The Bardot Brasserie inside the ARIA Resort & Casino is an oasis of elegant serenity on the bustling Las Vegas Strip. 
General manager Gerti Gjika welcomes a guest to the Bardot Brasserie. 
Beignets and fresh fruit. 
King crab and endive salad with fresh parmesan is a delicious combination. 
The Steak Tartare and housemade Gaufrette potato chips are excellent. 
Who would turn down a hot, fresh-baked and delicious baguette? 
The Bardot Brasserie’s Chartreuss is made with 75 types of herbs. 
The Bardot Brasserie serves brunch on the weekends and is open for dinner daily.
Keys 2 the Coast may have found the best restaurant for brunch in all of Las Vegas. Considering the options, that’s a big statement.
I discovered Bardot Brasserie, located inside the gleaming ARIA Resort & Casino, while at a travel conference with Montecito Village Travel. As soon as I saw it, the beautiful entrance beckoned me to enter.
As you walk through the circular doorway, the stunning bar captures your attention. Sparkling crystal and polished brass shelves are suspended from the ceiling, displaying beautiful bottles of wine and spirits. Pink roses brighten the tables. The marble tile and French design are marvelous.
Shortly after being seated, general manager Gerti Gjika stopped by to welcome me to the Bardot brunch, which is served from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Dinner is served daily from 5 to 10:30 p.m.
I started my meal with a glass of delicious red wine. The 2016 Bouchard Aine & Fils Bourgogne Rouge Burgundy — yes, from France — was an excellent choice. It had strawberry notes, with access accents of baking spices. It’s a unique combination, off jammy, yet dry.
The restaurant also has a champagne cart, with a nice selection, including Dom Perignon, Ruinart Blanc De Blancs and Veuve Clicquot Rose.
A hot, fresh and delicious baguette and softened butter were delivered to the table soon after I sat down. Don’t you love a restaurant that provides such delectable temptations right from the start?
For brunch, the seasonal fruit wasn’t your typical platter. I was pleasantly surprised to see fresh oranges, kiwi, figs, pineapple and berries in a generous portion that includes frozen yogurt pistachio parfait and warm buckwheat beignets. It was so worth the calories.
Do you like steak tartare? You’ll enjoy the Prime Fillet Ground Order, Sauce Verte, egg yolk and Gaufrette potato chips. The chips are out of this world — super thin, crispy and with the appearance of lace. Tender and flavorful, they’re richly seasoned with oregano that tasted like the good stuff my mother-in-law brings home from Greece. Trust me, there is a huge difference in where a spice comes from.
You simply must try the King Crab and Endive Caesar Salad. It is an enormous plate of Belgian endive, parmesan cheese, caper aioli and herb-seasoned breadcrumbs. The Shellfish Tower features center-cut King Crab, Maine lobster, premium oysters and jumbo shrimp. This interesting dish is a tasting sensation.
It was wonderful to have a choice of so many delicious dishes on Bardot Brasserie’s extensive brunch menu. It also boasts a raw bar and 13 main courses from which to choose. I chose the Maine Lobster Scramble, which was prepared with summer squash, fresh basil, squash blossom pistou, cherry tomatoes and chickpea fries.
I was also delighted to try the Croissant Benedict, which features two poached eggs and sautéed spinach in Béarnaise. Your choices are Prosciutto Di Parma, Short Ribs Bourginon, Smoked Salmon or Haas Avocado.
Be prepared to have to lie down or jump up and down to get your jeans zipped the next day.
“Hospitality is simply an opportunity to show love and care,” Gjika told me.
Something of interest to wine connoisseurs, Coravin is the state-of-the-art line extraction system that allows the Bardot to serve world-class wines — not normally offered by the glass — without every removing the cork. One of the best is the 2011 Continuum Cabernet Blend from Napa Valley. It tasted full of ripe berries, licorice and undertones of coffee, with a cedar finish.
If you’re in the mood for cocktails, the classic Bloody Mary is made with Belvedere Vodka, Roma tomato and garnish that looks like art. The French Mule is made with yellow Chartreuse, Yusu and ginger.
You might be asking if I really drank and ate that much, all at one time. The answer is no.
Airfare from the Santa Maria Airport was about the price of a tank of gas and parking at the hotel was free.
Click here for more information about Bardot Brasserie. The ARIA is located at 3730 S. Las Vegas Blvd. on the Las Vegas Strip.
The Bardot Brasserie is not to be missed. It was so good, in fact, that I went back again two weeks later and took a few friends with me. Work hard and play hard, right?
— Donna Polizzi is a regional travel expert and founder of Keys 2 the Coast, a free Central Coast travel resource providing honest recommendations on the best places that locals want to go. She can be contacted at news@noozhawk.com. Click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are her own.