Carmel Room

He was quite right, as it turned out. But I noticed something else about the Carmel Room: that it’s an Old Vegas throwback without the dust. Translation: lots of classic dishes with fresh touches, plus some innovative ones.

Such as?

Oysters Rockefeller ($12), which had most of the elements that made this dish an enduring classic (wonderfully plump oysters and fresh spinach, although I couldn’t detect any Pernod) and, to gild the lily, a glazing of a rich Bechamel sauce, browned lightly.

Beef Wellington ($32). When is the last time you saw Beef Wellington on a menu? Yet there it was, in an individual portion, an impossibly tender filet mignon encased in a layer that was heavy on the chopped mushrooms, quite light on the foie gras, in the requisite case of puff pastry.

And the classics stood cheek by jowl with a few dishes you’d see in the trendier places, such as an ahi tartar trio ($12), which involved three mounds — a classic Hawaiian poke, a version imbued with Asian flavors and one that was a little higher on the spiciness scale — for both an attractive presentation and much greater flavor contrasts than such dishes usually offer.

Pan-roasted Chilean sea bass ($30). These days it’s kind of tough to figure out just what you’re being served when you order Chilean sea bass, but this seemed like the real thing — which would make it Patagonian toothfish — with the characteristic firmness and clean, sweet flavor. Sauteed leeks were an inspired touch (it seems like chefs tend to shy away from leeks as a side dish in and of themselves), as was the sun-dried tomato butter.

As was the wine flight — my compliments to the wine director — which enabled us to sample four wines (we chose the selection labeled Big, Bold Reds) for $15. The four tasting glasses were served in a really cool server that suspended them above the table while holding them securely. Three were Napa wines, one from France, and our server’s assistant told us which was which when he brought them, though we promptly forgot. So maybe some sort of labeling would be nice, though that’s a quibble of the most minor order.

So was the fact that our server neglected to tell us that, if we wanted a souffle for dessert, we needed to order it with our entrees, but luckily we’d overheard another server tell his table. As we struggled (read: argued) between Grand Marnier and chocolate, she suggested a combination ($10), which was lovely — and even better with the chocolate sauce and Creme Anglaise served with it (there also was whipped cream, which seemed like just a little too much).

Even the breads were a blending of classic and innovative — an old-school black olive, an older-school lavosh and a chocolate that was, yes, much, much better than it sounds.

And mashed potatoes with cheddar ($7), which were silken in texture, given new life by a cheese with some real character.

And the decor: the dark richness of Old Vegas with a lightened touch, and a soundtrack of Sinatra that sounded more like Buble.

Despite the fact that the Carmel Room is moderately priced by Strip standards, this still is a special-occasion place for most of us. But considering the staff’s ability to blend the old and the new — and to do both so well — I can’t think of a better place to celebrate.

Las Vegas Review-Journal reviews are done anonymously at Review-Journal expense. Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at 383-0474 or e-mail her at hrinella@ reviewjournal.com.