Wynn Magazine - Las Vegas
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/225036
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE The main dining room at Sinatra. 34 pan-seared to perfection," Wooden notes. "And then in the middle of this beautiful room, also designed by Todd-Avery Lenahan, you've got a very different musical component, a DJ who customizes the music to the mood and vibe of the guests. If you've got a group that's more corporate in feeling, for example, the music is going to be tailored a little differently than, say, guests who are there a little later in the evening, who want the music to provide a seamless transition into the nightclub feel of Surrender next door. Ultimately the DJ is there to complement the guest experience in much the same way the food does." Just as he starts out those early mornings experiencing the thrill of watching Wynn's key elements come together, Wooden says he loves witnessing the rhythm of a room such as Andrea's when it's at its peak, a multisensory experience that achieves a level akin to theater, and which guests find nothing less than inspiring, thanks largely to the key ingredient. "You can have a magnificent building, gorgeous design, and incredible food, but what really animates this place is its people," Wooden says. "You present yourself differently when you're proud of what you have and what you do. Steve says it all the time: People make people happy. They're the true sparkle of what we have. And that to me is truly magical." n "What I love about these guys is that they take their restaurants and they own them with tremendous pride, and yet each one of them is also extremely competitive." PHOTOGRAPHY BY BARBARA KRAFT tribute to Paul and his desire to take something and elevate it to a different experience." Of course, you'll find a veritable fraternity of chefs throughout Wynn and Encore who exhibit such tendencies, from David Walzog at SW Steakhouse to Theo Schoenegger at Sinatra, Mark LoRusso at Botero, or Carlos Guía at The Country Club. "What I love about these guys is that they take their restaurants and they own them with tremendous pride, and yet each one of them is also extremely competitive," Wooden says. "They're like this precisely because they realize they've got guys who are just as talented running the other rooms. So they're out there constantly resourcing for the best ingredients, constantly refining their menus. Who emerges the victor? The guest, of course, in a fantastic dining experience." Ask Wooden where you might find him on a night when dinner is more than just a meal, and he points to Walzog's SW—"the power place on the property with a perfectly cooked rib eye"—and Schoenegger's Sinatra, where he finds the veal Milanese extremely tempting. He's also a fan of Andrea's, not only for Joseph Elevado's imaginative menu, but also because the total experience elevates notions of modern Asian dining. "It's a wonderfully wide-ranging menu, from the most delicate pieces of sushi to New York steak WYNN 028-034_Wynn_FOB_Maurice_Winter13.indd 34 12/6/13 3:59 PM