Aureole

Its All Ritz and Glitz at the Mandalay Bay's Aureole $$$$$

by Tara Miller

February 2005

Aureole in the Mandalay Bay is a creation of world renowned chef Charlie Palmer. The original Aureole is actually in New York City and with the help of Adam Tihany, Charlie Palmer brought this magnificent restaurant inclusive of a 4-story wine tower to the heart of Las Vegas. Having eating at the Aureole in New York, I thought it would be the perfect place for dinner on Saturday night during my last Vegas adventure.

My call to the reservations agent should have been the first clue that Aureole maybe was not exactly what we were looking for. I will admit that I called only 2 days prior and we had a party of eight, so it made perfect sense when they told me the only times available were 6 pm and 9:45 pm. Reluctantly I opted for the 6 pm reservation knowing very well that even in Vegas, 9:45 would just be too late.

The restaurant was everything a 5 star restaurant is supposed to be. The 4-story wine tower sat boldly in the middle creating a centerpiece of entertainment as the “Wine Angels” flew around collection bottles. The prompt wait staff anticipated every need, filling our waters, bringing more bread, topping off our wine. The wine list came not as a menu but as a hand held tablet computer which you could search based on grape, year, origin, name, food pairing, etc and the sommelier was right there to offer suggestions and assistance. The pre-fixed menu offered a wide variety of scrumptious choices including Charlie’s Onion Soup, Curry-nut Crusted Ahi Tuna, Herb Crusted Pacific Halibut, Honey-Spiced Marinated Duck, and a tasting of Sorbets.

Unfortunately the experience and attention overwhelmed me. Seated adjacent to the main wait station, I constantly felt surrounded by servers. Because of our 6 pm reservation, we were the only patrons in the restaurant causing every word to echo through the expansive dining room and every waiter on shift to be close by. My food was excellent—Lobster Salad to start, followed by Chilean Sea Bass and Bittersweet Chocolate Soufflé. However, the three people at our table who ordered the beef tenderloin all sent their meals back after they came out over cooked and even on the second try, the meat was still chewy. The wine list, though extensive, intimidated our group and even with the help of the sommelier.

Overall, I would say that Charlie Palmer has succeeded in creating a restaurant worthy of his name and reputation. How can I complain when we had one waiter for each person in our party? I just think maybe it was a little too nice, too stuffy, too much for someone like me. Would I go back? Yeah, maybe in a few years after I have tried all the other exciting eateries in Las Vegas.