While in Vegas with the family, Mr. Rabbit and I marked one dinner pas de deux. After much research and debate, we chose dinner at Picasso, where San Francisco chef Julian Serrano is cooking. This resto is located in the Bellagio hotel, and it distinguishes itself (and finds its name) with original Picasso artwork on display throughout the space. The room is otherwise decorated in subdued tones in a traditional, rather formal style. This lets the artwork stand out (and it is fantastic), with a bit more colour added with huge bunches of fresh flowers. Picasso overlooks the fountains at the Bellagio, where a quite spectacular watershow is in almost constant rotation. This makes for a stunning view (save one maneuver where it feels like a tidal wave is going to eat the restaurant).

Service is old school, formal but knowledgeable, pleasant and accommodating. We started with a trio of amuses — a small bundle of smoked salmon with cream cheese and cucumber relish, a half quail egg with caviar, and a small cup of cream of potato leek soup, garnished with toasted almonds. All three were nicely done, but I felt they were surprisingly safe, traditional choices. I was wine-widowed while Mr. Rabbit stared at their comprehensive list. Spanish wine was very well represented, making for some interesting options, but in consultation with the sommelier, Mr. Rabbit chose a 1998 Chateau Lafleur Gazin Pomerol (which opened up nicely and proved a good match with our meal). We started with two glass of Laurent Perrier’s Cuvée brut rosé champagne (always a reliable favourite and a treat). Bread was offered — raisin and walnut, olive, and traditional French. We tried the olive and the raisin, and both were good.

Picasso offers a five course chef’s menu (you choose the main, the chef programs the other courses), or a four course prix fixe, which offers three choices per course. We opted for the prix fixe because the offerings on that menu seemed more interesting to us. Mr. Rabbit started with four oysters poached with a vermouth sauce. He said that they were expertly executed, and just as you would expect (in a positive way). I started with the quail salad with frisee, tomato, pine nuts and a tomato-y vinaigrette. I didn’t love this app, perhaps because the chef was capitalizing on the fattiness of the bird — not that quails are overly fatty, but I just don’t love chicken skin, plus while the salad was well composed, I didn’t find there was anything overly interesting going on. Mr. Rabbit, however, really loved my first course —so he ended up eating most of it.

Second — Mr. Rab had the black cod, which was delicious with a crispy and flavourful skin, and cauliflower mousseline. This was a lovely dish, with the mousseline offering a surprisingly delicious complement to the fish. I opted for the langoustines, which were presented with tiny balls of peach, and floating in a lobster broth garnished, with a small cyclone of grated carrots — the langoustines were fat and delectable, and the dish was probably my favourite of the evening.

Third — Mr. Rabbit ordered fallow deer, served with asparagus, green apples and a zinfandel reduction. The meat had a nice, slightly grit-y, game-y taste, and was beautifully plated. I opted for the veal chop with rosemary potato, which also came with a medley of root-ish veg and a superb hit of horseradish. The veal chop was quite perfectly cooked, and a pinot jus was a gorgeously rich colour and added a wonderful complement to the plate.

Dessert — we chose from a rather extensive list. Mr. Rabbit went with the Meyer lemon financier with blackberry sauce and lemon sorbet, which he liked very much. I opted for our server’s recommendation, purses of crème brûlée and strawberry preserves wrapped in crepes, and served with a chocolate gelato. This proved a great dessert, and an interesting twist on crème brûlée, which I usually shy away from because I find it dull. We finished with a lovely tray of petit fours, the highlights of which were a fruit jelly (we think it was working something tropical, but couldn’t quite nail the fruit… guava, passion fruit?), a chocolate truffle, and a little almond paste-y ball.

Totals… two prix fixe at $105 each, plus two glasses of champers, a bottle of ’98 Pomerol, and a coffee — slightly under $600 before tip.

Overall, the food here is really quite wonderful, the setting is absolutely special (what a unique experience to eat in a room full of Picassos!). Service is excellent. The menu is “fancy,” but definitely not scary— this is not crazy fusion, rather quite a classic Mediterranean take. Picasso is a unique and wonderful experience, and I would thoroughly recommend when in Vegas.

Posted on September 9th, 2007 by rabbit
Filed under: Las Vegas, Restaurant Reviews