The Bellagio restaurant gets its name from the pieces of Picasso artwork that decorate the walls. It also has an outdoor patio overlooking the resort’s iconic fountains. Buzz for the restaurant was worn off a bit in recent years, but it remains an excellent choice for fine dining. 

Pablo Picasso’s renowned paintings and charming ceramic pieces grace the walls of Picasso, while the tables are laid with incredible dishes from Executive Chef Julian Serrano, inspired by the regional cuisine of Spain as well as France.

As you walked through the main doors, you are greeted with a wine cellar stocked with more than 1,500 selections from the finest European vineyards, and a wall of accolades that remind us how good they were. And then you enter an interior that seems to be lifted from Spain with outlandish carpets with Picasso motifs and a well stocked bar that would not be out of place anywhere in Europe.

But we didn’t stop there as we booked for a different experience that evening – the Patio overlooking the Bellagio Fountains (minimum spend required). The alternative to this is to sit among 30+ million dollars worth of authentic Pablo Picasso paintings throughout the restaurant.

Fountains of Bellagio is supposedly a free attraction located on the Las Vegas Strip, perhaps the one of the most recognisable fountain in the world. The pedestrian would surround the boulevard for a musical fountain show performed in an 8.5-acre man-made lake in front of the resort, but due to the coming F1 race, this was the only way you can see it for now – from this side of the fountain lake..

Once we comfortably settled at our table by the lake, we kicked off the evening with a couple of cocktails as we braved the cold desert evening in the Patio, but it was all worth it when you get this view from the table.

You just have to have endure an occasional “drizzle” from the fountains when the wind decided to pick up speed and blew in your direction. BTW, they play every 15 minutes, but will skip if the wind was too strong. It was a windy night.

The Prix Fixe Menu

There’s the degustation menu that featured the Chef’s innovations on the seasonal ingredients, and there’s the Prix Fixe menu (the set menu) that is the regular four-course menu that featured the usual fare, with a Sommelier’s Wine Pairing option.

First of the rack, the bread service. Three types were offered, the traditional French baguette, the classic sourdough and a sourdough with raisins.

Nice and warm, the bread was the best ones we had this trip to Vegas. (This is our last fine dining restaurant in Las Vegas before we leave for Napa.) But the butter was a disappoint, nothing close to the standard that I am used to get in a Michelin-starred restaurant.

And then customary amuse bouche – the potato leek cold vichyssoise and a warm pheasant croquette. The light bodied chilled leek and potato soup was textbook but that pheasant croquette was expertly fried with a very light but crunchy exterior and an extra creamy centre. 

Poached Oysters 

osetra caviar, sauce vermouth 

This being Las Vegas, you can always break the rule of four and order an extra course as long as you are willing to pay for it. We decided to order the one we were really interested in the Prix Fixe menu, the poached oysters, and another half dozen of freshly shucked oysters, forgetting that we were in the middle of the Nevada dessert. And the shucked oysters were totally tasteless, no liquor nothing. They were like lifted off the ice bar in the Bellagio buffet.

The warm poached oysters were much better. The oysters turned creamier with the light poaching, and the vermouth sauce and caviar helped to add another dimension to the taste of the oyster.

Potage Of Carrot And Ginger Soup 

alaskan king crab, charred baby carrots

A very rustic soup that was perfect for the cold evening, the humble potage of carrot and ginger was elevated with shreds of Alaskan king crab and caramelised baby carrots, and a very foreign sounding name.

Warm Quail Salad 

sautéed artichokes, pine nuts

This is the signature dish for this restaurant. “I’ve seen guests, they have four-courses of the quail, even for dessert! This is a true story..” recalled Chef Julian Serrano. The juicy pieces of quail justified that claim. I wanted more. Everything was moist and well-seasoned. The artichokes and pine nuts didn’t matter anymore with the quails stealing all the limelight.

Triennes Rosé 2021, Provence, France

The opening act was a super yummy Triennes Rosé 2021 from Provence, France. This wine is on a whole other level compared to those mass-produced rosés. It’s fresh and easy to sip, with a zingy acidity that brings out flavours of juicy wild strawberries, tangy red fruits, and a hint of vanilla. Paired well with the quail.

Sautéed Crispy Gnocchi 

alaskan king crab, sauce nantua

A classic French sauce, nantua is a creamy seafood sauce. It is traditionally made with crayfish, and tasted like a lobster bisque reduction. It was excellent with gnocchi, but here the gnocchi were flashed fried before being put into the sauce instead of sautéed with the sauce. Then a nice heap of Alaskan king crab was dropped onto the gnocchi and sauce.

To be honest, I am not a fan of gnocchi, and I was surprised that I picked this from the menu. Darling had already picked the foie gras, and we weren’t interested in the tuna tartare. This is the first time I had tasted crispy gnocchi, and anything deep fried would not be bad. And in this instance, it was really nice. I would try to do it myself next time.

Walter Glatzer Grüner Veltliner “Dornenvogel” Carnuntum DAC 2020, Göttlesbrunn, Austria

Grüner Veltliner when spelled without the Umlaut) is an indigenous white grape from Austria. Grüner Veltliner accounts for nearly 30% of the country’s plantings making it the most widely grown grape in the country. It is a very expressive grape and will show different dependent upon the region in which it is grown. The earthy, acidic bite in the end makes for a great accompaniment to the creamy gnocchi.

Tart of Foie Gras 

rhubarb puree, compote of berries

The tart of foie gras was made with a layer of rhubarb puree on the bottom of the tart crust, followed for a thick slab of foie gras and topped off with a terrine and berries.

The portion of the foie gras tart was pretty generous. The foie gras was a wonderfully blend of liver and cognac. You will need the berries to cut through the heaviness of the foie gras.

Roasted Pigeon 

wild rice risotto

Given the wonderful quail, I could not help by looked forward for the roasted pigeon in the main course. And they did not disappoint. The roasted pigeon was executed in the same crispy and well-seasoned manner like the quail before save for the au jus sauce.

Rice in western cuisine was more like a grain than a starch, and this was no different. Wild rice = brown rice, mixed into with pine nuts and bits of corn and carrots. Not really a risotto, but this would do.

Jean Paul Dubost Beaujolais-Lantignié Récolte 2021, France

Domaine Dubost is a fourth generation estate and has been managed by the hands of Jean-Paul Dubost since he took over from his father in 1993. They farm approximately 19 hectares, nine of which are from the village appellation. Beaujolais-Lantignié Récolte is a red natural wine made from 100% Gamay grapes from the Beaujolais Village appellation called Beaujolais-Lantignié. A bright, rich, red-fruited wine, this is lightly structured, with a touch of young tannin. Goes very well with the rich, savoury pigeon.

Butter Poached Maine Lobster 

coulis of california corn, chanterelle mushroom, confit of carrot

Darling picks lobster every time since I told her the lobster tail has almost no cholesterol. The poached Maine lobster was well executed, sitting on a bed of corn puree with a buttery, lemony sauce and deep fried julienned carrots on top. Hidden in the pile of microsalad was sautéed chopped chanterelle mushroom.

Opera Cake

joconde almond cake, coffee butter cream, chocolate ganache

Opera cake is a French cake made with layers of almond sponge cake soaked in coffee syrup, layered with ganache and coffee French buttercream, and covered in a chocolate glaze.

It was not the cake that stole the show, but the Picasso painting on the piece of chocolate. I wasn’t able to recognise the painting, can any Picasso fan out there figure it out? FYI, the chocolate was not tasty.

Grand Marnier Soufflé

anglaise, dark chocolate gelato

Darling opted for a soufflé, she loves soufflés for that fluffy, sweet consistency and because it had Grand Marnier too.

Afterthoughts

First the positives. The atmosphere alone is worth the experience as dinner guests will be surrounded by Pablo Picasso’s paintings and charming ceramic pieces or the billion dollar view of the Strip. And the wine pairing was absolutely spot on, every selection was paired to the dish and not the course.

However there were quite a couple of flaws that evening that were not expected for an ex-2 Stars restaurant. Firstly, it was the food – quite standard and no wow-factor. Second, portions – we ended up getting the room service later.

And where was our mignardise? Towards the end, they were rushing to get us off the grounds, I felt. I ended up regretting to put this as our last restaurant in Vegas. Not recommended, unless you are a sucker for these romantic spots like me. And for that I think you are better off at Spago or Lago (also by the same chef) on the same row.

Picasso at the Bellagio
3600 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109 
Tel : +1 (702) 693-8105

Visited Oct 2023

Michelin Las Vegas Guide 2 Stars 2008-2009

#Picasso #TheBellagio #LasVegasFineDining #MichelinGuide #Michelin2Stars #WarmQuailSalad