Hot Hot Hot
I've been in Vegas for the last several days, where upon my arrival the temperature soared into the a record breaking low 120's and my will to live evaporated every moment I stepped outside into the heat. Fortunately, remaining trapped indoors is not a hardship when the indoors is Vegas.
When choosing a hotel for the trip, I decided to try out the Wynn, Vegas mogul Steve Wynn's love song to art and commerce. Not everyone I've talked to here is an admirer of the Wynn (or Steve Wynn himself), with its upscale ambitions, urban flavored aspirations and Pan-Pacific flourishes, but I'm a big fan of its sleek architectural curves, and believe that this kind of hotel (chic, international and unabashedly adult) is exactly what Vegas needs as it continues to grow and flourish into a world-class destination (and, to me, it's a welcome relief from the Disneyesque quality of the Treasure Island, New York, New York and Paris resorts).
Beyond its art laden walls, tile-mosaic floors and sophisticated lounge-beat soundtrack pulsing throughout the shops and hallways, the main attraction of the Wynn is its many top-notch restaurants tucked about and around the central gaming floor. My favorite is Okada, a gorgeous Japanese restaurant named after Steve Wynn's business partner Kazuo Okada, and helmed by chef Takashi Yagihashi, a former James Beard Award-winner. Okada's floor to ceiling sliding glass panels frame a view of the hotel's manmade mountain, complete with a 100 foot waterfall, architecturally inspired landscaping and various koi ponds and lagoons. Dining on live and wriggling sweet shrimp, delicate slices of toro oh and glazed Kobe sirloin never looked so good, while the vast selection of sake, many of which I've never found anywhere else in the country, only added to the evening's pleasure (I highly recommend a bottle of Senshin for its clean, crisp quality).
"This building is more complex than any other structure in the history of the world," Steve Wynn boasted in a recent interview, obviously very proud of his new venture. "This place is about an experiential moment. It's about evolvement. People are going to go into places that don't exist on earth."
You can say that again. The entryway gardens are a marvel, with their hanging flowers and sculpted pathways, the open gaming center is designed to lead hotel guests and visitors on an eye-opening tour of the Wynn's leading Italian, American and Asian restaurants, and the eclectic crowd, drawn from around the world and across the country, only compliments the international aspirations of the new Wynn resort.
I've been hearing for years about how Vegas is going "adult", yet this is the first time I've ever seen physical proof of the statement. Adult means more than bars and strippers, and the art-themed, cuisine-driven character of the Wynn reminded me of New York City or Los Angeles. I was having a conversation last night with a couple who live down here, and they were expressing some delight over the new Vegas -- that the city used to be a minor Disneyland, but now, with the realization that with better all-year weather, massive performance venues and a structural variability not found anywhere else, not to mention a population of talent drawn to the promise of employment and a steady stream of tourist dollars, Las Vegas could potentially rival many of the world's major metropolitan centers for food, art and entertainment within the next five to ten years.
So you're hearing that the rest of the world hates us? Travel to Vegas and you'll see plenty of evidence that the rest of the world is still coming to visit and marvel at the sheer chutzpah of American ingenuity, and the creativity born out of chasing the dollar.
ADDENDUM:
I also recommend Red 8, a medium priced Asian bistro along the edge of the Wynn's gaming center. Their jellyfish salad and roast duck with plum sauce were terrific. Also, Daniel Boulud, NYC chef Daniel Boulud's contribution to the Wynn, a French bistro directly across from SW, another major steak house in the Wynn and named after Steve Wynn himself (or so I've heard . . . Steve Wynn, SW, makes sense) -- but SW doesn't feature a sirloin burger stuffed with foie gras that's featured on the menu at DB, so we stuck with Boulud and had a fantastic time with the staff at the bar when we ordered all the deserts on the menu just so we could try a bite out of each . . . perfect.
ADDENDUM 2:
I think my biggest question to date, despite all the glitz and glamor and shine, is, really? Hugh? Teeing up in this heat? You're crazy.