Michael Plourde Joins Botero at Pastry Chef

Botero at Encore Las Vegas has a familiar face returning as pastry chef. Well, familiar to executive chef Mark LoRusso, who worked with Michael Plourde at Tableau at Wynn Las Vegas.

Plourde already made some changes to the Botero dessert menu. First up, a chocolate torte made with a layered chocolate cake with caramel ganache, chocolate ganache, chocolate mousse and toasted hazelnuts and served with vanilla ice cream. Also new to the menu is a butterscotch pot de crème with Bailey’s whipped cream and espresso shortbread cookies, as well as a Meyer lemon cheesecake with caramelized citrus segments, a reduction of the caramelized citrus juice and a honey crème fraiche, served with a sponge cake crust.

Plourde was the pastry chef at Nobu at the Hard Rock Hotel before coming to Botero. The Bristol, Conn. native, worked at Michael Mina’s former Aqua restaurant at Bellagio, where he first met LoRusso. He then moved on to work as a pastry chef at Michael Mina’s Nob Hill Tavern at the MGM Grand before opening Tableau with LoRusso at Wynn Las Vegas in 2005.
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