The restaurant covers three levels, with guests able to start their night of sushi, sake and socializing in the casino-floor lounge. The intimate space is bedecked with Asian touches, as is the restaurant as a whole. Keeping the same hours of 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. as the rest of the operation, the lounge is sure to find itself busy until the wee hours. Off to the side is a private elevator that will whisk celebrities up to the top level, where their own dining room awaits. The rest of us proles will have to take the winding staircase, but PMG has made sure we'll enjoy the trip. The stairwell walls are made up of highly polished, bronze safety deposit boxes—some of them open—which not only give the walk a magical feel but also are supposed to attract luck and money, according to some Asian beliefs (winding paths are also believed to confuse evil spirits, so if you're not having luck at the tables, we recommend a trip upstairs).
The design, downstairs and up, is from the creative geniuses at AvroKO, whom New York Magazine recently named as some of the most influential people in the Big Apple. The acclaimed firm also won both Outstanding Design and Outstanding Graphic in the 2004 James Beard Awards.
Upstairs, the restaurant's flow follows that of Siren's Cove, with seating divided between inside and a sprawling outdoor patio. Bamboo bird cages dangle high above the restaurant's bar area, with the private dining areas and exclusive restroom one level above. The private dining room—a piece of Vegas history as the space was Steve Wynn's boardroom—holds red jade sculptures and red bonsai trees, red being an auspicious color in Asia. Over the massive lacquered black table is a touch of whimsy: small glass opium pipes hanging from the ceiling. Doors open to the patio and a small flight of stairs lead up even higher, to a crow's nest overlooking the cove's entire rock face, perfectly suited to a repas à deux or after-dinner cigars.
Other dining areas are nooks similar to tatami rooms, but with high-tech metal screens instead of paper walls, mounted on massive rollers that provide an aura of privacy while also giving Social House the freedom to grow the spaces for larger parties. Similar Asian touches are found throughout, from the stone fountain burbling in the restroom foyer to bundles of Japanese newspapers and green bamboo shoots.
Outside, the balcony sweeps over Tangerine and the cove, providing a stunning view of the Strip—to be made even more so in mid-2007 when the Venetian's Palazzo opens across the street. The wavy floor plan allows for multiple areas of semi-private dining, and the patio will even have its own DJ booth, where Javier Alba will be spinning house late night two or three nights per week. Though concerns about music bleeding up from Tangerine (or down from Social House) are obvious, PMG's director of operations Greg Jarmolowich is confident any problems will be quickly corrected.
Back inside, a green-tiled circular bar keeps the energy flowing, doing double duty as both a service bar and a spot for customers to enjoy some of the infused sakes, such as peach, watermelon and blackberry-raspberry. Those aren't the only special sakes available. When Social House opens, it will boast 80 different labels, ranging from hot and cold sakes to dessert and even sparkling or "champagne" sakes. eventually, that library will be expanded to include 100 under the direction of Frank Tucker, formerly of Wynn and now head of beverage operations and PMG's assistant director of operations. Flights will be available for customers to educate themselves, along with help from the staff, of course. And this being an Asian restaurant, you can count on everything from the cold sakes in their giant bamboo-shoot carafes and series of infused sake shots to the food, expertly prepared by Chef Joe elevado (formerly of Nobu), and exquisite desserts from Pastry Chef Ralph Perrazzo (formerly of Bradley Ogden and named a Rising Star by StarChefs.com), coming to your table with inscrutably beautiful presentation.
An insider's tip: Follow the wall to the restaurant's north end and ask for the table nearest the service exit. Though it's tucked away from the action, the seat will give you a long view of the room as well as a stunning view of the Strip outside, as your gaze runs parallel to Las Vegas Boulevard.