Forbes Travel Guide recently unveiled its 2017 Star Rating list, and with three new Five Star restaurants—Le Cirque, Picasso and Wing Lei—a total of six Las Vegas restaurants have been honored this year, trailing New York City by only one.
For those familiar with the dining options at Wynn and Encore, Wing Lei’s new distinction—it’s the only Forbes Five Star Chinese restaurant in North America—only proves what we already knew, that this is a very special place. Starting with its dragon gate entry, the jewel box of a restaurant sparkles in gold and white with sparks of jade green, and its private dining rooms are designed to feel like your friends and family are feasting inside a Ming vase.
The cuisine, a collection of Cantonese, Shanghai and Sichuan dishes masterfully crafted by chef Xian Ming Yu, defies categorization. One example is the signature Alaskan king crab salad, a voluptuous stack of mango, avocado and sweet seafood dressed simply in miso and yuzu. From there, adventure into Velvet Egg Wonton or seafood hot and sour soups, exotic live seafood offerings like Cambodian Goby or Alaskan geoduck clams and familiar Chinese dishes executed with beautiful precision, including Peking duck and Yang Chow fried rice. Napa cabbage with Ibérico ham in a clean, savory broth is another impressive statement of this kitchen’s skill and talent.
In Las Vegas, tourism has created demand for a Chinese cuisine experience that goes beyond fine dining, and there are several great restaurants like that here. But there is only one Wing Lei. Wing Lei at Wynn Las Vegas, 702-770-3388; Sunday-Thursday 5:30-9:30 p.m., Friday & Saturday 5:30-10 p.m.
