Best of Las Vegas 2003

Best Gourmet Restaurant
Reader’s Pick: Alizé

Not a huge voter turnout, but sometimes it’s the quality of vote, not the quantity. Alizé is the Palm’s top-floor, top-drawer jewel by chef André Rochat, who also is the chef-owner of Andre’s French Restaurant and Andre’s at the Monte Carlo. Its five-vote victory offers quite an upstairs-downstairs contrast with the second-place winner: Hugo’s Cellar in the basement of the Four Queens, last year’s winner and a favorite dating back to the days when you could count the number of true gourmet rooms on one well-manicured hand.
Staff Pick: Andre’s French Restaurant

It’s hard to argue with the views outside or in, where you can see a wine cellar from Paris with bottles dating back to the 1700s. André Rochat can’t be everywhere at once, so he recruited Jacques Van Staden, who opened Mariposa for Neiman Marcus, to over see the contemporary French menu.
Best French Restaurant
Reader’s Pick: Andre’s French Restaurant

Here it is, our own little piece of the French Countryside, tucked away in a quiet area of downtown Las Vegas. The atmosphere reflects the height of civility, the service, the height of gentility, and the menu manages to take the classics and tweak them just enough with updated inspirations to ensure that things never get boring. Pamplemousse was a distant second.

Staff Pick: Andre’s French Restaurant

OK, so we’re suckers for Andre’s as well – as well as for chef-owner Andre’ Rochat’s inspired creations that might include California pink abalone, with brown butter, lemon and almonds; sauteed medium-rare Muscovy duck breast with ruby grapefruit sauce or roasted butternut squash and forbidden rice cake. We also can get our fix at Andre’s at the Monte Carlo, 3770 Las Vegas Blvd. South.

Best Romantic Restaurant
Readers’ Pick: Andre’s French Restaurant

Cozy, cozy atmosphere with soft lighting and music, flawless service by servers who know how to practically tiptoe to and from the table, and the menu that includes oysters and foie gras; how could our readers go wrong? Andre’s at the Monte Carlo (3770 Las Vegas Blvd. South) is a romantic spot as well.

Best Restaurant To Impress a Date
Readers’ Pick: Andre’s French Restaurant

Take a date to Andre’s and he or she will no doubt be impressed by how much you’re willing to spend, but he or she also will be impressed by your good taste. Andre’s has a cozy atmosphere with all the charm of the south of France, and the menu is a long list of inspired takes on classic French cuisine. And Andre’s has an even cozier location at the Monte Carlo, 3770 Las Vegas Blvd. South.