The Divine Dish

HOT LAVO New ultra-hip restaurant and nightclub features bathhouse theme

Posted on Dec 27, 2008 under Archives, Food and Travel News, Las Vegas | 1 Comment

In recent years, Las Vegas has explored a new trend of combining fine dining and nightlife with openings such as Cathouse at Luxor, rumjungle at Mandalay Bay and TAO at the Venetian.  The newest addition to the theme hybrid restaurant/lounge/nightclub movement on the strip is LAVO at Palazzo.

Created by the same team that brought TAO to the Venetian (Jason Strauss, Marc Paker, Richard Wolf, Noah Tepperberg and Louis Abin), LAVO has a Mediterranean bathhouse theme.  Partner Wolf traveled to Morocco to personally choose the huge clay pots, antique copper bathtubs, glass tiles, Moroccan rugs, Turkish water basins and other furnishings featured in the restaurant and lounge.

The entryway introduces the bathhouse theme with worn tile walls and water stained plaster.  To one side of the lounge is the restaurant area which seats 200 and to the other side is the patio which seats 100 and features a hookah lounge and panoramic views of the strip.  Inside, the 200-foot ceilings made of weathered wooden beams house low-lying chandeliers above diners in leather booths and Moroccan tables.

The restaurant follows suit serving Mediterranean cuisine.  Burgudian Chef Ludo Lefebure serves up creations designed to encourage sharing.  I took my friend Ernesto (say hi to him at Espressamente Illy at Palazzo – he is the manager there) on my last visit.  We started the meal off with a deconstructed Bloody Mary – spicy tomato sorbet, pureed celery and a vodka gelee.  Sounds strange but it is very good.

We enjoyed appetizers including the caprese salad with buffalo mozzarella and honey marinated cherry tomatoes, a trio of hummus, baba ganoush, artichoke spread and warm pita, crispy artichokes with aged balsamic glaze and parmigiano cheese and kobe meatballs (our favorite).

We chose the oven baked whole dorade with red and yellow peppers, red onions, lemon and olives and the mediterranean sea bass with roasted olives, caperberries and lemon for our main courses.

Dessert was bread pudding and yummy baked apple and ice cream.

The menu also features Specialty cocktails feature fresh muddled fruit, top-shelf liquor and Mediterranean influences.  Good bets are the Lavolini (Prosecco, passion fruit puree and St. Germain) and the Mademoiselle (Ketel Citron, peach puree, Lillet and St. Germain).

After dinner, guests can cross the glass and wood screened elevated bridge designed with Turkish water basins that leads to the 4,500 square foot second-floor nightclub.  The entire dining room and lounge can be viewed from the catwalk.  “It creates energy throughout the venue,” said Strauss.  “The sightlines are dramatic.  It is one of our wow factors.”

The nightclub is modeled after the Parisian watering hole Les Bains Douches and features a bar/lounge area, dance floor, raised VIP stage and a mural of a lounging nude model.  Cocktail tables are lit from below to create a glowing lantern effect.

The dome above the dance floor projects alternating images of water, sunsets, forests and spaceships.  The club also features 40 bottle service tables and the sounds of resident DJ’s Vice, Reach, Galleano and Berrie.

Whether you seek a lounge for lingering on a cocktail, a restaurant for an evening of fine dining or a unique intimate place to dance the night away, LAVO has got you covered.

LAVO restaurant and nightclub
Palazzo
3325 South Las Vegas Boulevard
702/791-1800
Restaurant and Lounge:  Sunday – Thursday, 6 pm – 12 am, Friday and Saturday, 5 pm – 1 am, Nightclub: Tuesday- Sunday, 10 pm – 5 am.