"We celebrated my bride 's birthday with an outstanding dinner at Picasso! We were seated at a window table with a great view of Bellagio 's fountains and part of the Vegas Strip. The service was exemplary and the food perfectly prepared, plated, and delicious. The sommelier took the time to explain the characteristics of each wine paring throughout the meal. To start we enjoyed both the Warm Quail Salad with sautéed artichokes and pine nuts and the warm Poached Oysters topped with Osetra caviar and cooked in a vermouth sauce. The quail was delicate and extremely tasty, and the oysters were heavenly. The wine matched with the quail was a very dry Xisto Ilimitado and a dry Pouilly Fume with the oysters. Both excellent matches. Our second course was a Big Eye Tuna Carpaccio in soy gochujang vinaigrette with mango yuzu gel and black garlic aioli, and Tart of Foie Gras with mulberry gelée and mission fig. The carpaccio melted in your mouth and the foie gras was mild and excellent served in a light tart. The wines were a Les Fondraux for the carpaccio and an Albarino Pazo Senorans for the foie gras. Again, very good matches. For the main course we chose Sautéed Fillet of Branzino in a court bouillon sauce and Sautéed Medallion of Fallow Deer with roasted treviso, cauliflower puree, and caramelized blueberry prepared medium rare. The Branzino was perfectly cooked and very tasty with just a hint of the saffron. The Fallow deer was out of this world! It was more tender than a fillet mignon and a very mild but complex taste (definitely not gamey). The wine paired with the Branzino was a Vendanges Chablis and a St Joseph Faury (Shiraz) with the deer. The Chablis was perfect with the fish but neither of us liked the Faury. It was full bodied and tannic, with heavy wood overtones and overpowered the delicate nuances of the Fallow deer. Deserts were delightful and included a Grand Mariner Souffle with a side of chocolate ice cream with a chocolate 'wave ' saying Happy Birthday."
