payard pâtisserie & bistro

payard las vegas. visitedpayardon mother's day, was very disappointed. we made reservation and had to wait for 40 minutes to get in while they allowed their walk-ins to fill up all tables. you should keep a table open when you accept a reservation. then, that was not bad enough, when we sat down you think that it would be nice if they acknowledge and apollogize and provide, as a good gesture, a couple pastries or a basket of bread. very questionable management. we have complained through email before, but never received any response. the food was so, so. it used to be better but now it is hit and miss. the new yorkpayardwas closed last wed, may 2009, for health reasons. i wonder if this is connected to money flow.

the display of cakes and pastries looks divine so naturally we thought we would sit in the quaint little cafe for some brunch. we ordered the classic croque monsieur and avocado toast. you wouldn't think avocado toast would be difficult to get wrong, howeverpayardproved us wrong! the thinest slice of toast, coupled with mushy brown tomato and cold egg. potentially the worst avo on toast we have ever had! the croque monsieur looked better, and tasted ok. a tad too much cheese, but was better than the toast. the pricing did not match the food that was delivered. extremely disappointed. surprised by the high reviews as i definitely would not return!

payard pâtisserie & bistro is located inside caesars palace, right across from bacchanal buffet. french pastry master and chef françoispayardis behind all of the treats and confections. the small shop offers everything from pastries, drinks, ice creams, and sandwiches. known for their chocolates and candies as well, the patisserie satisfies everyone’s needs, especially with the bistro next door. this would be a great place to have breakfast or brunch if you don’t want to wait in that line for bacchanal. we just got the almond croissant. it was sweet, flakey, and had a sweet filling inside. the almonds on the outside were toasted perfectly and the crunch from this thing was unbelievable. im sure i had powdered sugar all over and bits of almonds stuck to my face. this was perfect to hold me over until late lunch.payardpâtisserie & bistro is a nice spot to just relax and have whatever you feel like. you can have a pastry and coffee. you can have eggs and toast or a sandwich, or you ma

supurb, and underrated. over the weekend went topayardthree times. i had looked at several of the pâtisserie's, and the quality ofpayardappear better than jean-philippe pâtisserie. this included not just the bakery items, but also the crepes. i had actually gone to the françoispayardbakery in new york city the weekend before, and bought a focaccia and several pastry items (none of which can you get in las vegas), and everyone agreed that the bakery items were delicious. my son does not like nuts and only took a bit of the sixth of a hazelnut roule he was given to try. no way was the rest going to be wasted.
on saturday finally bought a sandwich and cranberry napoleon to go. the sandwich was good, and the napoleon was excellent.
i was interested in trying the bistro attached to the bakery, so went there for brunch on sunday. i am not a poached egg fan, and so for me the selection of the brunch menu was limited, but the poached egg dishes sounded great. the two agreed to share the broccoli, tomato and mozzarella cheese quiche. we both agreed that it was the best quiche we had ever had; it was just so moist and rich and the flavors were great. also shared an almond croissant (get from the bakery, not the bistro since pay a lot more from the bistro). it was also so rich, and buttery, and the almond flavor, which seemed to permeate the whole croissant, was as intense as ever had. the quiche was a pretty large slice (and rich)and since neither of us are big eaters, we were both pleasantly sated with sharing the meal.
with the bill we got a 10% off coupon for dinner that had to be used the same day, so decided to go there for dinner. great decision! what made the deal even greater was that they allowed us to use the prix fixe. we started with the seared scallops (3 large scallops) with potatoes gratin and a crispy lemon on top. the scallops were perfectly cooked, and the crispy (dehydrated) lemon on top provided a great intense lemon flavor. we also had the braised short ribs in a red wine sauce celery root purée and baby carrots. meat just fell apart, and the wine sauce infused the meat beautifully. not greasy (my normal issue with short ribs), and all the flavors melded beautifully. not mentioned was the mushrooms cooked in the sauce. finally had the berry crepe, and the berries were so fresh, and the whipped cream had a nice subtle flavor of a liquor.
it is hard to understand how this bakery and bistro are rated so low on urbanspoon considering the quality. it is expensive, but everything is expensive in a casino like caesars. prices are significantly higher than the new york bakery, but just look at the prices at caesar's in general. would be nice if it was not on the strip, but it is still great for the price.

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 francoispayardhimself. 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). mrpayardsaid 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's palace for discontinuing what was an extremely tasty and incredibly unique experience.

for months i've been hearing from my friend michelle about how greatpayardat caesars palace is 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.payardis tucked away behind the casino a short distance from the parking garage and forum shops

yea baby. a little bit of paris in vegas. we walked a mile plus topayardfor breakfast crape and croissants. mighty good and consistent.
excellent cappuccino.

it seems like forever since i'd been to a high end bakery, so at a recent outing to caesar's palace, i forced myself to stop atpayardpatisserie. life is sure tough sometimes! although they have a variety of offerings (sandwiches, crepes, ice cream, coff

we were casually walking around caesar's palace and happened to come across this odd shaped, but very intriguing store. it waspayardpatisserie 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,payardpatisserie 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 thepayardmaster's
series dinner hosted by chef francoispayardand award winning
author dorie greenspan.




francoispayardis 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 openedpayardpatisseries 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 thepayardinsignia 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 whatpayardis 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 chocolatepayardcandy 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.


chefpayardand 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 caesars palace often.


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

vino las vegas visits payard. vino las vegas dines atpayardfor 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,payardpatisserie 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 thepayardmaster's
series dinner hosted by chef francoispayardand award winning

author dorie greenspan.









francoispayardis 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 openedpayardpatisseries 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 thepayardinsignia 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 whatpayardis 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 chocolatepayardcandy 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.




chefpayardand 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 caesars palace often.