Aureole

 The first time I stumbled upon Aureole at Mandalay Bay I couldn't help but gasp.

Inside, a dramatic, 4-story glass wine tower looms above diners at the restaurant. The tower holds close to 10,000 bottles of wine. If you're lucky, you'll catch a glimpse of one of the black-suited "wine angels" gliding up the tower on cables to retrieve wine bottles.

The Michelin guide has awarded Aureole one star.

We happened to be in Las Vegas during Restaurant Week, so we decided to book this restaurant with my friend Emily (the fantastic photographer behind all my "trash the wedding dress" photos) and her husband Frank.

Would Restaurant Week be any different in Las Vegas compared to Boston?

The space at Aureole is absolutely stunning and most definitely one of the most interesting ones I've seen in Las Vegas. Sure, Vegas has its share of unique dining environments, whether it be eating among real Picasso paintings or sitting in front of the world's largest chocolate fountain. However, nothing comes even close to the breathtaking high ceilings and the dramatic glass wine tower at Aureole. 
It doesn't stop there. Each table is given an electronic tablet that contains detailed information about all of those wines. I guess if they tried to put it in paper format it would be so heavy and unwieldy you'd have no way of managing it.

It's pretty cool. You can sort by various parameters and then digitally mark the ones you are considering. The sommelier then comes and helps you choose a wine based on how you have narrowed things down. Here is Bryan, trying to research wines on his iPhone app while holding the menu and reading the tablet. As an iPad user, he found the pen-based interface slightly clunky, but still useful.

Aureole has two types of menus. You can either order from the a la carte menu (appetizer + entree), or try their signature Parallel Tasting, which consists of 8 courses that come out two at a time.  Like many high end restaurants, Aureole has a rule that all members of the table have to order the same type of tasting menu. Thankfully, because it was Restaurant Week, they agreed to be a bit more lax on the rules. A 3-course Restaurant Week menu would not be so different from the 4-course Parallel Tasting, so it was OK. They had multiple options for Restaurant Week, including a $30 menu and a $50 menu.

My friends Frank and Emily both got the $50 Restaurant Week menu. Bryan tried the Parallel Tasting (highly recommended by the waiter) which cost $85, and I ordered some random items off of the regular a la carte menu (total price: $37).

JEN's LIGHT MENU
I chose this option because I was still feeling really full from my crazy 16-course anniversary dinner (post coming soon!) so I asked for a lighter option. I ended up picking a few raw fish appetizers, which worked perfectly for me. I was so happy with their flexibility in accommodating my request!

Crudo of Hiramasa 18
Avocado and Tomato Marmalade, Spicy Ponzu

I started out with a simple crudo which was light yet refreshingly good. The sashimi-like hiramasa was very fresh and paired with a winning combination of avocados and tomatoes.

Peruvian Ceviche 19
California Bass, Bay Scallops, Chochlo, Aji' Amarillo

I was actually quite surprised at the size of this next "appetizer," which I ordered as my entree. The long glass plate was filled with vinegar-marinated scallops and white fish. I loved the Peruvian bent, especially the large Peruvian corn kernels strewn throughout the dish. Overall, it was a nice, light meal and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It was a tad expensive, but after all, this is Vegas, so you sort of have to expect that.

RESTAURANT WEEK
Restaurant Week in Las Vegas is a little different than Restaurant Week in most other cities. First of all, it costs more. Dinner can be a range of prices, usually $30 or $50 for a three course meal (compare with around $30 in Boston), while lunch is either $20 or $30. Secondly, $3 to $5 of each meal goes to charity (Three Square Food Bank), which I thought was pretty cool.

Many top rated restaurants and household names (Jean Georges, Bobby Flay, Michael Mina, Nobu, Bar Masa, just to name a few) get involved. Last year even Joel Robuchon was on the list! (though not this year). So what does a Michelin-starred Restaurant Week menu look like?
Smoked Salmon and Warm Potato Salad
Poached Egg, Watercress Espuma

The first course was simple but quite tasty. The poached egg added a nice twist to the flavorful whole-grain mustard potato salad. I didn't try the salmon, but Emily and Frank both seemed to like it.

Roasted Muscovy Duck Breast 
Confit Duck and Foie Gras Ravioli , Caramelized Endive Orange Reduction Jus

Both Frank and Emily decided to go for the roasted duck breast, which was cooked absolutely perfectly. I tried a bite of it (even though I don't really like duck), and agreed that it worked beautifully with the orange reduction sauce.

Dessert was a choice between chocolate and creme caramel. They got one of each. Personally, I liked the chocolate one more, which was strong, intense, yet tempered by the salt.

Dark Chocolate Caramel Tart
Salted Macadamia Ice Cream; Milk Chocolate Sauce
Limoncello Crème Caramel
Marinated Strawberries; Lemon-Lime Macaroon

PARALLEL TASTING 
The Parallel Tasting is Aureole's unique way of presenting you with 8 courses. As the name suggests, the courses are brought out in pairs, meant to be enjoyed in parallel. In fact, they have these special double plates with one course on each side.

Bryan asked the waiter what he recommended, and of course he thought that the parallel tasting was the best way to really enjoy the best that the chef had to offer. I briefly considered it, but after the waiter told me that the portions were large and I would be close to exploding when we finished (I'm not sure if those were his exact words, but he indicated that it was plenty of food), I decided on the lighter option detailed above.

COURSE 1 (Cold)