Aureole

3950 Las Vegas Blvd South, Las Vegas NV 89119
$$$$ American

Prestigious Chef Charlie Palmer has brought his famous New York restaurant to Vegas. This sleek, dramatic restaurant, located in the Mandalay Bay Hotel, offers a stunning setting in which to enjoy Palmer’s equally stunning American cuisine. The seasonal menu offers prix fixe and tasting options, showcasing the best produce, meat, and fish available. Here dining is art, and the four-story, climate-controlled, wine tower housing over 9,000 bottles, is a masterpiece in its own right. Be sure to catch the “wine angels,” black-clad wine stewardesses who are hoisted up and down the tower to retrieve bottles each evening.

Aureole: A Refreshingly Fresh Culinary Spectacle

Review by

The brainchild of esteemed culinary icon, Charlie Palmer, Aureole in Las Vegas captures the East Coast elegance of the legendary New York restaurant with a splashy theatricality more suited to its new home on the Strip.  The innovative and impeccable design scheme, conceived of by renowned designer Adam Tihany, provides a stunning backdrop for the seasonal and artful culinary creations of Executive Chef Vincent Pouessel, who has a knack for channeling Charlie Palmer’s individual brand of Progressive American cuisine.  With a near daunting array of a la carte, seasonal, and prix-fixe menu options, and an equally staggering wine collection of 50,000 bottles, Aureole creates an atmosphere ripe for the slow savoring of true epicurean artistry.

Aureole’s Décor: Dinner as Theatre

Aureole’s distinctive aesthetic is designed with an eye for spectacle.  Each of Aureole’s dining areas sets its own unique stage for epicurean exhibitions.  The main dining room expands outward in a bright and airy welcome, with dark wood, vibrant red,and blue accents fitting together in geometric harmony.  Swan Court, Aureole's second dining room, captures the elegance of New York opera outings.  The sun-colored room is distinguished by its unique seating environments: many of the tables and circular booths are privy to personal patios, which provide diners with the added luxury of a different environment for enjoying cocktails and company while watching Aureole's graceful swans in their outdoor pond.  A private dining area has moveable walls that function like Japanese screens, allowing parties to include the rest of the restaurant in their festivities, or create a completely intimate affair based on their whims.

Perhaps the most awe-inspiring of Aureole’s design elements is its acclaimed wine tower: a 42-foot pillar of glass and steel, filled with 10,000 bottles of wine that juts dramatically into the air like a modern obelisk.  Increasing the sense of drama, Aureole employs “wine angels,” who hoist themselves up on pulleys to retrieve bottles

Appetizers

We are brought a variety of appetizers that, like the menu, reflect the current seasonal transition between winter and spring.

The Tasting of Scottish Salmon from the Seasonal Spring Menu explores the versatility of this distinctive fish in a trio of preparations and treatments.  The Gravlax Key Lime Sherbet stands to the left of the elongated tasting platter:  a pile of bright pink salmon dosed in a green, vinegary sauce is crowned by a dollop of white sherbet.  The lime sherbet delivers a delicious citrusy assault, underscored by the herby cilantro sauce and the salmon’s creamy texture.   In the center, the Crispy Spring Roll's golden fried spire transforms the salmon with hints of ginger and smoky miso to give it a Pacific Rim identity.  The Tartar with Avocado and Lotus Chip is the final exploration, featuring a mixture of velvety pink salmon and chunks of avocado that work together in rich harmony.  The crunch of the lotus chip that crowns the tartare adds subtle textural difference to the dish's dominant smoothness.

The Jidori Chicken Satay takes the form of a vibrant, deconstructed chicken salad, with architectural, golden-spiced chicken skewers balanced against one another atop crisscrossed sections of hearts of palm and wafer-thin slices of magenta and white watermelon radish.  The seared smokiness of the chicken is heightened by the heat and spice of the chili tomato marinade coating, blending exquisitely with the impossibly moist and juicy meat.  Playing with temperatures, the dish zigzags between cool and warm,  with the spiciness of the chicken intensified by the peppery radish slices, then cooled by the  woody hearts of palm.

The Duo of Big Eye Tuna from the main menu performs a similar spring cleaning on the palate. Two different culinary treatments of the tuna stand in stark textural contrast on the plate: to the left, a tower of creamy tartare is crowned by delicate sesame crusted crisps, while large squares of meaty, citrus salt-dusted tuna are portioned like stepping stones to its right.  Infused with a spicy harissa, the silken tartare reveals a hidden heat that enlivens the cool, meaty tuna.  The tuna loin both reinforces and transforms the flavors and textures of the tartare, reflecting both a similar creamy consistency and diverging from it with a stronger, meatier flavor. The citrus salt coating introduces salty, acidic pucker to the loin that, like the harissa, adds boldness to the tuna.

Unlike the lightness of the previous appetizers, the Pinot Noir Poached Seckel Pear Charlotte and Charlie’s Onion Soup embody wintry comfort. A sweet, and pungent aroma wafts up from the Charlotte's  golden pastry, encircled by a burgundy swirl of pinot noir. It seamlessly moves between the richness of a dessert and the savoriness of a main course: the buttermilk blue cheese and poached pear's sweetness prove to be a dynamic and expert pairing that is only enriched by the hearty pinot noir reduction. The neat pile of shredded duck confit meat accompanying the Charlotte adds notes of fatty crispness to deepen the flavors.

Charlie's Onion Soup, topped by a dramatic, golden hat of Gruyere puff pastry, matches the theatricality of Aureole's décor.  Once the flaky lid is removed, the soup’s deep, caramelized aroma fills the air with a cozy warmth.  Chunks of foie gras and slivers of truffles hidden in the broth add a sense of extravagance to the onion soup’s comforts.  It elevates the typical onion soup, embodying the homey satisfaction of tradition while infusing it with distinctive Charlie Palmer panache.

Main Courses

Our delicious culinary onslaught continues with an assortment of entrees from Aureole’s standard dinner menu and the Seasonal Spring Menu.

The Grilled Hawaiian Swordfish, a seasonal special, demands attention with bright, eye-catching colors.  A drizzled blood orange gastique adds vivid red and orange splatterings of color to the large triangles of charred fish.  Its citrus flavor permeates, complementing the fish's own dusting of lemon pepper to create a refreshing tang that lightens the swordfish's meatiness.

The Seared Black Cod is a study in minimalism, with the blackened cod almost camouflaging into the black Beluga lentils. Breaking through the cod’s crunchy, thin skin soaks the lentils in its juices and perfumes the dish with delicate fishy flavors that contrast with the fruity pomegranate jus flavoring the nutty lentils.  A shallot cake side adds new textural complexity and a sharp sweetness.

The Roasted Striped Bass delivers a visual spectacle of color and complexity.  A large piece of fish on a bed of orzo is crowned by red chorizo slivers and ringed with careful precision by individual mussel meats.  A white shellfish foam pours over the fish and settles into the crevices between the orzo.  The chorizo's smokiness permeates the creamy fish, while the ethereal shellfish foam amplifies the dish's oceanic flavors with sweet and salty notes.  The orzo absorbs it all, with each kernel becoming a concentration of the dish's spicy, sweet, salty richness.

The Duo of Kurobuta Pork is an ode to the other white meat, featuring both a braised pork shoulder and a pancetta wrapped tenderloin. Brussel sprout leaves scattered around the pork offer a sweet crispness to balance the density of the meat. In a play on a classic pork pairing, miniature winesap apple sections introduce a sweetness and an almost fermented, wine-like note of sour that complement the hearty pork.  It exemplifies Aureole's culinary vision: combining the characteristics of a traditional dish with novel, less-familiar ingredients for a distinctive and refreshing reinvention.

The Tenderloin and Beef Pastrami deconstructs an American diner classic with startlingly sophisticated results.  The tenderloin is “sandwiched” between iconic Reuben components: red, house made pastrami crowns the top of it, while the weight of the meat is supported by a delicate rye brioche cake.  It irefines the deli standard: the smoky meatiness of the pastrami is intensified by the presence of the tenderloin, while the fluffy brioche makes the sour rye almost ethereal.  While a Reuben wine pairing seems rather iconoclastic, the cabernet reduction complements the pepperiness of the pastrami and grounds the dish in thoughtful elegance.

Large lollipops of Oven Roasted Colorado Rack of Lamb balances on a bed of brilliant green flageolet beans. A vibrant red sauce drizzled over top adds additional colorful punctuations.  The peppery, gamey lamb rack melts in the mouth.  The lamb juices mix with the flageolet's richly spiced tomato sauce and deepen the flavor, while the flageolet themselves add a nutty texture. A moussaka cake, a spicy square of purple eggplant and ground lamb, accompanies the rack. It infuses the dish with Mediterranean flavors, repeating some of the fruity, tangy, spiciness of the primary dish, and introducing new exoticism with rich spices.  The moussaka's deydrated tomato-braised lamb cap adds a meatiness to the eggplant transforming it into a near carnivorous indulgence.

Desserts

Executive Pastry Chef Megan Romano's artful confections present a feast in their own rights.
The Toasted Coconut and Mango Ice Cream Terrine is an arresting presentation with its vibrant yellow and cream-striped triangle slice and slices of fresh exotic fruit departing markedly from dessert expectations.  Creamy and cool, it is an explosion of tropical flavor.  The tartness of the mango is accentuated by a tequila lime sauce, while the coconut's sweet richness offers a creamy counterpoint.

Served in a large glass resembling a snifter, the Tiramisu Parfait with Warm Chocolate Brownie promises layers of richness.  Espresso biscotti mixes with a frothy amaretto mousse to create a flavor that is as invigorating and full-bodied as a shot of espresso. Presented in a small accompanying cup, the Warm Chocolate Brownie is the essence of chocolate, deepening the sugary flavors of the tiramisu. Salted-caramel ice cream imparts additional creaminess and a saltiness that tempers the sweetness.

The Chocolate Linzer Tart blends fruity sweetness with chocolatey richness for a truly eloquent and unexpected dessert.  The tart layers a creamy passionfruit semifreddo on top of a layer of chocolate, juxtaposing the tropical tartness of the passionfruit with the chocolate's richness.  Hints of ginger in the chocolate contribute surprising spiciness.  The revelation of this dish, however, is the accompanying tangerine sorbet: served in a hollowed-out tangerine peel, it captures the tangy juiciness of biting into a fresh tangerine.

In true Aureole tradition, the Lady Gala Donuts with Salted Caramel Mousse elevate the classic American treat to new epicurean heights.  Little, tempura-fried donuts rest on a slaw-like apple confit.  Light, fluffy, and free of the fried heaviness of their less sophisticated counterparts, these donuts are irresistible.  The apple confit accentuates the fruity sweetness in the donut dough, while the apple pie ice cream proves to be a wonderfully inventive interpretation of the a la mode tradition.

True to its name, the Winter Spice Financier with “Cheesecake Bites” evokes flavorful holiday comforts.  A spiced cake nestles next to scoop of rum raisin ice cream, their sweet, spicy flavors mixing together like a holiday pudding.  The coin-sized Cheese Cake Bites are studded with wild blueberries for a summery, fruity departure from the deep winter flavors of the rest of the dish.  As with the desserts that preceded it, the Winter Spice Financier showcases Chef Romano's skill at combining complex and bold flavors that stand the typical dessert tradition on its head.

Our dessert course concludes with a classic pairing: a Caramelized Banana and Chocolate Phyllo Crisp.    A flaky phyllo pastry acts as a platform for the nostalgic sweetness of the chocolate and banana duo.  A scoop of banana maple walnut ice cream amplifies the starchy sweetness of the banana pastry, and adds a nutty richness.  An accompanying petite crème brulee contributes additional sweet sophistications for a dessert that, like the rest of the Aureole menu, blends the comforting familiarity of classic American flavor combinations with a decidedly haute cuisine distinction.

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Reservations

Business Info

  • Address: 3950 Las Vegas Blvd South, Las Vegas NV 89119
  • Cross Street: Mandalay Bay Road
  • Location: Las Vegas Strip
  • Cuisine: American | French |
  • Cost: | Expensive
  • Category: Fine Dining
  • Star Rating:
  • Reservations: Recommended
  • Dress Code: Casual Elegant
  • Meals Served: Dinner |
  • Parking: Street | Private Lot | Valet Parking |
  • Payment Options: VISA | Amex | MasterCard | Discover |
  • Corkage Fee: 50.00 | Per 750ml bottle.
  • Phone: (702) 632-7401
  • Features: Full Bar, Hotel Dining, Catering Services, Famous Chef, Private Room, Prix Fixe Menu, Smoking Area, Tasting Menu, Winning Wine List, Wheelchair Access, Happy Hours, Lounge / Bar,
  • Occasion: Romantic Dining, Business Dining, Meet for a Drink, People Watching, Special Occasion, Trendy / Hip, Celebrity Spotting,

Photos

Aureole - Executive Chef Charlie Palmer
Aureole - Dining Room Aureole - Aureole Lounge Aureole - Aureole Private Room Aureole - Aureole Entrance Aureole - Aureole Bar Aureole - Aureole Wine Tower Aureole - Charlie Palmer & Johny Church Aureole - Aureole Dishes Aureole - Aureole Roasted Beets Aureole - Black Garlic Caesar Salad Aureole - Beef & Octopus Carpaccio Aureole - Rosen Farms Lamb Loin Aureole - Kona Kampachi Crudo Aureole - Cheesecake Three Ways Aureole - California Crab Roll Aureole - Panna Cotta Aureole - Aureole Aureole - Aureole

Business Hours

Reservations Available
Monday
Dinner - Main Dining Room 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Tuesday
Dinner - Main Dining Room 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Wednesday
Dinner - Main Dining Room 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Thursday
Dinner - Main Dining Room 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Friday
Dinner - Main Dining Room 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Saturday
Dinner - Main Dining Room 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sunday

F.A.Q.s

Frequently Asked Questions
Aureole has a 4-story wine tower with Wine Angel Stewards, who ascend the tower to retrieve the wine bottles.
No, Aureole is only open for dinner Monday - Saturday. Closed on Sunday.
No, as with all Nevada restaurants, smoking is not allowed in the restaurant, though it is allowed in the cocktail lounge.
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Menus

Customer Reviews & Ratings

4.5 out of 5 stars based on 1 votes