Society Café at Encore Is the Perfect Haunt for Vegas’ Beautiful People

Chef Kim Canteenwalla at Society Café at Encore

Society Café  embodies the best of what Encore at Wynn Las Vegas is all about. It's snazzy, it's got a fantastic menu, it's open late, it's got a posh bar that pours dynamite drinks, and it's terrific for people-watching. Come to think of it, I'm quite certain that's what today's Las Vegas is (supposed to be) all about. Esquire even included the eatery helmed by Chef Kim Canteenwalla among the ranks of its "Best New Restaurants of 2009" (how 'bout them apples?).

Mocean Worker

The restaurant's motto is perhaps best expressed by hipster drum n' bass producer Mocean Worker, who sings of things that are "Trés, trés cool; and trés, trés chic" in a song that might easily be heard by those who have chosen Society Café as a place to grab a bite.

Lucius Beebe on LIFE

Consider the cleverness of its name; a tongue-in-cheek juxtaposition of Lucius Beebe's oft-used expression "café society" (a phrase the erudite chronicler, boulevardier, flâneur and gourmand had coined to describe those he mentioned in his popular "This New York" column that ran in the New York Herald Tribune in the '20s and '30s).

Little morsel of Nevada-related trivia: In the 1950s, Beebe and his 'long-time companion' (wink, wink/nudge, nudge), Charles Clegg, moved to Virginia City, NV, where they purchased, re-launched, and published the dormant newspaper, Territorial Enterprise. What else would one expect from the LIFE cover-boy dubbed "Luscious Lucius" by no less an arbiter of social mores than Walter Winchell, himself? But, I digress...

New York's Upper Eastside

I particularly enjoy taking friends from New York by Society because I have this theory... I'm convinced that if a version of Society Café were to open an outpost somewhere on New York's tony Upper Eastside, it would perfectly fit the hole left in the stomachs of the denizens of that neighborhood, by the closing of Payard Patisserie & Bistro (due, in a queer turn of events, to its namesake's proprietor/chef opening at Caesars Palace). I mean, Society would be a lock for late-night dining (by people who would relish the seeming lack of irony imposed by the eatery's moniker).

Society Café  at Encore

The droll interiors by Roger Thomas (integrating a smart mélange of art deco, rococo and Chinoiserie using a palate of black and white, red, and green) almost shouldn't work; and in the hands of a lesser designer, might have even been disastrous. But, Thomas is a master at taking things right up to the line in matters of proportion, without losing track of any of his elements. Even in Las Vegas; where millions upon millions of dollars are spent on the interiors of eateries each year, Society Café really stands-out with the particularly smart harmonizing of its dégustation and décor. My favorite touch is the abundant use of oversized plants that seem to be coming out of every corner.

Tonight, joined by my pal Tiffany Kay (aka "TKNY"), I entered Society expecting to grab a quick nosh consisting of Chef Canteenwalla's Pigs in a Blanket and the Iceberg Wedges (with teardrop tomatoes and crispy bacon). Having been away, I was unprepared for the new additions that had made their way onto the menu.

Louisiana-style Andouille sauge burger at Society Café at Encore

So, ever in a quest to report on these sorts of things to you, dear readers, I threw caution to the wind and ordered something that immediately grabbed my attention, and (in the words of the immortal bluesman, Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter) made me "wanna jump down, turn around, and pick a bale of cotton!"

Now, I'm a BIG fan of bacon; both literally and figuratively. But at what point does somebody (i.e. a chef) have the following internalized conversation with himself? "You know, Self; putting bacon on a burger is just tired. It's been done. What to do? What to do? I know... How about replacing the bacon with some nice, spicy Louisiana-style Andouille sausage? That oughta do it!"  Now, I don't know what precipitated such a conversation– but I'm glad (to imagine that) it transpired. THIS - BURGER - IS - SO- GOOD!  Bravo, Chef Canteenwalla!

I've also gotta give some credit to the aural machinations of Justin Hoffman (aka DJ White Chocolate) whose deft musical choreography provided a soundtrack to our meal that was at once contemporary while peppered with throws-back to the '80s and '90s, and all blended together, seamlessly (which is a lot harder than it sounds). For every "Tik Tok" by Ke$ha and "Rude Boy" by Rihanna ("What I want, want, want is what you want, want, want") was a "Boy" by Book of Love and a "State Farm" by Yaz (that's Yazoo for all you Brits...), not to mention a "Sweet Lullaby" by Deep Forest and an "Unfinished Symphony" by Massive Attack. Heck, there was even a bit of Blondie thrown into the mix by way of "Dreaming"– and when all is said and done, isn't dreaming what Las Vegas is really all about?
 

So, the next time you're on the Strip, and have a hankering for some great food you can eat while listening to some great music in a place with great  décor, look no further than Society Café. 

Society Café – Encore at Wynn Las Vegas
7am - 11pm (Sunday through Thursday)
7am - 1am (Friday and Saturday)