Wynn Las Vegas Magazine by MODERN LUXURY

Wynn - 2013 - Issue 3 - Winter

Wynn Magazine - Las Vegas

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY BARBARA KRAFT (NOODLES, OPPOSITE PAGE); ALEX KARVOUNIS (CHAN); FRANCIS GEORGE AND FRANCIS BAYTAN (DRAGON) FOOD FOR THOUGHT B rowse the pull-down dining menu on the Wynn Las Vegas website, and you'll notice that Encore's well-regarded Pan-Asian restaurant Wazuzu is listed under "Casual Dining." This may apply in terms of informality and price point, but the description is also the essence of modesty. Because the food, décor, and presence of a brilliant new chef, Taiwan-born Chen Wei Chan, elevates the restaurant to a level that makes it one of the most compelling dining experiences Las Vegas has to offer. The atmosphere remains as stunning as ever. A trio of giant gilded pears marks the entrance, and the restaurant's centerpiece, a handcrafted 27-foot crystal dragon composed of 90,000 individual glass pieces, slinks its way along the wall facing the casino floor. Cream-colored lanterns suspended from the ceiling sport crimson tassels as they do at a typical Asian night market. Seating is in comfy, semicircular booths, or at tables set over plush Asian-themed carpeting. Chef Chan, a youthful 37 years of age, has been tweaking the menu since taking the helm last spring. He has an impressive résumé, speaks fluent English, and is incorporating techniques he acquired during tenures in France and New York City into Wazuzu's kitchen. He learned classical French techniques at the Michelin-starred Hameau Albert 1er in the French Alps (where he also managed to perfect his snowboarding skills). Later, he cooked in exotic ports of call such as Muscat, Oman, and St. Lucia, before landing in this country six years ago at New York's Carlyle Hotel. But it is his native Taiwan, and the influence of Japan, the country that colonized Taiwan for half of the 20th century, that has really impacted Wazuzu's menu. It is now chockablock with innovative sushi created by the chef. Chan is a proponent of organic vegetables as well, and is planning to put more of his vegetarian and vegan creations on Wazuzu's menu. Yet he's retaining such classic dishes here as salt and pepper prawns, a traditional Chinese barbecue plate, Singapore-style curry, and live lobster—now available garlic-crusted with ginger and scallion. Wazuzu's menu today reflects some of the chef's ingenuity. Two starters, signature Wazuzu dragon sliders and crispy Brussels sprouts (or crispy broccoli), are new to the menu, and each one above from left: A corner booth at Wazuzu enjoys a close-up view of the restaurant's crystal dragon; Wazuzu chef Chen Wei Chan. opposite page: Drunken tofu noodles. WYNN 104-107_Wynn_Dining_Food_Winter13.indd 105 105 12/6/13 2:36 PM

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