Libertine Social opened Monday at Mandalay Bay in the long-dormant space along the South Strip’s restaurant row. The new neighbor to Aureole, Kumi and Stripsteak is one of the most exciting new restaurant developments of the year, for at least two reasons—it’s a team-up from chef Shawn McClain (Sage and Five50 Pizza Bar at Aria) and “The Modern Mixologist” Tony Abou-Ganim (who designed the groundbreaking cocktail program at Bellagio and did the same for T-Mobile Arena’s opening this year).
Libertine Social is a beautifully designed, energetic space with a multitude of environments. There’s a lively “patio” connected to its lounge, kitchen-front bar seating, a towering dining room with an actual outdoor patio, and the Arcade Bar, a craft cocktail-centric bar within the restaurant. Overall, it looks and feels very different from just about every other dining destination on the Strip, and the flavors pop, too. Here are a few dishes and drinks we sampled:
Swizzles Available in pitchers that serve four ($58) or as individual libations, Libertine’s swizzles are refreshing rum-based cocktails with Caribbean origins, swizzled—not stirred—with a wooden stick with tons of ice. The Queen’s Park swizzle mixes 15-year-old Eldorado rum with Demerara (turbinado) syrup, lime juice, fresh spearmint and Angostura bitters. It’s a good thing Libertine opened before summer’s end, because this drink hits the seasonal spot.
Strawberry gazpacho Speaking of summer specials, you’re going to need to order this chilled, sweet soup laced with king crab, rich avocado and tender hearts of palm ($15). Bright, fresh and clean, it’s an ideal way to deal with the desert heat.
Libertine Social has a series of flatbreads to explore.
Scotch olives Libertine is a real bar for real drinking, and that means salty snacks are a must. The kitchen tweaks the traditional Scotch egg by putting a crispy coating around olives, lamb sausage and feta cheese. You won’t be able to stop eating these next-gen bar snacks ($9).
Caramelized fennel and sausage flatbread We already know McClain does pizza. The Libertine version has a beautifully charred crust, an appropriate vessel for these toppings of Camembert cheese, rosemary, honey, fennel and sausage ($15). Other flatbread options include country ham with pineapple and barbecue sauce, mushrooms with olives and tomatoes, and wilted spinach with burrata, garlic oil and guanciale.
Roasted fingerling potatoes The Libertine food menu is divided into small plates, toasts and dips, “local fare,” flatbreads, sausage and cheese boards, large plates, sides and desserts. “Local fare” is mostly salads, but these perfect potatoes, all decked out in Serrano ham, pancetta and a soft-poached farm egg ($14), can be found in this section, too. And it’s a winner.
Bottled cocktails The Libertine bar has all the cocktail bases covered—it offers draft cocktails, barrel-aged cocktails, retro favorites like Abou-Ganim’s famous Cable Car, even specialty shots from the freezer like house-made limoncello. But these guys are bottling their own cocktails, too, and that’s a fun twist ($16). Check out the Luce Del Sol: grapefruit vodka, Aperol, honey syrup and citrus.
Libertine Social Mandalay Bay, 702-632-7558. Daily, 5-11 p.m.
