NoMad Restaurant at Park MGM has easily been Las Vegas’ most anticipated restaurant opening of 2018, yet it manages to surpass all that hype. The Michelin-starred duo of chef Daniel Humm and restaurateur Will Guidara have imported their acclaimed concept from Manhattan, and it translates brilliantly. The Strip’s best fine-dining spots transport you away to tranquility, and that’s what happens in this Victorian-esque multilevel library (the books are actually real!) masquerading as a dining room, simultaneously avant garde and inviting.

Menu-wise, nothing quite feels straightforward at NoMad. Take the seafood tower, a staple of high-end dining. Rather than delivering high-quality shellfish in a straightforward manner, NoMad’s artfully-named fruits de mer ($32 per person) offers a sextet of offerings with a twist. Sea urchin is perched atop apple gelée and garnished with a dollop of caviar, while scallop ceviche intermixes with pistachios and is accented with yuzu. The former is saline and sweet, delivering the very essence of the sea in a single bite, while the latter provides a study in the balance of textures and acidity.

And then there’s the roast chicken for two ($94). For the record, I never order chicken, but you cannot not order this dish. The intricate preparation involvesfoie gras and black truffle stuffed under the skin, resulting in the earthiest, most decadent fowl you’ve ever had. Inexplicably crispy skin (think Peking duck) gives way to immeasurably moist breast meat served atop a rich combination offoie- and truffle-laced chicken stock reduction and roasted dark meat. It’s a revelation.

Part of the fun at NoMad is the respect it gives to old-school pomp and circumstance. The roast chicken is paraded to your table prior to returning to the kitchen for final prep, while carts deliver both the sharp steak tartare ($26 per person) and a timeline of martinis.

At its price point, NoMad is a remarkable special event destination, which should be on everyone’s 2019 to-do list.

NoMad Restaurant NoMad Las Vegas inside Park MGM, 702-730-6785. Tuesday-Saturday, 5:30-10:30 p.m. (closed through December 26).