"Tell us about your first impressions when you arrived. As its name suggests, Lakeside, at the Wynn , is built around the Lake of Dreams, the casino-resort's dramatic show lake. The interior space is pretty enough, with neutral-colored banquettes and colorful murals and mirrors, but where you really want to be is outside on the water—about as magical a setting as it gets in Las Vegas. What's the crowd like? Well-heeled Wynn guests, many of whom have heard or read about the resort’s Hawaiian fish program (to wit: they fly fish from family fishermen in Hana, which reaches Wynn sooner than it does most restaurants in Maui itself). What should we be drinking? Much like all Wynn restaurants, there are great cocktails and wine. Main event: the food. Give us the lowdown—especially what not to miss. The main attraction here is the selection of Hawaiian day boat dishes: usually snapper, mahi mahi, and shutome (swordfish), served in a variety of simple preparations. Lakeside is also known for its oven-roasted lobsters and king crab, all simply prepared with drawn, yuzu-basil, or harissa butter. If you don't love seafood, go for one of the superb steaks (or just walk across the way to SW, the terrific steakhouse ). Although Lakeside appears on its face as a meaty dining experience, every Wynn restaurant has a vegetarian menu (where all of the selections are actually vegan). Even carnivores will love Lakeside's vegan crab cake, made with roasted and pulled hearts of palm. And how did the front-of-house folks treat you? This staff is among the most gracious and professional in Las Vegas. The food is perfectly timed, there's just enough checking in, and the advice is careful and personalized. What’s the real-real on why we’re coming here? This is an impressive place on lots of counts. Wow a future spouse by reserving the center lakeside table, or earn high marks with a boss who can't believe how quickly the mahi-mahi gets from Maui to his or her plate. Note: Although Lakeside's dress code doesn't require jackets, it does require pants—save the shorts for the gym." - Andrea Bennett
