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Type of restaurant: French Mediterrean with Spanish influence.
Class of restaurant: AAA 5 Diamond Award, Mobil 5 Star 2000/2001
Décor/ambiance: The walls in the dining area are decorated with authentic Picasso works. The atmosphere is elegant and luxurious, with a wonderful bar area just inside the door. The terrace seats face out over the lagoon at the Bellagio hotel, which features entertaining water shows and music. The interior features quiet, elegant dining with Picasso art throughout the dining room.
Wine selection and prices: The wine list contains over 1300 wines from around the world. Prices are relatively high, but typical of a restaurant of this caliber and level of service. A nice feature is the option to purchase wines specifically tailored to each course along with your menu selection.
Cocktail selection and prices: In addition to the wines, Picasso Restaurant offers several champagne options and a number of single malt whiskies. We were pleasantly pleased to be able to enjoy a glass of rose champagne as we waited for our table. We arrived a few minutes early and were received graciously.
Quality of food: Very good to Excellent - the best food we tried in Las Vegas. The one weak spot in the meal was that one of the portions of lamb was overcooked, oddly enough the other was very nicely prepared. The other courses of the meal were well prepared and presentation was marvelous throughout.
Cost: Expensive by most standards, comparable to a top restaurant in Paris. Prices were fair for the quality delivered.
Service: Good to very good, not quite up to standards of a top Parisian restaurant, but adequate. The staff were attentive and accomodating to special requests. We asked for a substitution of one course, as one party member did not like scallops. This was handled smoothly and without a fuss.
Reservations required: Yes
Ease of making reservations: Difficult to obtain. Concierge at Four Seasons Hotel obtained evening reservations on short notice.
Other: Julian Serrano is the executive chef. He was not there the night we visited, Yoshihiru Honda (Julian's longtime assistant was supervising the kitchen that night).
The only problem with the terrace was the presence of smokers, particularly those that wanted cigars after dinner who ran out and sat in the empty tables. Normally cigars do not bother me, but while enjoying a fine quality entree, they are annoying (especially in a group of six) and put a damper on an otherwise excellent meal. It would be a good idea for the restaurant to have them wait until others on the terrace have finished their meals.
Number of visits: 1
Would you eat there again: Yes
Would you recommend it: Most definitely, one of the best restaurants in the US, let alone Las Vegas.
Date of review: August 2003
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