Wynn Magazine - Las Vegas
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/120116
EXECUTIVE CHEF JOSEPH ELEVADO'S MULTICULTURAL MENU AT ANDREA'S IS AS VIBRANT AND STIMULATING AS THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB NEXT DOOR. BY MAX JACOBSON PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF GALE I t's almost 9, and gradually the rather calm dinner crowd at Andrea's, the exciting new pan-Asian venue at Encore, is becoming younger and primed for action. The music is subtly and steadily growing more energetic as well, a preview of what's next door inside Surrender, Encore's pulsating nightclub. But first, it's dinnertime. Andrea's Executive Chef Joe Elevado is highly accomplished, having trained with global superstar Nobu Matsuhisa, first in New York City after graduating from New York Restaurant School and later at Nobu Las Vegas, where he was mentored by the master himself. "Every time I open a restaurant," says Elevado, "I try to create a dish that pays homage to Nobu. Nobu taught me to use the best ingredients, and I reinterpret them with him in mind." A native New Yorker whose parents come from the Philippines, Elevado has experience with Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Filipino Andrea's Executive Chef Joseph Elevado. Whole crispy fish is served in a tomato and stewed-egg broth. cooking styles, each of which is deftly woven into the eclectic contemporary menu at Andrea's. The chef has an impressive résumé. He has received numerous awards, including a prestigious Mobil Four-Star Award, won while helming the kitchen at Nobu Las Vegas, which was named best Japanese restaurant by Las Vegas Magazine four years running during Elevado's tenure. He moved to Los Angeles in 2011 to become executive chef at L'Ermitage Beverly Hills, a Forbes Five Star and AAA Five Diamond hotel, but Steve Wynn persuaded him to return. "I had no intention of returning to Las Vegas," Elevado says, "but when Mr. Wynn offered me a position, I reconsidered. I've been enamored of the property ever since I did an opening-night dinner here with Nobu, Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, and Wolfgang Puck. And the network of chefs here is fantastic. I've never experienced such great camaraderie." "My cooking philosophy is simple: I like to take foods from different cultures, be true to them, and make them contemporary and fun."—joseph elevado If you're like most people at Andrea's, you'll begin the festivities with a house cocktail especially designed for the restaurant by barman and World Food Championship winner Francesco Lafranconi and prominently displayed on the iPad drink menu. Ladies adore the Aphrodesiac, crafted from Belvedere Lemon Tea vodka, Apéro, and St-Germain. The restaurant's most popular cocktail is its signature Lulu, a concoction of Grey Goose, Malibu rum, and Cointreau, served in a tall glass. Getting hungry? Don't be surprised to see a full menu of sushi, sashimi, and esoteric hand and cut rolls that you might not find in Tokyo. WYNN 086-090_W_FoodForThought_Spring_13.indd 87 87 4/4/13 5:09 PM