Courtesy Spago
Wolfgang Puck's restaurant Spago features work by local artist Tim Bavington, who has a show coming up at New York's Jack Shainman Gallery.
Courtesy Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art
“Classic Contemporary: Lichtenstein, Warhol and Friends” is on view at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art through September 7.
We know that what happens in Vegas is supposed to stay there, but we’re having trouble staying mum about the desert playground, where top-notch dining and entertainment are complemented by a sprinkling of art and culture. Herewith, a few of our favorite Sin City attractions.
Stay:
WYNN LAS VEGAS
Yes, Steve Wynn, the Las Vegas legend and prominent art collector, did just open the Encore next door to his namesake property, but still, it’s hard to top perfection. Forty-five stories and 2,716 rooms make up this award-winning Wynn Las Vegas, which includes scrumptious restaurants, nightly entertainment, and over 75,000 square feet of exclusive shopping boutiques. Don’t just take our word for it: The Tower Suites, which are the more luxurious side of the hotel, were honored with the Mobil Five-Star and American Automobile Association’s Five Diamond awards for a second consecutive year, the only casino resort in the world to receive both accolades.
3131 Las Vegas Blvd. South
RATES: Doubles from $299
www.wynnlasvegas.com
FOUR SEASONS HOTEL LAS VEGAS
This property is one of the few major hotels on the Strip that doesn’t have its own casino, so it offers a tranquil escape from the hustle and bustle. With a relatively modest 424 guest rooms and suites, which are located on the 35th to 39th floors of the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, the intimacy and personal service here are unrivaled. For those looking for even more relaxation, check out the spa, a 12,000-square-foot oasis, which just launched a custom perfume-blending program that lets guests create a signature scent.
3960 Las Vegas Blvd. South
RATES: Doubles from $319
www.fourseasons.com
Eat:
MIX AT MANDALAY BAY RESORT
Start the night on the 64th-floor balcony with a view of the Strip while sipping outrageous cocktail combinations and listening to DJs spin Top 40, hip-hop, and house nightly. Then make your way into the white and silver dining room fitted with sweeping staircases to enjoy classic French and American fare. The restaurant was awarded a Michelin Star in both 2008 and 2009 for Alain Ducasse’s creations, such as the crusted halibut accompanied by eggplant caviar, lemon, and capers.
Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South
www.mandalaybay.com
PICASSO AT THE BELLAGIO HOTEL
This is the place to be for both the food and the dozen or so Picasso paintings that grace the walls. (Look for his Luncheon on the Grass, a vibrant work in his trademark style, which hovers over the dining room.) Here, the wine cellar is stocked with more than 1,500 European wines, and the menu is inspired by the regional cuisine of France and Spain, where Picasso spent much of his life. The restaurant’s prix-fixe menu, an $83 per-person culinary tour, changes daily, but may include such standouts as the crème of carrot ginger topped with ruby red shrimp and slow-roasted prime short rib. For an extra $37 per person, the sommelier offers a wine pairing with your meal.
Bellagio Las Vegas
3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South
888-987-6667
www.bellagio.com
SPAGO
The menu at this Wolfgang Puck restaurant in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace changes daily and features a variety of innovative and organic dishes. A customer favorite is the house smoked salmon pizza topped with shaved sweet onions, dill cream, salmon pearls, American sturgeon, and Osetra black caviar. Spago’s warm ambience is boosted by work from local artists, including Tim Bavington, who has an upcoming show in September at New York’s Jack Shainman Gallery. He says Spago is one of his top picks because it’s a place where you can “enjoy lunch or dinner by the original celebrity chef, and, if you eat ‘outside’ in the cafe, it's one of the best people-watching spots in town.”
The Forum Shops at Caesars
3500 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Suite G-1
702-369-6300
www.wolfgangpuck.com
See:
BELLAGIO GALLERY OF FINE ART
The Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art is the only exhibition space left on the Strip since the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum in the Venetian closed its doors last spring (and one of the only art venues left in town, now that the Las Vegas Art Museum has also closed its doors). Its current show,
“Classic Contemporary: Lichtenstein, Warhol and Friends,” organized in partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, is stellar. Featuring important paintings and sculpture by major contemporary artists from the 1960s and ’70s, it gives visitors an in-depth look into the world of Pop art and Minimalism through the work of Ellsworth Kelly, Sol LeWitt, Roy Lichtenstein, Ed Ruscha, Frank Stella, and Andy Warhol. Through September 7.
600 Las Vegas Blvd. South
888-987-6667
www.bellagio.com
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