That's what comes on the Ragin' Cajun Bloody Mary at Society Cafe Encore, and it's a fine breakfast all by itself. It uses Absolut Peppar and has pretty traditional bloody mary flavors, except it substitutes Bayou seasoning for the typical Tabasco tang. It's special. It also goes nicely with the slightly charred tuna sliders with wasabi, shiso and cucumber (pictured). Our Saturday brunch at Kim Canteenwalla's already beloved restaurant (Society Cafe seemed the least significant of five new restaurants when Encore opened a little over a year ago, and yet it was the only Las Vegas representative in Esquire's Best New Restaurants 2009) also involved a bright chopped salad with havarti cheese and white balsamic-tarragon vinaigrette and some fried mac 'n cheese bites with a truffle oil dipping sauce. Overall, delightful. And it was hard to choose with a light egg white frittata, trio of quiche, and lobster roll club sandwich also on the lunch menu. Even more impressive, Society is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, it's nestled into a cozy corner of Encore's casino, and the handsome bar and dining room decor made me feel wealthy. It's the perfect weekend restaurant.
Our Saturday on the Strip also provided a sighting of that new Vegas wildlife species, the pizza boxer. Sure, I'd read about this beast in newspapers and magazines, heard it used over and over as an example of the kind of tourist the city should be getting used to. But to see one in person, in all its glory ... it's exciting. There were two of them, actually, both wearing NFL jerseys (it was a playoff day), holding hands walking past the Hermes store (seriously!), and the male was proudly floating three pizza boxes on his right hand. No sight of a wheeled Igloo cooler full of Miller High Life, though. Still, it was a zoo-like experience. Sorry I didn't take pictures.
All joking aside, I love Encore. It is hard to imagine a more perfectly designed resort. It is an easily navigated square, punctuated on the east by the serene pool and the adjacent Botero restaurant and wide, beautiful Eastside Lounge. (The west end is somewhat blocked off these days for construction of a new venue.) You get a glimpse inside each of the restaurants just by walking by, and there is always a brilliant bar/outstanding cocktail within reach. If Wynn Las Vegas is the culmination of Steve Wynn's casino-creating history, then Encore is the concentration of these lessons into a tighter package, one that melds a casual hipness with the ultra-lux details that make all the difference. I don't care if there's a bunch of bozos watching football in here. It's still great.
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