Le Cirque - Bellagio/Las Vegas

ChowderMan

Pizza Chef
Super Site Supporter
Le Cirque at Bellagio

Overall impression:
The service was up to expectations but not the food.
At this price point, I would recommend Joël Robuchon as the better restaurant and preferred choice.
It is a classic French approach - large plates, small portions.

Le Cirque is located at the Bellagio; the dining area overlooks the fountain display area, but does not have a open/complete view of the fountain shows. It frequently pops up on lists of the better restaurants in Las Vegas.


We opted for the five course Dégustation Menu - the entire table is committed to that.
LeCirque has more menu items surcharged than "included" - distinctly more than similar restaurants/menus.

Bread selection is very limited. Brioche rolls were excellent.

First course
(she) Maryland crab with caviar; on a stone bed with hidden dry ice that prompted the "smoke"


(me) Japanese Yellowtail (amberjack) with avocado and dressing
The yellowtail was, for me, the best dish of the meal.


Second Course
(she) Risotto - with seasonal white truffle flavor - nice but unremarkable.


(me) Foie Gras - with a nice meyer lemon nuance, lemon and strawberry paste accents.
The foie gras was "breaded" which produced a crust which detracted from the foie gras; not recommended.


Third Course
(both) Mediterranean Sea Bass - in a thin potato wrap and pinot noir reduction.
Delightful texture and taste with this dish. Highly recommended - the crisp outside was perfect with the exactly right cooked fish.


Fourth / Main Course
(she) Japanese Tajima A5 Wa-ygu rib eye
My wife, who has experience with good beef, found it over 'handled/ seasoned/somethinged(?)' to the extent the beef flavor was lost. I tried a bite - very tender but indeed - the beef was gone. That's real 24k edible gold leaf on top; cute notion but now-a-days a pedestrian and affected overdone finish. Expensive, value to cost upside down. Major disappointment.


(me) Veal cheek - glazed with a banyuls mignonette. Nicely done, too tiny to taste much of it - but what was there was very good.


Fifth / Dessert Course
(she) Chocolate Ball - white chocolate ice cream, hazelnut caramel crunch. Very tasty with excellent execution of textures.


(me) Creme Brulee - sugar finished in the dish, excellent prep and one of the tastiest creme brulee versions I've had.
 

QSis

Grill Master
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
Excellent post, Chowder! Thank you for taking all those wonderful photos! Your wife is probably used to that, but was she okay with it in a fancy restaurant, LOL?!

Each portion looked teeny on those large plates (why do they DO that?), but all together, I would have been very full, I'm sure.

Hope you have luck at the casinos!

Lee
 

ChowderMan

Pizza Chef
Super Site Supporter
no flash, so it's fairly unobtrusive. and the 'joints' are pretty used to it by now.
we were offered to have staff "pose" - and for example the (up next) bread cart . . . I took a pix and the server then moved the cart to a better angle and waited for the click....

oh, the casino(s) took us for about $185. we're not big gamblers. the CEO of one of the casino mega-organization had a TV spot that gambling should be fun and here's the gambling addiction tel nr . . .

well, at a $5 black jack table, you can "game" on $100 for one-two hours, with the usual luck. but all the $5 tables are gone from the strip. $15-25-50 up to $500 min tables. tossing down $100 and watching it get lost in 3-5 hands is simply not much fun....
 

Johnny West

Well-known member
no flash, so it's fairly unobtrusive. and the 'joints' are pretty used to it by now.
we were offered to have staff "pose" - and for example the (up next) bread cart . . . I took a pix and the server then moved the cart to a better angle and waited for the click....

oh, the casino(s) took us for about $185. we're not big gamblers. the CEO of one of the casino mega-organization had a TV spot that gambling should be fun and here's the gambling addiction tel nr . . .

well, at a $5 black jack table, you can "game" on $100 for one-two hours, with the usual luck. but all the $5 tables are gone from the strip. $15-25-50 up to $500 min tables. tossing down $100 and watching it get lost in 3-5 hands is simply not much fun....
My oldest son is a computer engineer and math whiz. At one casino, I believe the Luxor, they told him he couldn’t play anymore.
 
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