"1"^^ . "2011-01-31T00:00:00"^^ . "2"^^ . "2"^^ . "What is up with the restaurants at The Bellagio? First a totally disastrous outing with Michael Mina. An entirely mediocre experience at Olive and last night Jean-George's troops were struggling for mediocrity.\n\nUpon making reservations, we were alerted to the dress code. Jackets required. I dressed well and upon arriving a large portion of the clientele was jacketless...some downright funky. If you're going to state the rules, stick with them.\n\nUpon being seated in the beautiful surroundings we were offered menus and the wine list. The wine selection was broad and deep. The markups were also broad and deep. I know many of the wines represented and they were unreasonably priced. Silly. A glass of Veuve Cliquot was considerably more than what I'd pay for a bottle. \n\nThe food....well, it was mixed. The bread was awesome. The sourdough was excellent but the pretzel bread was the real winner. We each got a piece. When I asked for another I was told they were running low and there would be no more pretzel bread for us. That was really too bad because it was the best thing on the table all evening. It was that good. I began with a salad...Heirloom Tomatoes, Burrata Cheese, Mussini Balsamic & Basil. The tomatoes were purple...a bit firm but OK. The dish was, well, ok. Kinda bland but passable. I had a steak waiting for me, right?\n\nUnfortunately, yes. A Peppercorn New York Steak with Red Onion Compote. The compote was good. The steak was very tough. Cooked to a good medium rare, it was stringy and hard to eat. I ate less than half of it. Too much work. My guest is lactose intolerant which means no butter. The kitchen could not see it's way to prepare the carrots without butter. Same with the Brussels Sprouts. Maybe if we knew Jean-Georges Vongerichten...the enfant terrible of the food scene. Ah well. \n\nI wonder if Jean-Georges has ever been in Las Vegas. Nonetheless, I'd advise to wander across the hall to Picasso or head off to the Palms to visit Alize. Now they know what they're doing.\n\n1.5 stars."^^ . "5"^^ . . . .