Friday, December 31, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
NORM: Mix sits diners under bubbles
General manager Patrick Syka sits Thursday inside Mix, a new restaurant at The Hotel at Mandalay Bay.
Photo by SAMANTHA CLEMENS/REVIEW-JOURNAL
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The newest kid on the block in the city of excess has raised the ceiling.
Alain Ducasse's Mix restaurant, which opened this week at The Hotel at Mandalay Bay, is charging $550 per person for their New Year's Eve special.
The six-course meal includes wine pairings, champagne and your table for the night at the 43rd-floor restaurant.
Ducasse, the French icon who set New York City on its ear by charging $145 per dinner not including wine, has a room that features one of the most spectacular centerpieces ever to grace a Las Vegas restaurant.
The $500,000 chandelier is made out of 13,000 glass bulbs that create the effect of a champagne explosion and form a canopy over an elevated, private dining area.
Mix lounge, next to the restaurant, also is raising the price for New Year's revelry: $200 per person, plus a minimum of two $300 bottles for two people.
Back to the dining extravaganza, which includes: avocado caviar shot, which is a light cream of avocado, with lemon juice, caviar and paprika served as an amuse-bouche in a shot glass with a straw; and a fresh black truffle salad with a foie gras celery remoulade and olive oil. Entrees include seared day boat scallops, "Cauliflower Two Ways," and brown butter emulsion; Maine lobster "Au Curry" with coconut basmati rice; and beef tenderloin Rossini and potato Galette with black truffle sauce. For dessert, "Tian ˆ L'Orange," which is a very typical Brittany orange-flavored short cookie served with orange marmalade, light orange cream and orange segments; and milk chocolate dome, hazel-nut crumble.
Pure Fun
Pure, the colossal 36,000-square foot nightclub at Caesars Palace, makes its debut tonight with Mariah Carey leading the countdown to midnight.
During a tour on Thursday, managing partner Robert Frey said he was confident the club would be "100 percent ready" as dozens of workers added finishing touches.
"When we dim the lights, it's the sexiest club in the country," said Frey, whose nightclub empire includes Coyote Ugly (New York-New York), Tangerine (Treasure Island) and Bikinis (Rio).
Celine Dion, who is among the celebrity investors with Shaquille O'Neal, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, is reported to be making an appearance tonight.
Pure features a third-floor open-air terrace, white leather chairs, couches and beds and an opulent red room for VIPs.
The Scene and Heard
Barry Manilow's deal at the Hilton is $16 million, not the wildly reported and highly inflated $60 million deal that continues to make the rounds after a tabloid report. ...
Sightings
Tiger Woods, celebrating his 29th birthday with Matt Damon and gal pal Luciana Barroso, and Charles Barkley at Light nightclub (Bellagio) on Wednesday night.
May I recommend ...
Best viewing areas for tonight's fireworks display: 1. Pure nightclub's outdoor terrace (Caesars Palace). 2. Stratosphere, from the Top of the World restaurant and observation areas. 3. House of Blues Foundation Room (Mandalay Bay), private. 4. ghostbar (Palms). 5. VooDoo Lounge (Rio). 6. Mix restaurant and nightclub (The Hotel at Mandalay Bay). 7. Il Mulino New York (Forum Shops at Caesars). 8. Fontana Lounge patio at Bellagio. 9. Pedestrian bridges at Flamingo and Las Vegas Boulevard. 10. The Cloudburst party at Fashion Show mall.
The Punch Line
"I would rather start out somewhere small, like London or England." -- Britney Spears, who is considering a role in a musical.
Norm Clarke can be reached at 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com.
