The Palazzo resort is still in its soft-opening phase, but one of its signature fine dining restaurants is opening its doors to the public today. Morels French Steakhouse & Bistro, the latest creation of Market City Caffe, is an 11,500-square-foot restaurant offering upscale dining as well as an iced seafood bar, a cheese and charcuterie bar and a full bar and lounge.

Your friends at Daily Fiasco used ninja stealth tactics to get a table at the place last night, and using Jedi mind tricks, we managed to get not only an entire meal and drinks, but also pictures for you fine people.

Designed by Ralph Gentile Architects, Morels’ décor is understated, mostly dressed in dark woods and pale blues, accented by artwork by Thomas Cannon and a dozen black, Murano chandeliers. An outdoor patio, accessible through oversized glass doors that make up most of the main dining room’s west wall, provides diners a fantastic Strip view, though every hour or so, that view comes with explosions from the Sirens of TI across the street.

It’s a little too early to tell how the restaurant’s service will be during regular operations, given we snuck in while all hands were on deck for a night of training-in-action, but it’s hard to imagine the staff will be any less attentive than they were last night. As Market City Caffe partner Chipper Pastron explained, the paradigm for service in Morels is based on traditional French eateries, in which the staff merely exists to serve the patrons. This is reflected in the numbered badges worn by the servers—more a concession to tradition than a practical application, but reinforcing Morels’ dedication to upholding French standards.

Those standards carry over into the food preparation—one area that, no doubt, Morels proved last night it has down pat. Under the supervision of executive chef Eric Bauer, the kitchen is turning out food that, according to popular consensus, is “to die for.” From the irresistible bacon-wrapped medjol dates (with a brandy glaze) and mac & cheese (served with country ham) to the North Pacific halibut (flaky and flavorful) and pommes frites (don’t dare call them French fries), every dish tastes as good as its presentation.

Oh, and of course, there’s beef—this is a steakhouse, right?—available both wet-aged and dry-aged from the Midwest, or perhaps the big spender might go for the $185 Japanese A-5 Wagyu beef? Either way, remember, this is a French steakhouse—that means, as one of the guests discovered last night, “medium well” might be more rare than you’re used to, so take that into consideration when ordering your tenderloin, rib-eye or sirloin.

If drinking is your thing—and if you’re reading Daily Fiasco, then we’re sure it is—you might be enticed by Morels’ handcrafted cocktails, created by mixologist Livio Lauro. Either at the table with dinner or in the plush lounge, specialties such as the Nectar Margarita, Pommepirinja or Ginger XO are yours for the taking.

We tried the Pisco Rouge, a double-strained blend of Barsol Pisco Quebranta, muddled cherry tomatoes and raspberries, lime juice, salt, pepper, allspice and simple syrup served straight-up in a martini glass. It’s snappy and mildly sweet, the liquor well-hidden. On the other hand, the Cheval Bleu—Remy Martin VSOP, muddled blueberries, lime juice and ginger ale served on the rocks with a mint garnish—is stiff and recommended only for serious cognac aficionados.

Morels’ wine selection is impressive, as one would expect, offering more than 70 wines-by-the-glass and more than 400 varieties of French and Californian wine-by-the-bottle. We had a tasty pinot noir from Oregon, with a distinctive, chocolate-tinged flavor.

Though not quite ready for public use yet, the restaurant also offers private dining and banquet facilities, and will be open for lunch and dinner daily, as well as weekend brunch. We’re still on the fence about the Palazzo in general, but Morels is an undeniable winner.

By Pj Perez

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