Las Vegas speaks in neon, so it's kinda nice to see something go for a completely different signal of elegance. Tableau a sunlit, bistro-style room tucked into the lobby of the Wynn Tower Suites, overlooking the pools and manicured gardens, where the chairs wear paintings and the tablecloths stay crisp. You do not need a suite upstairs to get a table, but you'll feel like you discovered something private given how close to the elevators this restaurant sits. I booked a table for one, and a room this composed turned out to be a very good place to be alone with a camera and a fork.
Disclosure: The Made You Look drink and the dessert plate were complimentary after the restaurant noticed I had a camera with me.
Food
A table for one at brunch at Tableau, and I enjoyed the following:
- Truffle Chicken Consommé ($23)
- Tableau Latte ($13)
- French Omelette ($29)
- Made You Look (complimentary)
- Dessert cart: rhubarb macaron, canelé, pistachio cake (complimentary)
The Truffle Chicken Consommé arrived as a clear amber pool with three small confit chicken ravioli floating in it, scattered with peas, diced carrot and a sprig of chervil. Chicken broth has a reputation as the lean, slightly dry cousin of richer soups, but this one had a ton of mouthfeel. The peas were the sleeper stars. They were some of the best I have ever had, each one bursting with an extra pop, like tiny green bubble wrap that happened to taste like a garden.
The Tableau Latte looked like a potion and behaved like a comfort drink. The butterfly pea blossom turned the glass a deep, dusky navy under a pale foam, making it look extra exotic. It tasted just like a vanilla matcha should, so the showpiece colour never got in the way of the flavour. It also arrived after my consommé, which was unexpected, but a story for the Service section.
Then came the French Omelette, and the meal found its thesis. It sat on the plate like a folded silk scarf, pale gold and blanketed in Gruyère mornay, with Parisian ham, chives and a drift of grated cheese on top. The texture was extremely silky, closer to a warm custard than any omelette has a right to be, and I kid you not, I scanned every inch of it for a single brown freckle from the pan and could not find one. A potato rosti sat on the side with a satisfying crispiness of its own. It was core memory territory for a plate of eggs.
The Made You Look mocktail earned its name. Watermelon, a cucumber sour, ginger and butterfly pea blossom tisane came together in a tall glass that faded from violet at the top to coral at the bottom, crowned with an orchid, like a sunset someone had poured over crushed ice. It tasted as bright and refreshing as it looked, which is the right way round for a drink this photogenic.
The dessert cart was an experience in itself. It was a glass-domed trolley tiered like a jewellery display, with rows of glossy domed sweets in blues, pinks, reds, yellows and greens up top, and macarons, canelés, pistachio-green squares, madeleines and lollipops below. A normal order is four choices, but I kept mine to three because I felt bad about taking free dessert. I picked a rhubarb macaron, a canelé and a pistachio cake, lined up on a long white plate like three tiny characters in a play. All three were very tasty, with good moisture, and friendly to eat with one's fingers, which suits a cart built around small bites. Honestly though, I think the cart format is a great idea. I am often asking my table to share desserts to sample more flavours anyway, and a cart of small portions solves that problem and probably gets diners to order more than they normally would.
On price, $70-$120 per person with tax and tip included is an expensive meal. It is however, a cut above other French spots further south on the Strip like Mon Ami Gabi, so I felt the money went somewhere deserving given the Strip.
Ambiance
A corner window seat was the ideal perch for a table of one. I could face the entire main dining room and people-watch to my heart's content without drawing much attention back, which is a rare combination when you are also photographing your food. I think there was seating for about 120 guests.
The room itself is a looker. Many chair have different paintings on their backs, from sunbursts and masks to a wide-eyed cat, and even the mouldings on the ceiling looked hand-painted, set against buttery yellow with aged mirror inlays. Pomegranate-print banquettes, a floral carpet and glass-based lamps keep it feeling collected rather than themed, and the design served the meal instead of competing with it. There is also a smaller conservatory at the back that seemed to be reserved for regulars. If you know about it in advance, it is worth asking for a table there, because I think it would make for an even better experience.
Service
Service had a plot twist. A manager noticed I was taking photos and videos and came over to ask whether I was a journalist or with the media. I told her I have a website and like to make personal vlogs, but I do not do any of this professionally. She then ordered the Made You Look drink and a plate from the dessert cart on my behalf so I could have a fuller experience, and I was not charged for either. On one hand, I suspect this is a strategy to find public relations opportunities. On the other hand, it totally worked.
My server was just as sharp on the smaller moments. My consommé arrived before my Tableau Latte, and once the food arrived, he came over to tell me the drink was imminently on its way. A few minutes later he was right, and another server brought it to the table. At this dining tier, that kind of attention to detail is the expectation, and it was good to see it delivered.
Final Thoughts
One-liner: A little bit of French elegance in the oasis of The Wynn.
Highlight: French Omelette
Price per person: $70-$120 with tax and tip included, depending on how hard you splurge at the dessert cart.
Would I go back? Yes.