JEAN PHILIPPE PATISSERIE AT ARIA: A GALLERY OF EDIBLE ART

More Space and More Tastes at Jean-Philippe Maury’s Second Parisian Pastry Shop

LAS VEGAS – Award-winning pastry chef Jean-Philippe Maury brings beauty, whimsy and sublime indulgence to ARIA Resort & Casino with the launch of his second Parisian-style pastry shop: Jean Philippe Pâtisserie. Echoing its sister shop in Bellagio, the new pâtisserie displays its array of sweet and savory treats as tenderly as rare artifacts, then quickly finds its own voice with unique new features: a larger layout, incorporating an 85-seat café for relaxing over snacks or quick gourmet meals from an onsite kitchen; a 45-flavor line of house-made gelato; gourmet meal boxes to go for picnics or the plane; a retail line of ready-made meals; exquisite chocolates by the piece; and seasonal flavors for every delicacy.

Maury and design team Norwood Oliver Associates combine their likeminded ingenuity once again to demonstrate that pleasure in food owes as much to the eye as it does to taste.

While most pastry chefs perfect a single skill, Maury has applied his prolific talents to master every technique, from Viennoiserie and pastillage to tempered chocolate and puff pastry. A visual master and an adroit craftsman, Maury takes the artistic aspect of pastry to fresh heights through his award-winning showpieces. At Jean Philippe Pâtisserie, his edible sculptures adorn display shelves throughout the space, providing a feast for the eyes at every turn. And elevated on center stage, eight feet of modern wedding cake in red, white and silver certainly commands admiration.

As visually arresting as they are scrumptious, the shop’s proliferation of desserts might render decision-making vexing. Eclairs, fruit tarts, Napoleons, unearthly pastries of rich ganache and flavored creams, macaroons, Danish, sorbets and more compete for favor. Full-sized cakes, intricately piped with buttercream designs, are boxed and lavishly wrapped for the most unexpected of gifts.

Exclusive to Jean Philippe Pâtisserie at ARIA, Maury’s select line of bonbons and truffles are available by the piece, allowing guests to hand select a tidy box as keepsake of their visit to CityCenter.Perhaps the Sevillian: orange marzipan and Grand Marnier ganache in dark chocolate; or the Piemont: Gianduja ganache (made with hazelnut paste) and roasted hazelnuts in milk chocolate. An exotic line of gelato also makes a debut. Forty-five unexpected flavors help cool the Mojave heat with the likes of Blackberry Crème Brulee; Nutella with crunchy praline crisps; or for the kids, Bubble Gum with marshmallow.

Savory fare tempt on a par with any of the confections. Gourmet sandwiches, salads, savory and sweet crêpes, and warm paninis are certain to vie for first choice, while a low-fat Spa Menu of equal flavor-depth won’t feel an iota like compromise.

Occupying two-thirds of the pâtisserie’s interior, a spacious café area evokes a brasserie-like environment with counter seating and rustic wooden tables – ideal for relaxing over snacks and sweets or one of the shop’s new quick-serve hot meals. Lunch and dinner classics, like Chicken & Pasta and croque monsieurs, flow from the on-site kitchen, authentically prepared by the resident French chef.

Another new, travel-minded offering is a collection of Gourmet on-the-Go boxes. Ideal for the plane or a busy day of sights, meals offer three-course convenience in a purse-style box for easy transport. Each comes with an appetizer (such as Poached Santa Barbara Prawns with Meyer lemon jam and mangocilantro salsa fresca); an entrée (perhaps Soy Glazed King Salmon with wakame seaweed salad and creamy miso dressing); a cheese course of St. Maure Goat’s Milk Cheese with quince paste, caramelized pecans and sun-dried cherries; and an individual pastry of choice. A Spa Light selection makes ideal company for a much-deserved day at the spa.

Retail shelving along the perimeter of the café offers precious cargo to go, each dressed and displayed in Maury’s private label grey-and-blue packaging with care. A new retail line offers readymade meals designed for the microwave, with ARIA condo guests in mind: Shrimp & Rice, Chicken Curry, specialty soups, even easy-bake cookie dough. Classic Maury products beckon buyers as well, including biscotti or truffle tins, colorful jellies and jams, coffees and teas. For those with no luggage space to spare, products are easily available online at www.jpchocolates.com.

Norwood Oliver Design Associates created a crisp black and white interior accented by the sparkle of stainless steel chrome. Built in a pavilion style without doors, Jean Philippe Pâtisserie stands airy and open on all sides with inviting easy in-and-out access through six different portals. Lining the interior of the shop, counters of gleaming white merge with floors of polished white silstone, this icy fondant effect then tempered by warm butterscotch-colored walls. Yin to the shop’s yang, the café side
sports floors of glossy black silstone, topped with deep wooden tables for sinking into with comfort.

Backing the café, a 16-foot art wall built of thick chrome rods presents a web-like network of open apertures and tinted-glass inserts, completing the pâtisserie’s sexy, mesmerizing pageant.

Conveniently located near the guest elevators and the valet entrance from Harmon Circle, Jean Philippe Pâtisserie merges its bright lights with casino dazzle to heighten the sweet taste of a visit to ARIA.

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Media Contact:
Andrea Brown
MGM Resorts International
(702) 650-7534
abrown@mgmresorts.com