Wynn Las Vegas does it again. Their over the top, jewell of a Japanese restaurant is Mizumi. What a dream dining experience, featuring a combination of dazzling atmosphere and food.

The chef who transforms this movie setting every night is Executive Chef Devin Hashimoto, who provided an “Inside the Kitchen” tour for The Gourmet Review not too long ago.

Mizumi’s award winning Chef Devin is responsible for creating the “wow” factor for every dish. Is it culinary art or is it dinner? Sometimes it’s hard to distinguish between the two.

Not surprising, when you realize that Chef Devin was named “Best Chef on The Strip” by Vegas Seven in the magazine’s 2012 Restaurant Awards issue.

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Integration of the outdoor water elements teeming with the sumptuous interior of the main dining and robatayaki room, with the elegant red decor, is simply gorgeous. Hard to believe this is Las Vegas, when your table overlooks either a miniature lake, cascading waterfall, koi pond, pagoda or Japanese garden.

Of course, food is the star and you’ll find all the classic Japanese dishes here, including sashimi, sushi, robatayaki and teppanyaki. It’s always the details, though, that make the difference. For example, Chef Devin flies in the prized Binchotan wood, used for grilling, from Japan. The wood costs nearly $10,000 per month. I will attest that it is the secret for my favorite lemon grilled, skewered chicken wings, but how many restaurants go to such extremes?

The menu is creative and mouth watering, as Chef Devin blends great food with artistic presentation. Honestly, the food looks like edible art. Sometimes I feel a bit guilty disturbing my plate. Well, not guilty for too long, because the food itself is out of this world.

Most of all, the success of Mizumi is in the detail. Everywhere. The lobster for the Mizumi roll above is spiny lobster flown in from Australia, served sashimi style or whole. The live lobsters are kept in a tank in the kitchen. Nothing could be fresher.

It’s hard to miss Chef”s passion for an authentic, yet modern, take on traditional Japanese food.

Dobin Miso Soup, pictured above, shows off Chef Devin’s artful take on miso soup.

Whether you try traditional sushi or simply order some of Chef’s signature creations, such as his 72 hour braised American Waagyu shortrib “kakuni,” with creamy satsuma potatoes, fava bean and red wine miso sauce, you’ll be delighted. That was a mouthful to describe, but it gives you a visual of the food. Or, perhaps you’d like to try the Thai snapper flown in daily from Japan?

So, where are you going to eat at Mizumi? I love the pagoda, next to the waterfall, that provides the setting for the the best rated table in Las Vegas. Lush landscaping abounds. If you can’t reserve the pagoda table, ask to sit next to the sliding doors in the main dining room overlooking the pagoda.

I keep mentioning Chef Devin’s eye toward detail, whether it be the food or simply picking out the china for Mizumi. Look closely and note the traditional Japanese masks. Where else will you find a chef who thinks of transforming one of these masks into a chocolate, edible desert? That’s right. A dessert of pure white chocolate that matches one of the masks on the wall.

So, I’ll be back soon. Like other repeat guests, Chef Devin makes sure the guest experience is unforgettable, yet manages to shake up the menu enough to bring locals, as well as visitors, back again and again.

Don’t miss Mizumi on your next visit to Vegas!

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P.S. Chef Devin has officially been added to my favorite chef list at the Wynn, along with Chef David from SW and the Lakeside, who gave us our first interview for The Gourmet Review, and Chef Theo from Sinatra, who introduced the youngster to truffles. Check them out on The Gourmet Review.

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– The Gourmet Review

NOTE

A great guest experience in an award winning restaurant is a team collaboration, according to Chef Devin. It’s the ambiance of luxuxrious surroundings, but most of all it’s the service from people going the extra mile.

When you first enter Mizumi, you encounter two of the best professionals at Wynn. General Manager Andrea Ung and Assistant General Manager Caroline Soller. They will not only welcome you to dinner, but guarantee you’ll feel like family before you finish your evening.

Long time sommelier Louis Hamilton knows his wines and is a consumate professional. These are the faces of Mizumi, along with a fantastic group of wait staff, that make sure the restaurant lives up to Chef Devin’s culinary expectations.

Our kitchen tour with the “Blue Baker” included a a step by step demonstration on how to make sushi. Did you know that a proper sushi knife can cost up to $9,000? Pretty impressive. Thank you, Chef Masaru.

Here are the wonderful chefs showing us how to prepare our favorite grilled, skewered lemon chicken appetizer.These are only a few of the 30 chefs that work so hard at making the dining experience at Mizumi an unforgettable one.

Thank you for a great afternoon!

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-The Gourmet Review.