This should go without saying, but Wynn Las Vegas will never be mistaken for Casino Royale, home of the $4 foot-long hot dog. So it’s no surprise that the new Pisces Bar & Seafare eschews affordability for quality—and truly excels as a special-occasion destination.
Taking over former seafood stalwart Lakeside, Pisces is helmed by Martin Heierling, marking the chef’s welcome return to Las Vegas after leading Strip restaurants years ago at Bellagio and Vdara. He hasn’t lost a step, unveiling a diverse Mediterranean menu welcoming pescatarians and full-blooded omnivores alike.
A trio of shellfish tower options, the cornerstone of any Strip seafood restaurant, offer an opening glimpse of aquatic options at a range of prices, from the $225 Voyage up to a cool $1,000 for the Siren’s Offering. You needn’t submit to the siren’s song to get your fill of curry-tinged mussels and buttery king crab.
Speaking of sirens, you should absolutely succumb to the Spirit of the Sea ($24). Pisces’ take on a dirty martini using Greek olive vodka Kástra Elión is a superb, subtly spicy cocktail garnished with a spicy pepper-stuffed olive and a demure caperberry. This is my drink of the summer, and it should be yours, too.
Complimentary pane sfogliato (Greek for puff pastry bread), the Balkan lovechild of monkey bread and brioche, starts your meal, served with a pair of delicious spreads—roasted red pepper tirokafteri and roasted eggplant melitzanosalata. Try not to fill up on it so you don’t miss out on caviar and Jamón Ibérico croquetas ($48), a destination dish if there ever was one. Savory and nutty, it’s everything you want in a bite.
Equally successful is the king salmon crudo ($32). The subtle funkiness exuded from the aged fish is contrasted by accents of chili and lime, the perfect example of Heierling’s ability to coax myriad flavors from a single bite.
Since Pisces is not simply a seafood restaurant but a Mediterranean one, the fish averse shouldn’t shy away. I rarely suggest a restaurant’s chicken dish, but the shawarma paillard ($45) is remarkable, a do-it-yourself dish swaddled in za’atar-laden joujou bread. Even more impressive are the grilled lamb chops ($95) adorned with harissa chili crisps and tzatziki.
Another dish worth celebrating: the spicy lobster spaghettini ($75), the only pasta not made in-house, offers a fun presentation in a lobster shell while delivering balanced heat. Ultimately, this is Pisces, a special dining destination for special occasions, one where I look forward to celebrating again and again.
PISCES BAR & SEAFARE Wynn, 702-770-3310, wynnlasvegas.com. Sunday-Thursday, 4:30-10 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 4:30-10:30 p.m.
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Dining and Cooking