payard pâtisserie & bistro

  located steps away from the caesar'spalacegarden of the gods pool. a perfect place for breakkie or a snack.   banana caramel crepes with an iced mocha. not bad, but i've had better. 

shame on caesars. my wife and i had the great fortune of being one of the last to enjoy payard's dessert tasting menu (in april 2008) before it was discontinued. as your typical 'tasting menu' at most restaurants include a number of savory courses, followed by a small dessert sampling; likewise did payard's provide a small savory sampling to get your palate set for the dessert offerings to come. each course was a delicious mini work of art.

to our great surprise, we were the only two guests there for the entire length of our visit (and learned a couple months later that it was no longer being offered). two years later, we were back in las vegas (for the 'uncorked' festival), and attended an 'afternoon tea and pastry demo' given by francois payard himself. we mentioned to him how much we enjoyed our experience and how disappointed we were that it was no longer offered (assuming that it was a financial decision, due to the lack of guests/interest). mr payard said that the decision to stop offering it was not his (but caesars), and, to him, it wasn't about the money, but more about allowing the pastry chef's gain experience creating different selections. so shame on caesar'spalacefor discontinuing what was an extremely tasty and incredibly unique experience.

for months i've been hearing from my friend michelle about how great payard at caesarspalaceis so i was looking forward to my opportunity to try it for myself during a girls' lunch this past week. three of planned on meeting for a noonish lunch providing for a great midday break from our respective jobs and school. michelle and i carpooled out to caesars and met up with our girlfriend who works on the strip. payard is tucked away behind the casino a short distance from the parking garage and forum shops

we were casually walking around caesar'spalaceand happened to come across this odd shaped, but very intriguing store. it was payard patisserie and bistro. at first i was very curious because the structure was very appealing to the eye and very unique. t

vino las vegas visits payard. with bon appetit in town for
the 2008 vegas uncorked there
were several master dinners to
choose from.







with dinners at mesa grill, payard patisserie and bistro, rao's,

and guy savoy how could you go wrong with any of them. the
answer to that is , you cant . we attended the payard master's
series dinner hosted by chef francois payard and award winning
author dorie greenspan.




francois payard is a third generation french pastry chef. while
in paris he earned his way into several of france's finest kitchens.
he became pastry chef at the michelin 3-star tour d argent in 1988. and the next year moved to another michelin 3-star luca
carton with renown chef alain senderns.






new york was francois next stop and was named "pasty
chef of the year" by the james beard foundation. francois is now
an author as well as a renowned pastry chef and has opened payard patisseries in las vegas, sao paulo and tokyo.





the patisserie and bistro's design is one of a kind and any guest would enjoy the ambiance. when you enter the front door the custom tile floor with the payard insignia is worth a look down. but before long you eyes are drawn to the dinning room where the kitchen is located in the middle and guest seated around in a small intimate atmosphere with almost an art-deco style.


we were greeted with amuse bouche , tomato gelee with monk fish & tomato salad
paired with chartogne-taillet "cuvee st anne" merfy montagne de reims, champagne,france
1999-2000 non vintage.



the appetizer consisted of aspragus salad, artchoke & tamarind dressing paired with skouras moschofilero 2006 peloponnese greece

we were now ready for the entree and it melted in our mouth. the braised short ribs, mashed potatoes and baby carrots paired with trapiche single vineyard malbec, vina francisco olive mendoza argentina 2005 was one of the best short ribs and
wine pairing we have had.

but now we were ready for what payard is famous for, desert. and he did not let us down. we actually had a desert tasting consisting of five deserts. seared pineapple with thyme & coconut sorbet , slow baking apple, cardamine streusel and granny smith sorbet, milk chocolate payard candy bar with gianduja and caramel glaze , palet d or, hazenut succes , marquise chocolat and crispi wafer. all of the deserts were paired with the lustau moscatel emilin, jerez spain non vintage.


chef payard and his staff did a magnificent job with this dinner. the wine and food pairings were right on target and of course enjoyed the deserts. we will definitely visit this wonderful new restaurant in caesarspalaceoften.


-----02 jun, 2008-----

vino las vegas visits payard. vino las vegas dines at payard for the bon appetit master's series dinner for vegas uncorked



with bon appetit in town for
the 2008 vegas uncorked there
were several master dinners to
choose from.















with dinners at mesa grill, payard patisserie and bistro, rao's,

and guy savoy how could you go wrong with any of them. the
answer to that is , you cant . we attended the payard master's
series dinner hosted by chef francois payard and award winning

author dorie greenspan.









francois payard is a third generation french pastry chef. while
in paris he earned his way into several of france's finest kitchens.
he became pastry chef at the michelin 3-star tour d argent in 1988. and the next year moved to another michelin 3-star luca
carton with renown chef alain senderns.












new york was francois next stop and was named "pasty
chef of the year" by the james beard foundation. francois is now
an author as well as a renowned pastry chef and has opened payard patisseries in las vegas, sao paulo and tokyo.












the patisserie and bistro's design is one of a kind and any guest would enjoy the ambiance. when you enter the front door the custom tile floor with the payard insignia is worth a look down. but before long you eyes are drawn to the dinning room where the kitchen is located in the middle and guest seated around in a small intimate atmosphere with almost an art-deco style.





we were greeted with amuse bouche , tomato gelee with monk fish & tomato salad
paired with chartogne-taillet "cuvee st anne" merfy montagne de reims, champagne,france
1999-2000 non vintage.






the appetizer consisted of aspragus salad, artchoke & tamarind dressing paired with skouras moschofilero 2006 peloponnese greece



we were now ready for the entree and it melted in our mouth. the braised short ribs, mashed potatoes and baby carrots paired with trapiche single vineyard malbec, vina francisco olive mendoza argentina 2005 was one of the best short ribs and
wine pairing we have had.



but now we were ready for what payard is famous for, desert. and he did not let us down. we actually had a desert tasting consisting of five deserts. seared pineapple with thyme & coconut sorbet , slow baking apple, cardamine streusel and granny smith sorbet, milk chocolate payard candy bar with gianduja and caramel glaze , palet d or, hazenut succes , marquise chocolat and crispi wafer. all of the deserts were paired with the lustau moscatel emilin, jerez spain non vintage.




chef payard and his staff did a magnificent job with this dinner. the wine and food pairings were right on target and of course enjoyed the deserts. we will definitely visit this wonderful new restaurant in caesarspalaceoften.