vegasreporter

I had dinner Thursday night at Tableau. The chef is Mark LoRusso, who ran Aqua at the Bellagio and comes from San Francisco (Michael Mina protege I believe). The restaurant is difficult to find. There are no signs anywhere, and the map is confusing. Look for the high-dollar baccarat room, go to the back and make a right. You'll run into Tableau. I didn't know what to expect at Tableau. Many of Bellagio's restaurants were disappointing, and I had finally decided not to risk any more money there. I wish I had tried Aqua because the food was superb at his newest place. Unfortunately, I didn't come with a huge appetite. For starters, we had crab raviolis. There were three delicate creations, filled with dungeness crab. Superb. Foodie girl, your're going to kill me. I can't remember the sauce. Sorry. I was on a date and decided not to take notes. For dinner, we each had halibut in this divine lobster sauce with tortellinis. Clearly this chef loves his pasta. The fish was very fresh. I say this because many restaurants claim their fish is fresh but my nose knows differently. And as we know, freshness can uplift a meal or destroy it. OK, the service was good. Everybody was polite and the waiter knew the menu. The staff didn't seem to be in a rush. Tableau only has 80 seats or so. That's good. We know what happens when an upscale restaurant has to serve hundreds of people a night: the food suffers. The only annoying incident of the evening: my waiter brought me some Grand Marnier in this very small kraft and forgot to bring my glass. But I'm not one to complain. It by no means spoiled the meal. That's for sure. Plus, my date went well. I think I got out of there for less than $150 (including tip and a glass of wine). I intend to return. When you've found a winner why gamble? Oh, the decor was nice. Nothing eye popping.

i'm eating at tableau on thursday. i intend to take notes this time.

just got back from cali. it has been a busy week. so the food? well, i'm reluctant to praise or dismiss b/c i attended this charity event in which all the chefs unloaded their best vittles. So, the staff had to perform and be VERY polite. The restaurants were indeed impressive. Now the chefs will have to match the spaces that wynn created for them. Okada was truly beautiful. The pagoda table will soon be the hottest spot in this town. Eric Klein's steakhouse is a hit. You know why? Because Klein was out on the floor. He fixed my date's place setting, arranging her knife, fork and napkin. When was the last time a chef did that? For that small gesture, Klein gets a nod of approval. More in a little while.............

i need to take a nap. spent many hours at wynn. but will provide insights.

¶ LAS VEGAS (AP) _ The $2.7 billion Wynn Las Vegas megaresort has filled a key gastronomic hole after losing one its star chefs weeks before the property's April 28 opening. ¶ David Walzog will replace Jimmy Sneed, who left the hotel-casino after a difference of opinion involving the culinary direction of his restaurant, said Elizabeth Blau, Wynn's executive vice president of restaurant marketing and development. ¶ Blau said Walzog, 37, will operate a contemporary steakhouse but the restaurant's new name hasn't been determined. ¶ "It was an exciting offer and an exciting project," Walzog said Tuesday. "For the most part, it was an offer I couldn't refuse." ¶ Sneed was to run the Country Club overlooking the golf course at Wynn Las Vegas. He's probably most famous for The Frog and the Redneck, his former bistro in Richmond, Va. ¶ In New York City, Walzog was executive chef for five Glazier Group restaurants, including Michael Jordan's Steak House NYC, The Steakhouse at Monkey Bar and three Strip House locations. ¶ Walzog has been nominated for three prestigious James Beard Foundation awards and will publish "The New American Steakhouse Cookbook" later this month. ¶ Ten of the 19 restaurants and bars at Wynn Las Vegas will be chef-driven concepts. All of the chefs, except Daniel Boulud of New York City, will live in Las Vegas. ¶ "It's a monumental project," Walzog said. "The team he has put together is nothing less than impressive."

yes, he left months ago

Foodie-Girl, I'll be trying the restaurants at Wynn Las Vegas before it opens. Heading there for a serious tasting.

from a weekly newspaper in richmond, va Sneed’s Vegas Gig Ends Before It Begins April 13, 2005 Chef Jimmy Sneed, who was set to operate a restaurant in the lavish new Wynn Las Vegas hotel and casino, has parted ways with the corporation just weeks before the restaurant’s April 28 opening. Sneed, contacted in Vegas last week, says disagreements arose with management over the kind of restaurant he was to operate. The restaurant, which overlooks a golf course, “evolved into a more casual concept than I was hired to do,” Sneed says. “They wanted something more of a golfers’ hangout, and I’m just not a country club kind of guy.” Elizabeth Blau, executive vice president for restaurant development at the hotel, says the company wanted to make the change before the opening, “and things got confusing.” As for Sneed, she says, he decided that “the independent restaurant life was more what he was suited for” than “a big, corporate hotel structure.” Sneed achieved culinary success at the former The Frog and the Redneck in Richmond. Last summer, he was running a restaurant in Charleston, S.C., when developer Steve Wynn wooed him away to his $2.7 billion casino, which will have 10 high-end restaurants run by such world-famous chefs as Daniel Boulud. Sneed has bought a house in Vegas and says he’s exploring other options there. But he says he’s also interested in returning to Richmond

Jimmy Sneed is out. He and Wynn Las Vegas have parted ways. But his restaurant is still going to open.

u don't need a jacket or tie for any of the restaurants. some of the places will be open for lunch. won't know which ones until tomorrow.

getting back to you on this.

i have all the answers. what do u want to know?

i'm going to give these chefs a few months before i tackle their cuisine.

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Wynn Las Vegas has completed its lineup of chefs to run the new hotel-casino's fine-dining restaurants. Richard Chen, who helped run Shanghai Terrace at The Peninsula Chicago hotel, was signed to oversee the property's upscale Asian restaurant. It will be called Wing Lei, which means Wynn in Chinese. "This is it. The last piece in the puzzle," said Elizabeth Blau, Wynn's executive vice president of restaurant marketing and development at the $2.7 billion resort. Blau said Chen's food will be a fusion of several different types of Chinese cuisine.

some more vegas info. mesa grill and craftsteak. http://www.johnmariani.com/041205/