Las Vegas is the land of blockbuster French cuisine. The four top restaurants in the Michelin Guide are all French, with Sin City’s only three-star restaurant and all three two-star restaurants falling in the category. Next week, celebrate French Revolution on Bastille Day July 14 at one of these Haute 5 French restaurants.
Alex
Chef Alex Stratta learned his craft in the kitchens of Europe and under the tutelage of two of the world’s most famous chefs, Alain Ducasse and Daniel Boulud. He serves up a seasonal menu at Alex at Wynn Las Vegas inspired by classic French flavors with hints of the Mediterranean in this belle époque room with a staircase straight out of Hello, Dolly!. You can challenge your taste buds with a tasting menu that changes with the seasons. When Alex debuted in 2005, food critique John Mariani of Esquire named it one of the best new restaurants in the country. Request the chef’s table for a special meal prepared by Stratta himself with the help of 30 chefs.
Alex is open from 6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Alex is located at Wynn Las Vegas, 702.770.3463, www.wynnlasvegas.com.
Restaurant Guy Savoy
The only place in the United States to find Guy Savoy’s French cuisine sits in the Augustus Tower of Caesars Palace. Bon Appetit named it one of the country’s hottest restaurants and Newsweek deemed it the best restaurant in Las Vegas and one of the finest anywhere. And the experience is truly unique. Go for the 10-course Menu Prestige with signature dishes such as the silky artichoke and black truffle soup, colors of caviar and the delicately spiced crispy sea bass. You can dine in one of two semi-private dining rooms, the Eliott and Axelle, at the chef’s table or in the large, fully private dining room, Leah, that doubles as the Krug Champagne room. You’ll wonder why the James Beard Foundation didn’t name it the best new restaurant when it opened.
Restaurant Guy Savoy is open from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Restaurant Guy Savoy is located at Caesars Palace, 702.731.7731, www.caesarspalace.com.
Picasso
Dine in the presence of Picasso paintings and ceramic pieces and the French cuisine of Julian Serrano at Picasso at the Bellagio. Serrano, Spanish by birth but with an affinity for French cuisine, has received two James Beard Foundation Awards for Best Chef Southwest and Best Chef California, a AAA Five Diamond Award six years in a row and two Michelin Stars. Choose from the five-course degustation menu or a four-course prix fixe. The restaurant boasts a wine cellar stocked with more than 1,500 selections with a preference for European varieties. Request a table next to Lake Como for a view of the breathtaking dancing fountains.
Picasso is open from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Picasso is located at the Bellagio, 702.693.7223, www.bellagio.com.
Andre’s
Chef André Rochat at Andre’s in the Monte Carlo serves up his French traditionally. A floor-to-ceiling glass entrance give you a glimpse of the decor swathed in rich browns and cool teals along with the wine bar. Upstairs, you can dine in one of three private dining rooms or sip a cognac in the intimate Cigar Lounge. Look for dishes such as a roast lamb, beef and one of Rochat’s signature dishes, scampi André, a traditional garlic and butter sauce with a touch of cream.
Andre’s is open from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Andre’s is located at the Monte Carlo, 702.730.7955, www.andrelv.com.
Joël Robuchon
You didn’t think we were going to leave Las Vegas’ only three-star restaurant in the Michelin Guide off the menu? This year, the best French restaurant in Las Vegas added another feather to its flashy cap when chef Claude Le Tohic won Best Chef Southwest from the James Beard Foundation. Joël Robuchon was named France’s Chef of the Century by the Gault Millau restaurant guide. He came out of retirement to open his first restaurant in the United States at the MGM Grand. The specialties here is Le Caviar, a trio dish of thin couscous and Oscetra caviar, smooth cauliflower cream and delicate gelée of green asparagus. You can select a six-course or 16-course menu, or pare it down to one of four special tasting menus. Your taste buds will thank us.
Joël Robuchon is open Sunday through Thursday from 5:30 to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5:30 to 11 p.m. Jacket required. Joël Robuchon is located at the MGM Grand, 702.891.7925, www.mgmgrand.com.
