MIX in Las Vegas

3950 Las Vegas Blvd South, Las Vegas 877 632 7000

 

Castles and pyramids are dwarfed when you’re whisked 400 feet above the desert for what is sure to be an unprecedented dinning experience.  When an establishment can warrant that its patrons fly into a city just to partake of its culinary experience, it can aptly be christened as a destination restaurant.  Chef Alan Ducasse, one of the planet’s most diversified and famous French chefs may not be personally holding court here as is understandable of a conglomerate, but the pomp and promise at his Vegas bastion is dully maintained. Ducasse was named “Finest Chef of the Year” (’03) by the Academy of Hospitality Services, so there’s a reputation to be upheld and everyone including Executive Chef Bruno Davaillon is up to speed.

 

The luxurious main dinning room seats up to 250 guests and mesmerizes with a 24-foot chandelier of 15,000 hand-blown glass balls from Italy.  When underneath the installation, you are made to feel like clouds are raining down on you but take the stairs to the top and it’s like you’ve been dropped into a bubbling champagne glass.  A 2.7 million dollar state-of-the-art kitchen that uses only gas had to be flown in by a chopper and is also on display like the work of art it is.  Up to 5,000 fine wines and champagne await you in a 15-foot-tall wine cellar.  And just in case you haven’t noticed the ground beneath your feet, you’re on Italian marble stucco glass that looks like the most delicate lace.  All this and it’s just a prelude.

 

The breadbasket is ample – Scallion focacia, fleur de sel croissants, raisin bread, French baguettes and country bread with pinot butter. The menu, despite its elevated offerings, is simple and refreshingly unpretentious in its layout.  The middle section highlights Ducasse’s classic from Monte Carlo and Paris, a major draw for connoisseurs and those who seek Vegas as an affordable substitute to the playgrounds it imitates.  From this “Classics” section, the Potato Gnocchi is, according to our fabulous, well-versed host Lee Christopher, a must.   Leek and potato based Yukon potato dumplings are served on a potato and leek puree bed kissed with veal jus and accompanied by enoki mushrooms and golden chanterelles from Oregon. Deserving of its inclusion, the dish can still be kicked up a heavenly notch by adding black truffle shavings as a seasonal specialty.  This appetizer is a dance of textures – the dumplings downy, the proscuitto crisp and the mushrooms robust and meaty.  Or you can temper the heat of the desert with an invigorating spicy chilled salad in which delectable Dungeness crab is tossed with crème fraiche, orbited by a tomato gelee and crowned by a mango, cucumber, papaya, and scallion slaw in Thai vinaigrette.    

 

From the Main Courses, an utterly decadent sounding Mix Surf & Turf offers up wild Alaskan halibut, seared foie gras, sautéed Brussels sprouts and black truffle sauce.  The fish, cooked in parchment paper, flakes to the touch but cannot live up to the sumptuous foie gras it’s partnered with or the punch of the excellent crispy Thai Snapper on the menu.  The New Zealand snapper is glazed with sake, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and rice wine, is oven roasted and served over jasmine fried rice and finished with soy glaze made with white wine and snapper reduction.   Finally for dessert, an exotic white chocolate banana tart is a sure choice.  Caramelized bananas are wedged in filo dough with white chocolate mousse on top and a passion fruit and mango syrup drizzle.

 

In a city of excess, the emphasis here is on subtlety and fine dinning with classic French and American cuisine transformed by Ducasse’s global wand. The world of endless, conveyor belt buffets and tasteless abundance is somewhere below this haven.  Here you can forget you’re in Vegas – or acquaint yourself with a new, more exclusive version.

 

Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla

 

 

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IN THE SPIRIT

 

LUCID Absinthe Supérieure Rejoice the re-legalization of the infamous spirit that was enjoyed by artists like Wilde, Degas, Manet and Hemingway.  Here’s a genuine absinthe made with real Grande Wormwood for the first time in 95 years using no artificial additives, oils or dyes.  A strong floral aroma and a balanced finish greet the palate as you get acquainted with the legendary Green Fairy. $59.99 for 750 ml www.drinklucid.com

JOSE CUERVO PLATINO Reserva De La Familia As the world’s largest Tequila company, it’s only fitting that Jose Cuervo has introduced a limited edition line of handcrafted, 100% blue agave tequilas that were once reserved exclusively for the Cuervo family’s private enjoyment.  A proprietary distillation method gives this one a complex and exquisite character making it the Beverage Tasting Institutes highest ranking silver tequila $59.99 for 750 ml

CHOCLATIQUE and O’BRIEN ESTATE WINES Valentine’s day may be over but there’s no reason for the romance to end.  The exquisite, out of the box Choclatique and O’Brien Estate Winery of Napa go together like lovers.  These are quite simply some of the best chocolates you’ve tasted and they can be paired for the perfect seduction with O’Brien’s 2005 Seduction red, 2006 Flirtation (think Strawberries and Cream) or 2003 Romance of the Heart red.  www.choclatique.com www.obrienestate.com