Botero at Encore
Botero is the fine dining steakhouse at the newly opened Steve Wynn casino Encore. The atmosphere is based on the work of Colombian artist Fernando Botero. Which I guess could make you feel guilty while eating or you could go with the whole BBW (Big Beautiful Women) school of thought. We certainly did. For starters we ordered the lentil soup and the carrot and ginger soup and the crude. The lentil soup had a smoky flavor and the light carrot soup had a creamy mouthfeel without the use of dairy due to its silky, pureed texture. The carrot soup just needed the tiniest hint of cracked black pepper on top to help bring out the full flavors and help with a bit of crunch. The raw had 3 different types of fish. Each one was tasty, but the fish with Meyer Lemon was my favorite.
The steaks on offer are available pepper, chimichurri or traditional style. The waiter told us that the pepper seasoning is quite thick. The entrees we ordered were a traditional rib eye with chimichurri on the side and cauliflower salmon pinwheels. The chimichurri sauce was a bit like an oil infused, strong oregano flavor. It was good that it was ordered on the side as it could have been overwhelming if it had been in the whole steak.
The rib eye was good, not great. It was a high quality steak but could have been more tender and had a little more marbling. The caramelized onions served with the steak were fabulous. The salmon was served on an unflattering plate, it looked like a pair of salmon tits. Once again the salmon protein was good but not great. The salmon felt manipulated, the cat food seemed like I really loved it. The flavors were balanced but uninspired. I should have gone with Michael the bartenders recommendation and ordered the halibut.
The sides were amazing. We ordered roasted bone marrow and broccoli with garlic tomatoes. This was the first time I tried bone marrow. I loved. It went well with the sweet onion and crispy crostini. A definite dish to try again. The broccoli was absolutely perfect. The wine selection was extensive.
Overall, I give Botero an 8 out of 10. The setting was beautiful and unique, the servers were attentive and knowledgeable without being pushy or pushy, and the food was generally delicious. You do have to take a couple of points off for not falling in love with steak on a rotisserie though! I wouldn’t mind going back but with all the amazing places to eat in Vegas. Check out the menu on the Botero website.