The Alex dining room
We didn't see Batali at Carnevino or B&B, Todd English at Olives or Emeril walking the halls of the Venetian. But at Alex, Alex Stratta himself was working the room. We stopped for a glass of wine at Bartolotta, and Paul Bartolotta was sipping Aperol and soda while making his fish order—in Italian—and shaking hands with departing guests. Point is, the Wynn chefs are on premises all the time (Boulud is the exception), they don't just come into town once a month or for an event. This is how Steve Wynn wanted it, and it works. Don't get us wrong: Most of the celebrity chef restaurants are still quite good without the celeb in the kitchen. But when the marquee chef is around, there's a connection you don't always get with those other restaurants on the Strip, and it doesn't feel like a carbon copy of somewhere else. Related: Dinner at Alex, superb, all around.
More Eater in Vegas from this trip and beyond
