With Garlicky Snails, Levitating Cocktails, and Really Great Chairs, LPM Opens

When you take a seat at LPM Restaurant & Bar, the French restaurant inside the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, your attention will likely be pulled not to the graphic pop art on the stark white walls, nor the heap of tomatoes and lemon at your table’s center, but rather to your chair — which has an incredibly convenient slide-out tray in the seat for placing your purse. Or phone. Or water bottle. Or takeout container. Or just about any handheld thing that might otherwise get relegated to the floor after slipping off the sloped back of a nice restaurant’s upholstered chair.

Janna Karel

It’s that kind of attention to detail that Nicolas Budzynski, LPM’s CEO, aims to bring to each of the restaurant locations, previously opened in cities such as London, Dubai, Miami, and Doha. Taking inspiration from the South of France, LPM’s cuisine has both French and Spanish influence, with everything designed for sharing. Should one person in your party order the wild prawns in olive oil and lemon juice ($28), for instance, it is expected that everyone should reach across the table to dip their toasted slices of bread into the sauce. And those tomatoes and lemons strewn atop the table? Slice and season them yourself. There’s enough for everyone.

Janna Karel

Budzynski says that the most-ordered dish across all its locations is the escargots de Bourgogne ($30), six snails in pale, pretty shells and seasoned with garlic butter, parsley, Parmesan, and anchovy, for a delightfully savory spread when scooped out onto a slice of thick-cut bread. He says that, for many customers, it’s their first time eating snails — and servers will gently encourage them to go for it. “If they don’t like it, we’ll take care of it. It’s our fault for not making the right recommendation,” he says. “Or we’ll try to recommend something else.” Other dishes include a yellowtail carpaccio in citrus dressing ($29), salt-baked sea bass with artichokes and tomato ($52), and a super light and creamy vanilla cheesecake ($16) that gets baked at low temperature for three hours.

LPM Restaurant & Bar

The restaurant is next to Zuma and in the space previously occupied by Estiatoria Milos. The footprint is about 50 percent bigger than other LPMs, leading to some creative uses for the space. Upon entering, customers will walk through the lounge — a new component for the restaurant chain. Here, bartenders make cocktails like the Tomatini ($17), a sweet and savory tomato cocktail that tastes like a liquid caprese salad. The Trinity cocktail ($19) is strong, spirit-forward, and served on a magnetic levitating platform. The secondary bar in the main dining room is divided into a counter-height bar and a bar-height oyster bar — ideal for solo diners or those who want face-time with the cooks. And the terrace is indoor-outdoor, overlooking the center of the Las Vegas Strip; the space will have a water fountain installed by the time of LPM’s grand opening on November 27.

Janna Karel

The restaurant’s interior is bright, with white paint and a pale marble effect on the walls, broken up with super vivid art prints, paint splatters, and murals. Throughout the evening, the lights get turned down and the music turns up — but never too loud. Budzynski says he never wants a customer to have to raise their voice to talk across the table. “You should be able to hear a cocktail shaker at the bar,” he says. “And not hear what the next table is saying, but hear them laughing. Hopefully, they’re laughing.” He anticipates some parties coming in before a night at Marquee, the casino’s nightclub or to order a glass of wine from the restaurant’s wine cellar and make a night of it. “The price point is actually a little lower for the category,” he says. “It’s not super elegant, more smart casual. And we think that’s apparent from when you first look at it.”

Janna Karel

LPM Restaurant & Bar is open nightly from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Level 3 of the Boulevard Tower inside the Cosmopolitan.

LPM Restaurant & Bar

Janna Karel

Janna Karel