la cave wine & food hideaway

i made a reservation at this supposedly amazing restaurant 2 months ahead of time for myself and a table full of clients. 2 months!! less than 1 week before the date of my reservation i received an email stating my reservation had been cancelled. i called the restaurant immediately to figure out what happened and was informed that the restaurant had been over booked and as a result there would be a wait for our, 2 month in advance reserved, table and no estimate of how long the wait would be. the employee proceeded to overly enthusiastically suggest i cancel my reservation.

the solution to you overbooking your restaurant is to try and bully your customers that went out of their way to make sure they made reservations far in advance into cancellation by threatening them with a long wait time!!!

what is wrong with you!!!!????

the wynn and encore are some of my favorite properties in las vegas. their elegant styling with classic and luxurious design cues all make for a perfect resort. walking into sw steakhouse with no reservation, i realized i was being too optimistic. reservations is a must at sw — lesson learned. scratching that idea, our dinner plans turned into something more casual but elegant at the same time. la cave at the wynn is a wine bar, tapas bar, and hideaway all in one. i don’t know what a food hideaway is exactly, but that’s what it is. their classic tapas items paired with some interesting wine tastings made for an incredible dinner service. sw steakhouse surely wasn’t on the back of our minds. we started thngs off with the la cave caesar salad. with the romaine lettuce left whole, we cut into it like a steak. wrapped in the most delectable, yet really salty prosciutto, i was all smiles. mixed all together with their lemon anchovy dressing, the salad was a great ice breaker for our meal. t

stopped by for dinner with the family to try it out.  not disappointed. the food---though portions might be too small for some---tasted great! we ordered eight dishes and were surprisingly quite satisfied after dessert. (atmosphere is dim, adult and cozy which i think is perfect for couples on a romantic date.)

la cave hits it out of the park for both taste and value.

temporarily shuttered for renovation, but now open once again across from the buffet at wynn, it is at la cave wine and food hideaway that diners can find a different sort of “all you can eat” experience from 10:30am until 2:00pm on weekends.

opened in late 2010 by michael morton, at that time the only wynn restaurant operated by an outside source but now joined by both urth café as well as cipriani, it is at a hostess podium outside that guests are first met, staff then escorting them past a neon fixture reading “in vino veritas” en route to a dining room decorated in dark wood and foliage.

built to resemble the tasting rooms of northern california, a pair of bars including one with seating flanked by temperature-controlled vaults, it is seated on leather chairs as light enters from opaque glass that menus are offered, the first a lengthy list of wines by the bottle or glass and the other a collection of small plates served “butler style.”

intimate in terms of atmosphere, a light soundtrack and hushed conversations complimented by staff who bring around a list of twenty items at varying intervals, it was with one diner adding-on bottomless bloody marys and mimosas that the other opted for coffee and a cocktail, the tuscan pear offering a syrupy mouthfeel but plenty of booze reined in by bright citrus.

offering american small-plates by chef billy demarco, several years with the morton group including the opening of crush at mgm following years in new york, it is not long after arrival that food begins to circulate, an opening gazpacho ‘shooter’ refreshing by way of basil oil while sliced tomatoes around fresh mozzarella and a basil leaf were brightened by a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

moving next to yogurt, granola and fresh fruit, each item presented from a tray for the guest’s acceptance or denial, it was from a cone lined with paper that snappy sausage and bacon were plucked before transitioning to “chicken and waffles,” or in the case the choice of wing or drumstick tossed with mexican hot sauce atop a quarter circle that remains crisp around the edges and fluffy on the inside.

quiet around 11:30 but filling to perhaps quarter capacity by noon, those dissuaded by 45-minute lines at the buffet all but guaranteed a better experience for approximately the same price at la cave, it was atop filet grilled medium that a poached egg and paprika was served, the english muffin readily soaking up yolk and hollandaise sauce just as a skillet of polenta offered in follow-up had become thick by way of saturation with cream, pecorino cheese and truffle oil.

delighting with toasted bagels and lox, the house-smoked fish served in a good ratio to classic condiments, fans of hash will also appreciate demarco’s shredded veal served with peppers and potatoes while angus “mini burgers” are also nicely presented and far from the typical slider thanks to mushrooms served like a spread along with smoky mayonnaise.

underwhelmed by both flatbreads, a staple of the lunch and dinner menu unfortunately undercooked and presented luke-warm, it was with good fortune that these were quickly followed by all-new snickers pancakes topped in bananas foster, the melted chocolate and caramel adding unexpected texture to fluffy buttermilk and the overall sweetness assuring no additional syrup was necessary.

swapping out share plates on request, a necessity for those not wanting to mix sweet with savory, it was after another round of grits that la cave’s egg “sandwich” arrived, the flavor highlighted by tomato plus a touch of heat while “loaded” tots were heavy but delicious thanks to bacon, cheddar and brown gravy.

finishing up sweet, a male server who scampered off after presenting one tiny piece of tepid french toast doing a disservice to what might have otherwise been a decent dish, it was after another skillet of chicken and waffles that another type of waffle was offered, this one riddled with cinnamon and topped with apples plus mixed berries that led nicely into pastries and cookies highlighted by a soft and chewy oatmeal raisin round plus an incredibly light raspberry muffin that turned out to be gluten-free.

four stars:  smartly designed for the sort of guests typically visiting wynn, la cave wine and food hideaway’s butler-style brunch offers good value for just $42 per person thanks to well-designed plates, professional service and the sort of room conducive to quiet conversation and relaxation.

this was by far the absolute best meal i had while in vegas. it’s perfect for sharing and indulging but small enough plates to enjoy a few yourself. i had the sparkling flight so yummy and what a treat. the mushroom grits were fantastic! i will definitely return next time i am here.

t the bar alone and ate two gorgeous little dishes you might want if a late night light bite is what you’re craving in lv.

crab ravioli were three tiny, perfect, bites of thin pasta enveloping sweet crabmeat in a lemon-butter sauce with grape tomatoes, and arugula. the peppery arugula and sweet tomatoes set off the acidic punch of the rich butter sauce really well, and the ravioli were so delicate, it was like eating clouds.

french onion soup was a little more pedestrian, but still really tasty. rather than a soup-soaked crouton topped with browned cheese, this tiny crock was crowned with a puff pastry sheet, and the gruyere melted right into it, creating a seamless cheesy/crunchy dome over the savory soup that was fun to crack with my spoon. because there wasn’t a mass of melted cheese oozing over the top, i missed the gooey factor i usually enjoy with onion soup, but that didn’t take away from the taste at all.

the service here, even at the bar, was spot-on. my server was friendly and solicitous of my approval without giving me the hard sell on any menu items. he kept my water refilled, and let me order my two dishes one after the other without fussing that i was taking up a bar stool for too long. i would definitely dine here, or better yet, drink here, again.

this is the only restaurant at wynn & encore that i avoid. it looks amazing, but the dishes and service are uneven at best. it's also the only wynn restaurant where i have sent a dish back to the kitchen. and, i have given it 2 tries.

excellent. walked in late on a weekend. greeted by a nice lady upfront. mentioned i only wanted a drink, but since the bar was full, they still seated me at a 4 person table. ordered two cognacs, then decided at the last moment to order some food after looking the menu over. the waitress knew the menu well, and she recommended the 3 bean salad with roasted artichokes and an ice wine vinaigrette. it was excellent, and i am tempted to go back just to try it again. service was excellent, staff was friendly, food was great, the spirits and wine list was amazing, and the atmosphere inside was great. location was down a long corridor in the wynn away from the loud casino, so the atmosphere was much quieter and reserved than the bars and restaurants inside the casino. overall, it was very classy and nice, but without the pretension in some of the other restaurants. highly recommend.

oozing class.. the wynns has a reputation for finesse and luxury. it met all our expectations. we visited la cave early 2013 during one of our late night adventures. hearing wonderful reviews we were excited to discover what food the wynns had to offer.

we were greeted by a group of well dresses waitresses, who although a little snobby, were perfectly polite. seated promptly we took in the dark interior. the ominous yet vibrant decor was a paradigm of all the chill and suave of vegas.

we had high expectations of the food. it did not disappoint.

if your wallet is prepared, it is an amazing meal, in the best hotel, in one of the fastest cities in the world.

created by michael morton, co-founder of the n9ne group, la cave is an underrated small-plates restaurant at the wynn. their weekend brunch is an all you can eat feast served butler style — meaning the servers walk around with trays of food and you pick what you want, like a dim sum place. it is more expensive than the buffet ($48 for adults and $28 for kids under 12) and with a less diverse selection, but the quality of food is better and (for all you lazy people out there) you never have to leave your seat while dining. for an extra $20 you can get all you can drink bloody mary’s, mojitos, and caipirinhas. dishes that were served included: pork ribs – meaty, tender, with a little heat from the sauce. sliders – the angus beef patties were well seasoned and juicy with a bun that was soft and slightly chewy. pancakes – small portions are perfect for sampling. the light t

good choice of wine, wait staff knew there menus. gluten free options. they were willing to make some non gluten free items gluten free. i'll be back.

terrible service. i have never been to a tapas style restaurant where the staff did not clear my plate and silver between courses.... until now! finally at the end of service our server asked how everything was? i said, terrible! you did not clear our plates once between courses! the check will be fine. no response, he leaves abruptly and drops the check in front of me with nothing said. i take care of the check, and for the first time that i can recall, i tipped less than 20% to let him know how displeased i was with the service and added a nominal 5%.

bottom line, choose another wynn restaurant as there are plenty of other great options. la cave will not make it if this keeps up. the only negative review i have after 7 nights on the combined property.

love the vegan options. chose la cave because like all other wynn restaurants there are great vegan/allergen menu options. i ordered a 'creamy' mushroom tortellini pasta dish that was amazing. my husband ordered the gluten-free salmon with pea shoots and red wine reduction. he hasn't stopped talking about it since. we also enjoyed the thematic wine tasting selections. we chose a regional theme - spain - and were impressed by the variety. i'll be back to la cave for sure the next time i'm in vegas.

worst birthday dinner ever. last nght i celebrated my 40th birthday at la cave. i found nothing on the website that suggested that it was a tapas only menu, two of my guests left because of this issue. the service was extremely slow. after ordering a bottle of wine and $140.00 worth of tapas. the flavor was very good, especially the mushroom grits, but three of the items we ordered ( the filet, the lambchop, and the stuffed chicken) all came out burnt, the server never came back to check on us and see how the items were. we waited several minutes before my guests finally got to hungry to wait and ait the chicken and lamb any way.
when the server did finally make it back, i showed him the filet, and he apologized and did have the filet remade. my sister at some point mentioned that it was my birthday and at the end of dinner service i was presented with a small birthday cake which did help heal some of the hurt from the bad service and bad food. until i got the bill. they charged me for a birthday cake that i did not even order. i have been a server for 20 years and work at the tropicana. i have never charged someone for a birthday cake. all in all, the flavor of the food was adequate but the service sucked, and to be presented with a bill for a birthday cake that i didnt even order was the final straw. being a server myself, i still left a 20% tip, even thought it was definately not deserved.