First taste of Wynn/Encore's Casa Play
Casa Playa begins seating customers this weekend at Encore, utilizing the space that briefly housed Chef Enrique Olvera’s short-lived Elio. I had the chance to sample several dishes and take in the remodeled dining room during one of the pre-opening “play dates” the team held this week.
Like its predecessor, which was in operation for just five
months in the second half of 2020, Casa Playa offers a contemporary style of
high-end Mexican cuisine that’s a step above what many Americans are used to
seeing. (Olvera’s Pujol, in Mexico City, was ranked as one of the world’s
top-25 restaurants every year from 2013 through 2019.) To continue that level
of quality and creativity, the new restaurant is helmed by Elio’s executive
chef, Sarah Thompson. The Culinary Institute of America graduate worked in
several top New York City kitchens, including the Michelin-starred Marea and Wylie
Dufrense's Alder, before she was recruited by Olvera and Chef Daniela
Soto-Innes for their New York restaurant Cosme.
Given that continuity in the kitchen, it’s not surprising
that, at first glance, the Casa Playa menu is reminiscent of its predecessor’s.
It opens with a selection of crudos. Many of the main courses seem designed to
share (often coming with a bowl of tortillas for building tacos). And Thompson
continues to utilize many ingredients that aren’t often seen on Mexican menus in
the U.S. – including duck, mushrooms and truffles.
Make no mistake about it, however – Casa Playa is Thompson’s
restaurant. I’m told that the few holdover dishes are ones she originally designed.
And a careful inspection of Casa Playa’s menu alongside an Elio menu I tracked
down online confirmed that most of the similarities are merely surface-deep.
The ceviches, for example, now include original options such as Hokkaido scallops with a pico de gallo of California heirloom tomatoes, and blue
shrimp with coconut, tomatillo and cucumber. In lieu of a duck carnitas, the
chef now incorporates the fowl into a tamal, and serves it with rich mole and a
dollop of ricotta. Even the mignonette for the oysters is new. (Fans of the
black truffle tostada, however, will be happy to learn it looks quite similar
to the last incarnation – and a friend at another table told me it’s just
as good.)
One big (and positive) change is the addition of signature cocktails by Wynn’s new property mixologist, Mariena Mercer Boarini. While I wasn’t planning to imbibe with my meal, I couldn’t resists a sip of her Ojo De Tigre: bourbon, anejo, plantain and a touch of my favorite Mexican candy, De La Rosa. Boarini is on a roll right now, having recently created some brilliant cocktails for the new Delilah and Overlook Lounge. Amazingly, she doesn’t seem to be running out of creative ideas. I’m also told that what I recall as a pretty serious Mezcal program has been upgraded – which is hard to imagine, but exciting.
Having only dined at Elio once, in the midst of the craziest year of our lifetime, it’s hard to recall exactly what the place looked like. As a result, I can’t say much about how the décor has changed. But the space now has a fun beach house vibe that’s a bit more upscale and formal than another “beach house” restaurant I love (in another Las Vegas casino), while retaining a generally relaxed atmosphere with a mix of couch seating, high-tops and traditional dining room tables. It will be interesting, however, to see how noisy it gets when the DJs start pumping up the crowd at Encore Beach Club, which is located right out the windows.
The big question facing Casa Playa will undoubtedly be the
same one that faced Elio: Are Americans ready to pay Strip fine-dining prices
for Mexican cuisine. (Sadly, many Americans are selective about which nation’s
cuisines are worthy of big-ticket price tags.) The prices at Casa Play are in
the same ballpark as Elio’s, maybe a few dollars less in some categories. With the
exception of the truffles (priced at $36), you can expect appetizers to set you
back anywhere from $15 to $28, with the crudo selections ranging from $20 to $25. Entrees
start around $25 for fish tacos or chicken enchiladas, and a 12 -ounce New York
Strip with veggies clocks in at a cool $58. Sides, which are large enough to
share, are around $12.
So will Americans pay $200+ for a Mexican dinner for two
(with a cocktail or two, and some dessert)? The pandemic, and those who took advantage of
the room discounts that came with it, never allowed Elio to answer that
question. And it’s actually a pretty stupid question to ask in the first place.
A better one would be whether people who dine at Wynn and
Encore are willing to pay that much for a meal. I’m no casino marketing expert,
but I think it’s obvious they are. The question then becomes whether Casa Playa
delivers a meal and an experience that are on par with other restaurants in that
price range. And while it’ll take a few more visits to answer that, my first impression
is that it does, and then some. I look forward to a few more visits to help me
confirm that impression.
All photos by Al Mancini
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