I never really got into Okada, at Wynn Las Vegas.  It was a beautiful room serving delicious food, but there were always other places on the property whose stars shined more brightly whenever the subject of where to dine would arise.  And when I heard that the restaurant was closing and reopening as Mizumi, I figured it’d be more of the same – forgetting that Mr. Wynn is never content to just rehash more of the same.  And Mizumi is a perfect example of the man's (and the properties’) constant striving to achieve best-ness.

Mizumi (Japanese for “beautiful moon”) is an all-around multi-sensory experience.  As you enter the restaurant, traversing the mezzanine above Tryst, the combination of cherry-blossom red, gold leaf, and opalescent white hits you like you’ve walked into something out of a contemporary reimagining of Memoirs of a Geisha.  There are various exhibition kitchens where the different sorts of Japanese cuisine (sushi/sashimi, robatayaki, etc.) are prepared.  And there’s a very flattering lighting-story (either pink light bulbs or a dimmer works in a pinch, though I recommend pink light bulbs ON a dimmer).

The sounds of the waterfall create a nice soft white noise that works on the room’s ambiance in great harmony with the musical interludes that feature sexy cosmopolitan tunes by the likes of Nouvelle Vague and Pizzicato Five.

And you just know the food is fantastic.  Why?  Uh, well, Wynn does have one of the world’s most amazing collections of restaurants, so this was gonna be a pretty safe bet.  And, oh yeah – I don’t waste my (or my readers’) time writing about things that don’t tickle my fancy.  So there’s that…

But how fantastic?  Look.  I might not have the most educated palate, but after spending years in cities like Seattle, Honolulu, New York, and yes – Las Vegas, I’ve developed a pretty good taste for sushi and sashimi.  And the Sashimi Platter that I shared with Michael McGraw and Sean McClenahan to kick off our Mizumi experience featured some of the finest sashimi I’ve ever eaten.  A gentleman came to our table and showed us which fish was which (the selection included Fluke, Albacore, Salmon, Fatty Tuna, Yellowtail, and Tuna) and made us a dipping sauce from grape-seed oil (to be used with the fluke and albacore) that was delish.  What blew me away was the albacore.   Wynn should consider adding a Mizumi Raw Albacore Sandwich to their room-service menu: It’s that good.

Every dish was served, then there was some scrambling for chopsticks, and then muffled choruses of “Oh my God!” and “This is (insert expletive, here) amazing!” and “Have you ever...?”  But some were just so good they deserve a bit of recognition.  For starters, the Tōgarashi Crispy Maine Shrimp (with chili aioli, mixed greens, white soy and balsamic vinaigrette) is the best I suspect I will ever have, anywhere.  I know – those are fighting words; and I’m sorry Nobu, but Chef Devin Hashimoto’s is definitively my fave.  And the Wagyu Beef Tartare (with furikake brioche croutons, quail egg, sansyo chili and black garlic aioli) seemed to have been conjured by someone well-versed in both texture and seasoning.

On the entrée side, the Baked Sweet Miso-Marinated Black Cod (with fiddlehead fern and pickled ginger), and the Robatayaki Platter (with Jidori chicken skewers, Wagyu short rib and fingerling potato skewers with wasabi cream; and Kurobuta pork), were both sublimely prepared, and lended themselves particularly well to family-style dining.

I learned two things, that night, at Mizumi.  One – to be truly authentic and/or affected (or both) apply the wasabi to each piece of sashimi, individually.  (As opposed to simply swirling a clump around your ramequin of soy sauce.)  And two – that russet-colored seasoning with flecks of green in the covered vessel with the spoon?  Don’t be shy.  It’s shichimi tōgarashi, (Japanese for “seven flavor chili pepper”), and it will pump up the jam on virtually anything upon which it’s sprinkled.

There was more – mochi, pineapple tempura, Udon noodles, and so on; but I’ve stayed too long at the party, and must now gather my chopsticks, throw-on my kimono, and go.

Mizumi
Wynn Las Vegas
Click HERE for info

Get into it!