é by José Andrés

For the time being, there are only two José Andrés-run, el Bulli-inspired avant garde tasting menu experiences in the United States: minibar in Washington DC and é by José Andrés in Las Vegas. Where minibar draws from and riffs on many cuisines, é is more personal to the chef’s origins, serving multiple courses based upon Spanish inspirations.

Located inside of the Las Vegas location of Jaleo, and whimsically decorated to evoke the chef’s card catalog-like mind for concepts and recipes, é places nine seats at a counter for guests to watch the finishing and/or plating of literally two dozen small dishes immediately before eating them. Tickets are made available three months in advance, for two seatings per night, and remain among the city’s most challenging to secure due to the intimate space and repeated “best restaurant” awards.

After more than a decade of success – and a handful of head chefs – é’s current tasting menu spans 25 items, and has been described by its current chefs as a “greatest hits” collection from prior eras. Having experienced é at multiple points in its history, we can attest that the menu has a lot of still amazing classics, though somewhat fewer of the high-end proteins that made the earlier menus feel extra special.