You don’t go to the Caribbean to go snowboarding, you know what I’m saying?

Sorry you were disappointed with Le Cirque, although I am not surprised. We haven’t been to Vegas in several years, but our impression then was that there was way too much self-conscious hype to the restaurant scene there. We did like Aureole, at first because of its spectacular wine “tower” but in the end because of their outstanding sommelier. (The name Michael comes to mind, but it’s been awhile.) On being seated, we were presented with a wine list the size of the Manhattan phone directory. We had no prayer of making much sense of it all in the at hand, so we presented Michael with a list of our dishes (a very tricky mix of flavors and characteristics) and our price point. We mentioned that we were quite adventurous as far as wine was concerned. Michael suggested two half bottles, the first a Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Riesling Auslese, was a surprise (and a success). The second, a perfectly-matched Pinot Noir from Burgundy. I regret that I have no notes from the visit, but I wouldn’t hesitate to return. The next time I think I’ll go in early, work out the wines with the sommelier and then match the menu to the wines.

Overall it did feel a tad rushed, although I didn’t really mind as we had other things to do that night.

My experience there was not that good. Since the dining room is fairly small, we were rushed through our dinner so they could open our table. By the end of our meal I was surprised that the wait staff wasn’t shoving the food down our throats and kicking us out the door, because that’s what it felt like. For the $1000+ that was dropped there that night, you’d think they’d let you enjoy a meal properly without being rushed.

The staff was generally knowledgeable and helpful, but that didn’t keep the waiter from rolling his eyes when I asked for vegetarian suggestions. I ended up ordering some kind of vegetable quiche appetizer as my entree, but they didn’t SERVE it as my entree, so my dinner was over when everybody else’s was just being served.

The rest of my table had nothing but praise for the food, and thought it well worth the price, so perhaps it’s a better experience if you’re not vegetarian. Still, being rushed through your dinner is not what I expect from a five-star restaurant.