Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/260044
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BARBARA KRAFT (DINING ROOM); SABIN ORR (GUÍA, BEIGNETS) It also helps that the club is located at t he end of a relat ively isolated ha llway. T he crowds t h in t he fa r t her you wa lk, past The Buffet, the Terrace Pointe Café, and a smattering of luxury retailers. "It's always been a hidden gem, but intention- ally so," says Lenahan. "And because of that, it gets these A-list power players. It's the only place you can go and not be seen." Inside, you're immediately transported. You are no longer on the Las Vegas Strip. You are now at the unofficial 19th hole of the Golf Club at Wynn, a par-70, Tom Fazio – desig ned course that's also a desig nated wildlife habitat and environmental sanctuary. The Country Club over- looks the lush greenery, cascading waterfalls, and sparkling ponds of the course, the only one attached to a resort on the Strip. The interior design recalls that of the most traditional, private East Coast country clubs, complete with wall-to-wall wainscoting and carpet- ing reminiscent of Burberry's classic plaids. "It will probably be the one place in the entire hotel that never gets remodeled," says Lenahan. Steve Wynn himself has said it's his favorite place to sit in the entire property. It feels like the epitome of exclusivity. Except it isn't. Both the Country Club and the Wynn Golf Club are open to the public. "If you want to come here, you can," Guía says. "We treat everyone the same. Everyone gets the same level of service." And that service is consistently fastidious. In keeping with the design of traditional New England country clubs, Guía's menu offers elevated country club classics—steaks, seafood, even burgers and hot dogs. The French dip, for instance, utilizes shaved prime ABOVE: The interior was modeled after private East Coast country clubs, but here everyone is welcome. LEFT: Executive Chef Carlos Guía brings a touch of New Orleans to the menu. A classic Creole dessert—or breakfast: beignets and café au lait. continued from page 77 LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS ROULER The good times roll when the Country Club serves the flavors of New Orleans. For a city that treats cultural appropriation as a form of authenticity, Las Vegas has surprisingly few places that offer genuine Creole cuisine. Enter Carlos Guía, a former New Orleans resident and a past commander of the Big Easy institution Commander's Palace. Guía has infused the Country Club's menu with touches of New Orleans's culinary traditions. Not enough to make it a full-fledged Creole restaurant, but enough for diners to notice: Chef Carlos's Gumbo and the shrimp and grits are among the most popular dishes. And then there's the Sunday Jazz Brunch, a $65 all-you-can-eat brunch featuring a live four-piece jazz band. And it's not the esoteric, thinky jazz of Ivy Leaguers, either; it's the loud and large jazz of big bands and Dixieland. The Jazz Brunch menu includes a long list of brunch favorites, made-to-order entrées from the regular brunch menu, and a multimeat carving station, including chile-rubbed turkey breast. But the highlight is Guía's Creole cuisine: house-smoked andouille sausage, Creole spice–rubbed jumbo shrimp, seasonal oysters with New Orleans rémoulade sauce, and shrimp-, crawfish-, and andouille-studded gumbo. rib and Gruyère, plus mustard aioli and both caramelized and crispy onions. Creamed spinach? Make that truff le creamed spinach. But the chef is also bringing a little taste of the bayou to his corner of the Strip. Guía, who bega n his ca reer at New York's Wa ldor f Astor ia, where presidential dinners were commonplace, remembers being particularly excited when Bono of U2 stopped in. That information took some prod- ding, however, because the real secret to the Country Club's A-list appeal is the fact that no one talks about it. There are no tweets announcing which famous faces are currently dining, no Instagram pics of power players at their tables. While any high-end restaurant on the Strip could court the same clientele, it's the sense of privacy that the Country Club maintains that makes it the choice of the world's most powerful people. Wynn Las Vegas, 702-770-3315; wynnlasvegas.com V 78 VEGASMAGAZINE.COM TASTE 077-078_V_ST_Opener_Spring14.indd 78 2/11/14 12:29 PM