Delicious Edible Art: Las Vegas’ Jean Philippe Patisserie

 Las Vegas • jpchocolates.com

I spent the last few days in Las Vegas for a bachelorette party.  All of us had requests for the weekend –hitting up the shops at the Venetian, getting a Cosmo at the Cosmo (hotel), attending a pool party at Mandalay Bay… Of course, my request was to get to at least one incredible bakery.  While wandering through the giant, new complex of City Center, we came across Jean Philippe Patisserie and I knew .  You will want to be sure your camera is in hand to capture the edible artwork that lines the entrance to bakery – intricate sugar sculptures, giant architectural cake towers, and even high-heel shoes made out of chocolate.  The second Jean Philippe location in the Bellagio also boasts the world’s largest chocolate fountain. 

 

Then you get to the display case…  Even the individual sized items were beautifully decorated and presented.  There are so many incredible choices of tarts, pastries, chocolates, gelatos, and even sandwiches and salads.  If you are anything like me, you will stand there for about 10-15 minutes debating. 

Yes, the desserts definitely look gorgeous.  But how do they taste?  Well the proprietor, Jean-Philippe Maury, is a Frenchman with an impressive resume winning the 1997 Meilleur Ouvrier de France (the Best Pastry Chef in France award) and the 2002 Gold Medal at the World Pastry Team Competition, to name a few.   So he definitely knows how to bake and so does his staff.  Everything was delicious and different, and certainly lived up to their looks. 

What We Got:

• Lemon Meringue Tart: A gorgeous small tart with an almond tart, candied strawberries, lemon curd, and topped with light meringue.  It was almost too beautiful to eat, but once you take that initial stab with your fork, you won’t regret it.
• Crème Brûlée: We decided to try this traditional dessert so we could compare it to others we have had elsewhere and while delicious, it was definitely different from what we expected.  The custard was creamy and full of vanilla bean flavor.  The topping however was a chunk of white chocolate then a drizzle of caramel. There was no burnt sugar as is expected with Crème Brûlée.  Once I got over the initial shock of the differences, I really enjoyed this sweet, creamy dessert.
• Sugar Brioche: Light, fluffy, buttery pastry roll topped with crystalized sugar.
• Coconut Gelato: Incredibly rich coconut flavor made this creamy Italian ice cream some of the best I’ve ever had. 

Fast Facts:

• Locations: ARIA at City Center and Bellagio
• Hours: ARIA – every day 6am-12 midnight; Bellagio – Mon-Thurs 7am-11pm, Fri-Sun 7am-12 midnight