José Andrés expands on Las Vegas excellence with Bazaar Mar

Jim Begley

Thu, Jan 16, 2025 (2 a.m.)

Recently awarded with the Presidential Medal of Honor, José Andrés is simply a culinary icon whose humanitarian estimation has grown astir arsenic accelerated arsenic his edifice empire. The caller opening of the Bazaar Mar/Bar Centro duo connected the Las Vegas Strip expands his section beingness to a sextet of venues, including the Sahara’s mind-blowing Bazaar Meat. And if aboriginal meals are immoderate indication, Andrés is not resting upon his laurels, adjacent portion helium furthers World Food Kitchen and his different foundation efforts.

When you person a palmy concept, it serves you to rinse and repeat. With this successful mind, deliberation of Mar arsenic the seafood-centric younger sibling of Bazaar Meat. Whereas Meat is Andrés’ ode to the classical steakhouse, Mar is his motion to a Mediterranean food marketplace with the regular drawback proudly displayed connected crystal extracurricular the kitchen; with that successful mind, support an oculus retired for unit members occasionally misting the seafood. And portion Meat has a hunting-lodge-gone-awry motif, Mar is airy and ocean-like connected the mezzanine overlooking the spacious Crystals mall, successful the abstraction wherever Wolfgang Puck’s Cucina utilized to reside.

The paper contains immoderate José hallmarks—nutty jamón Ibérica de bellota with cookware con tomate, José’s tacos, his liquid olives—but with the seafood focus, the paper runs the gamut from communal (think oversea scallops and monkfish) to obscure (cockles, anyone?) aquatic offerings. You’ll surely find thing to pique your interest.

I suggest starting with kueh pai tai ($14) arsenic your accidental to research southeast Asia, a spicy saccharine shrimp and peanut-filled pastry ammunition indigenous to Malaysian hawker stands. Cobia ceviche ($28) makes playful usage of liquid nitrogen with a frozen roseate of leche de tigre, portion abalone and shiitake ($32) is simply a survey successful opposition with the subtle shellfish coupled with umami-laden mushrooms. And the bluefin tuna and fried ovum ($26) requires a dependable hand, rolling the paper-thin, dashi-doused chu toro astir the comically tiny fried eggs.

The paper exudes Andrés’ emblematic playfulness. The California “funnel cake” ($18)—the quotation marks are chef’s—is a California rotation masquerading arsenic the authorities just favorite, a crispy, nori-infused funnel barroom topped with king crab and tobiko. The buttery Alaskan king crab chawanmushi ($28), a Japanese ovum custard, is delivered successful a crab-shaped dish, arsenic if you’re cracking the crustacean yourself to devour its tomalley, portion the bagel and lox ($14), a playful instrumentality connected the New York deli classic, is simply a pick cheese-stuffed and lox-layered aerial breadstuff shaped similar salmon itself. These presentations are truthful overmuch much earthy than galore different Insta-ready restaurants.

Strip seafood restaurants allowing for a assortment for preparations aren’t uncommon, but wherever other would sashimi beryllium an option? Your server volition counsel you arsenic to which mentation method applies to what drawback —turbot sashimi is unluckily not an enactment but sendai is—but wherever other tin you get full food sashimi successful a good eating setting? Just different mode Mar differentiates itself.

And past there’s the azygous champion wound connected the menu, and rather perchance crossed the Valley close now: the Anchoas Don Bocarte ($26). Nothing could dependable simpler: an anchovy connected breadstuff with smoked butter. But the fish’s saltiness atop the subtlely smoky dispersed is an epiphany which demonstrates that adjacent intertwined among each the fanciful presentations and obscure ingredients, Andrés understands elemental is sometimes best. It’s wherefore helium continues to beryllium truthful successful, adjacent arsenic helium expands his domain.

BAZAAR MAR The Shops astatine Crystals, 702-803-1100, thebazaar.com. Sunday-Thursday, 5-9 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 5-10 p.m.

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