Friday, March 5, 1999 | 12:14 p.m.
The road to Mandalay, Bay that is, is filled with gorgeous visuals -- gardens, terraces, a shark aquarium, waterfalls and appealing restaurants in every price range.
Invited guests at the pre-opening party Tuesday night had free run of the hotel. Yellow-jacketed guides pointed the way and handed out booklets that included a map of the property.
Along with thousands of other guests, I peered over every balcony to view the lush scenery, marveled at the appointments and finally wended my way to restaurant row.
The largest crowd was at Charlie Palmer's Aureole. At one point in the evening, the crush of those trying to get in was so large that they had to shut the doors. They reopened as soon as tables became available.
A miraculous change had taken place since I was at Aureole just a few days ago. The restaurant and kitchen were up and running and the wine tower was stocked -- no small feat because it holds 10,000 bottles.
The spectacular tower was a major attraction. Many guests came in by the tower door and took the long way down to the restaurant instead of using the elevator that takes you there in seconds. They stood watching, wide-eyed, as the lithe lasses who retrieve the wine bottles performed as if they'd been born to this kind of aerial wine service.
Every table in the main dining room was taken; the Swan Court was packed. Three swans had been added to the pond outside below the waterfall just the night before, but they had adapted immediately. More swans are expected to join the trio soon.
Charlie Palmer, a tall, handsome figure of a man, chatted with the guests. Many of them had dined at the New York Aureole and were thrilled that we now had our own.
A battalion of servers circulated throughout the dining rooms, offering small plates of delicious selections. There were too many to taste them all, but I almost ate my way through the list: saffron scallop atop mashed potato; blue fin tuna tartare with chili-spiced ponzu (citrus-flavored soy sauce); toasted corn blini with osetra caviar; blue crab cake; tamarind-glazed salmon; poached beef filet with Cabernet sauce; pheasant with chanterelles; grilled salmon with a sage ratatouille; and citrus risotto with braised pencil-slim asparagus.
As the evening progressed, extra dishes were added. The lobster risotto was exceptional.
There was a fine sampling of desserts: Aureole's lemon custard; pineapple-citrus cheesecake; banana mousse and a bittersweet chocolate and praline marjolaine.
Aureole's famed house-made specialty chocolates were irresistible. Later, when I had a chance to visit with pastry chef Megan Romano, I learned that the night before the opening she and her crew had hand-dipped 3,000 pieces of the bite-size chocolates!
I had arrived early hoping to visit with the chefs in the kitchen. The kitchen was abuzz with activity when I walked in. A cadre of chefs, working side-by-side with Executive Chef Joe Romano, were turning out hundreds of the appealing small plates. This was a kitchen on fast-forward.
When most of the crowd departed to see shows, the staff immediately reset the tables in anticipation of the after-the-show crowd that would come for dinner.
I don't know how many they served opening night, but judging from my own experiences, whatever they ate was outstanding.
One final note. The prix fixe and tasting menus are not limited to Swan Court. They are also available in the main dining rooms, along with the a la carte menu.
For reservations to Aureole, call 632-7401.
More Mandalay Bay
In addition to the restaurants on the row at Mandalay Bay, there are the Bay Side Buffet and the Raffles Cafe, a 24-hour restaurant. Both are exceptional in design and comfort. And, they've both got a view.
Raffles overlooks the gardens and the pools of the adjacent lagoon; Bay Side has views of the 11-acre lagoon.
Friends who ate at the buffet opening night said the quality of the food was outstanding and they liked the choices. Bay Side Buffet serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Adjacent to Raffles is the Noodle Shop, serving appetizers ($2.50-$15.50), barbecued and roasted poultry and meats ($9.75-$23.50), soup noodles or braised noodles ($8.75-$13.75), congees (rice soup: $2.50-$22.75), a variety of rice preparations ($9.75-$14.50) and a few desserts.
The Noodle Shop is open for lunch and dinner and late night noodle slurping.
Short orders
New beer at Biersch: Golden Export, a new signature lager from Gordon Biersch Brewing Company, is the fourth of the noted lagers available in bottles. The brew is also on tap. Look for the bottles at local supermarkets -- Lucky, Von's, Albertson's and at 7-Eleven and Costco.
Boulder Station update: Hours for the Feast Buffet at Boulder are: Breakfast ($3.99) Monday through Saturday, 7-11 a.m.; lunch ($5.99), Monday through Thursday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Friday, 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m.; dinner ($8.99) Saturday through Wednesday and Sunday, 4-10 p.m.; Thursday steak dinner ($9.99), 4-10 p.m.; Friday seafood dinner ($11.99), 3:30-10 p.m. Children 4 to 8 years old dine at reduced prices; kids under 4 dine free.
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