5-star cuisine puts LV dining on map

Sunday, Feb. 6, 2000 | 9:08 a.m.

When it comes to food, Las Vegas was never celebrated for its haute cuisine. Hot cuisine, sure -- the steaming piles of chow served up at any buffet in town usually met the minimum expectations for temperature, if not flavor. In a resounding triumph of quantity over quality, what the food tasted like mattered less than that there was a lot of it.

Until last month, when the city's reputation as a gastronomic bottom-feeder was officially laid to rest when the Mobil Travel Guide bestowed its prestigious five-star rating on two Las Vegas restaurants. Both the Bellagio resort's Picasso and the Mirage's Renoir earned the distinction, two of only 18 restaurants in the United States and Canada to receive the honor.

The selections marked the first time any Nevada restaurant notched the highest ranking from the guide, considered the bible of fine dining. The ascent of Picasso and Renoir to the gourmet food summit gives Las Vegas more five-star restaurants than San Francisco, New Orleans or Chicago, and as many as Atlanta. Only New York, with four, boasts more.

The rating takes into account a number of factors, including ambiance, decor and service. But it is the food, the genuinely haute cuisine, that is the main ingredient in reaching elite status.

The Sun spent a day behind the scenes of each restaurant to see just how they go about whipping up five-star food. Picasso executive chef Julian Serrano and his Renoir counterpart, Alessandro Stratta, opened up their kitchens to provide a glimpse of their daily pursuit of perfection.