Over his two decades in the Las Vegas food and beverage industry (with eight of those years in management), Jake Leslie, general manager of The Mayfair Supper Club at Bellagio, has opened many popular restaurants, but none quite like The Mayfair.
“It’s not just a restaurant, it’s live entertainment,” he says. “It’s a true, classic supper club. A classic Vegas lounge feel. There’s a three-piece band, modern showgirls. … I was very fortunate and excited once I saw the investment. It’s a pretty lavish production when you come in here say at 10 o’clock on a busy night ... the place is packed and the lights are flashing and there’s dancers in the aisles and people twirling their napkins and having a blast. It’s a very different experience.”
Before Mayfair, Leslie helped open other hot spots in town like Libertine Social and Best Friend; he even opened his own eatery downtown, The Goodwich. “The hardest part of openings are the things you forget, so those last few weeks, there’re those little details that kind of come up,” he says. “The more you do openings, the more you think about how to approach things. You have to be flexible and nimble.”
After all the years in the industry, after all the openings and working in management, Leslie continues to find passion and love for his craft. “One, you get to work in beautiful spaces,” he says. “Restaurants in general are immersive, transportive. Especially Mayfair—you walk through those doors and you realize this is special, this is different.”
Libation: Jalisco Old Fashioned
There’s a classic-vibes-meets-modern flair in the The Mayfair Supper Club and the cocktail offerings at the restaurant are no exception. On the menu are four different twists on a true classic, the Old Fashioned. With tequila becoming known as a more sophisticated, popular spirit, it’s not surprising it’s used in the Jalisco Old Fashioned. The cocktail is a delicious example of a smooth, potent and complementing blend of Olmeca Altos Reposado tequila, cacao-infused agave nectar and mole bitters.
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