Hyde Bellagio is a feast of contrasts

By Erin Ryan

Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012 | 5:56 p.m.

Water soars with Sarah Brightman’s unmistakable soprano for the tourists standing rapt along Las Vegas Boulevard. On the other side of the Bellagio fountains, an exclusive new space is elegantly twisting the club concept, from feel and function to the role of truffle béarnaise in a memorable night.

“This whole club is a paradigm shift. Where clubs have gotten bigger and louder, we wanted to go back to luxury, sophistication and hospitality,” says Oliver Wharton, food and beverage vice president for sbe, the LA-based lifestyle company that created the Hyde nightlife brand.

If you’ve been to any of Hyde’s three California locations you’ll feel at home in its new Strip digs, though Bellagio’s trademark “intimate luxury” makes the spot as unique as the Caribbean Snowflake on its cocktail menu. The 10,000-square-foot venue seamlessly mingles light and dark, indoor and outdoor, edgy and classic, with supple leather chaises next to grinning gold gnomes and a vanity bar for late-night indulgence opening onto a lounge and patio perfect for evening enjoyment of small plates and inspired drinks.

Signature cocktails ($16) are original or vintage. The original Love Unit perfumes Stolichnaya Elit and vanilla vodkas with Thai basil and the fresh-pressed juices of lime, grapefruit and red pepper. Exclusive to Hyde Bellagio, the Caribbean Snowflake blends Cruzan single-barrel rum, allspice liqueur, bitters, lime and grapefruit juices with whipped egg white and a pinch of silver flake—the Strip’s glitter in a glass. The vintage roster demands textbook execution of favorites such as the Old Fashioned and Moscow Mule. There are surprises, including a seasonal Bellini cart and the tableside Cable Car frozen with liquid nitrogen and served with a golden spoon.

Ryan Magarian, sbe’s consulting mixologist, narrates as bartender David Falco mixes a drink with equal parts grace and control. Falco salutes the glass, and Magarian says such artistry, along with “stunningly fresh ingredients” and “extraordinary detail,” is what separates alcohol delivery from an unforgettable experience.

Borrowing culinary chops from Circo, Hyde’s food menu nestles old-world opulence (caviar service) with modern comfort (Kobe sliders) and playfulness (popsicle trio). For $12, warm cookies accompany a White Russian mixed tableside, a contrast that fits the design team’s fantasy of stumbling on a villa that belonged to a wealthy eccentric, pulling dusty sheets to reveal artifacts and finery that intrigue and delight. Aside from a few winks of gold the colors are understated—caramel leather, black marble, white petals—allowing the space to lavish you with texture. Everywhere you look you want to feel.

On Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, the curtain separating evening lounge from nightclub lifts. But DJs from LA and around the world spin mood nightly behind a reclaimed fireplace backed by a stunning installation of polished candlesticks.

Hyde offers 40 VIP tables, including a circular booth on the expanded terrace overlooking Lake Bellagio, and the private study houses merchandise ranging from $110 cufflinks to $45 candles that riff on saints and sinners. As clubs go, it’s a very sexy Swiss Army Knife.

“We’re at the forefront of nightlife here in Vegas,” says sbe programming consultant Michael Fuller. “We are now influencing the world.”