Jean-Philippe Patisserie - Las Vegas

At Anestes' suggestion, we decided to check out the Jean-Philippe Patisserie on my recent business trip to Las Vegas. It was the perfect excuse to get up early and walk the strip before the stifling heat encompassed the city.

World renowned pastry chef, Jean-Philippe Maury, has created a storybook pastry shop at the Bellagio Hotel. Claiming to have the world’s largest chocolate fountain, the shop serves delectable pastries, cookies, cakes, sandwiches, and my favorite - crepes!

Patrons shuffle past a half-dozen display cases filled with decadent treats to place their order, cafeteria style. The shop can seat a dozen or so at the single table and a bar that runs along one side of the restaurant. There is plenty of additional seating at tables tucked into the windows of the hotel lobby overlooking the pool.

My husband and I were surprised and disappointed to discover that Jean-Philippe does not serve breakfast crepes. Instead we settled for "savory" crepes – Turkey and Mediterranean Vegetable. Though the two crepes surely would have been enough for breakfast, we just couldn't pass on the chocolate croissant and Nutella brioche taunting us from behind the glass case. A cappuccino and fresh squeezed orange juice rounded out our breakfast feast.

Jean Philippe's dessert crepes are made with a sweet batter, while the savory crepes are made with buckwheat. In addition to diced white meat turkey, my husband’s crepe held creamy spinach gratin and Parmesan cheese. Mine featured a combination of zucchini, roasted red peppers, roasted tomatoes and Swiss cheese. The buckwheat gives the crepes a beautiful golden hue and immensely more flavor than plain crepes. I prefer most savory crepes topped with a béchamel sauce, which our crepes at Jean-Philippe were missing, but they were nonetheless delicious.

The croissant, sweet and soft on the inside, had a flaky, glistening exterior. The pastry was buttery and contained a plentiful amount of deep, dark chocolate. The Brioche was a bit dry, so I simply scooped out the Nutella and enjoyed the chocolaty hazelnut spread by itself.

In a city where quality cheap eats are rare, Jean-Phillipe is a welcome find. It is certainly worth a visit for a lunch crepe or sweet treat if you happen to be staying at the Bellagio. If you’re staying elsewhere it’s probably not worth the trek on the strip unless you have small children whose eyes will surely light up at the fairytale ambiance.