary since I was able to settle into the cozy bar and enjoy the full dinner service there. It was also a good vantage point from which to enjoy the vintage-circus-themed murals and carnival tent decor.
The whole night, I was taken care of by the bartender, Gene. He started me off with a "déjà vu" cocktail (gin, St. Germain, cucumber puree), and a few slices of complementary (and dangerously addictive) walnut chocolate bread. It was served in a stunning long-stemmed martini glass and tasted delicious. Gene was friendly and chatty, and made me feel very comfortable and welcome as a solo diner.
I'm a believer in "go big or go home", so I opted for Le Cirque's multi-course degustation menu. Although Le Cirque bills itself as French restaurant, the dishes feature flavors culled from all over the place. Here's the list of what I tasted:
AMUSE BOUCHE -- minced cucumber with hibiscus foam.
COURSE #1 -- Scottish salmon gravlax with quail egg, pickled onion, baby radish, blini, lemon creme fraiche, and salmon caviar
COURSE #2 -- sauteed foie gras, kumquats, baby turnips, and pomegranate reduction
COURSE #3 -- potato-crusted Mediterranean sea bass with braised leeks and Pinot noir wine reduction
COURSE #4 -- espelette-crusted Colorado lamb chop with couscous, baby zucchini, turnips, tomato confit, and navarin
PRE-DESSERT -- tequila sorbet with grapefruit shaved ice and Pop Rocks
DESSERT -- chocolate ball with praline mousse, white chocolate ice cream, and hazelnut caramel
PETIT FOURS -- an assortment of four small pastries
Every bite of this meal was perfection. Picking out a favorite or best would be impossible. I loved it all. In terms of sheer visual appeal, the gravlax was a work of art on a plate. In terms of indulgence, the foie gras wins hands down. In terms of elevating a simple concept into something extraordinary, the winner would be the sea bass and leeks. In terms of dinner-as-performance, the chocolate ball deserves kudos, since it's an incredible sight to behold to watch the a perfect chocolate sphere dissolve in front of your very eyes, revealing the ice cream inside.
An unexpected treat was receiving a small gilded box with two additional petit fours as a goodbye gift. Another nice touch was receiving an email from the G.M. the next day thanking me for my patronage.
Just reminiscing about my evening at Le Cirque puts a smile on my face. It was a 5-star experience in all possible ways.
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