Review of Rose Rabbit Lie Dinner and Show at Las Vegas Cosmopolitan

Rose Rabbit Lie - An Assault on your Senses and Sensibilities

Review of Rose Rabbit Lie Dinner, Nocturne Show and Nightlife

Rose Rabbit Lie is gastronomically sinful and uncomfortably entertaining. I want more! This is the latest “must experience” Las Vegas attraction. It is part restaurant, part show and part lounge, that all blend together. Confused? So was I….in fact, I am still confused what I experienced. Rose Rabbit Lie is uniquely spontaneous and kinda wrong, just like the best trips to Vegas.

Rose Rabbit Lie Dinner, Nocturne Show and Nightlife is in the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas

Pre-Show Dinner

The dinner portion of the evening is a separate reservation and a separate charge. There seems to be some confusion out there, including some of the staff at the Cosmopolitan. The format for dinner works like the Magic castle in Hollywood, you get there early for dinner and then enjoy the shows afterwards. With that said, the Rose Rabbit Lie show bleeds into dinner with caveat performances that become more regular and intense with the lead up to the show time. There is nothing like this in Las Vegas.

Dinner Menu Format

The menu at Rose. Rabbit. Lie. is set up in the small plates format. Each person generally orders 2-4 small plates, depending on how much of a piggy you are. The cuisine is Modern American Fine Dining with a strong flare of French technique and ingredients. The dishes are very innovative and are some of the best tasting that I have tried in Vegas. If you are from Southern California, the dishes and format will remind you of The Playground. Daniele and I each ordered three dishes.

Interior of Rose Rabbit Lie Dining Room

What we ate at Rose Rabbit Lie

Herb Brioche Rolls

This is a must for anyone dining in the restaurant. The brioche rolls are studded with herbs, inside and out. They are served steamy hot on a planche. It is served with a French butter called Bordier, which is really out of this world butter! $5

Brioche Rolls with Bordier butter

Brussels Sprouts

I know , blahh blah blah…Tom has a new Brussels Sprouts love interest. Rose. Rabbit. Lie’s Brussels sprouts are tied for #1 with James Republic for my top 10 list. I am a Brussels Sprout polyamorous. What makes them so good? They are served on the planche with crispy chicken skin, Manchego cheese shavings, and Spanish smoked paprika. Every bite has a contrast of soft and crispy textures and the roller coaster of buttery, bitter, nutty, salty and creamy flavors take you for a joy ride. $11

Rose Rabbit Lie Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Chicken Skin

Waldorf Salad

Although it looks like this Waldorf is swimming is dressing, it is remarkably balanced. It is dressed with Asian pear, blue cheese, and toasted black walnuts. The Waldorf salad was delicious, just a tad small for $9.

Waldorf Salad

Crispy Oysters Rockefeller

One of the better Oyster Rockefeller executions I have tasted. The oysters are coated in fine bread crumbs and “bacon dust” (just like pixie dust) and flashed fried. It is then laid on the shell with creamy sauce Chartreuse (same stuff as the liqueur) and spinach. The oyster is garnished with house cured bacon and chives. The texture of creamy against crunchy on the tongue was very exciting. The oysters were served on a bed of sea salt. $16

The crispy Oysters Rockefeller pop with flavor

Loup De Mer en Croute

This was one of the better dishes of the night. Loup De Mer (sea bass) is broiled with a very thin sheet layer of pastry on top, resulting in a contrast of crunchy and juicy textures. The sea bass is garnished with creamed spinach, hydrated Nevada raisins and a puddle of juices made from the fish, butter and Verjus (pressed juice of unripened grapes with a sweet-tart flavor) $17

Rose Rabbit Lie Loupe De Mer

Bone Marrow

I ordered this dish based on the waiter’s recommendation. Bone marrow is roasted and then topped with sweet and sour short rib, green apple, and mini gelatin fruit mustard cubes. Although I did enjoy this dish, it was not as good as the others. Don’t get me wrong, the dish was constructed perfectly. I liked how the sweet and sour flavors of the short rib complimented the marrow, although the other dishes were simply better. With that said, I can still recommend this dish. $16

Bone marrow with sweet and sour short rib

Duck Confit Pasta

This dish featured a bowl of house made ribbon pasta with ruffled edges and pieces of duck confit. It is garnished with Swiss chard, Parmesan cream, white wine. I liked the flavor of the dish; although, there was not quite enough duck confit to even taste.. Sorry I forgot to take a picture . $14

Other items that looked fun, but didn’t order

Rabbit Fricassee (I chose the bone marrow over this), Foie Gras Torchon (banned in California, so a must order), Whole Roasted Giant Alaskan Red King Crab $1200! Stuffed with the meat of three lobsters! (bling bling hells yeah, but only if I could expense this one out). See the full Rose Rabbit Lie Menu.

Cocktails

The cocktails at Rose Rabbit Lie are designed with a nod to the past and a vision of the future. Vintage art of cocktail crafting is practiced with pride. All cocktails are served in proper glasses and appropriate ice cubes.

Floradora Imperial Cocktail - D’ussse Cognac, Raspberry, lime, Black Tea, Sparkling Wine – Named after the the famous Broadway musical circa 1901. This cognac based cocktail was slightly sweet and effervescent, although full bodied and just slightly acidic on the palate. $16

Rose Rabbit Lie Floradora Imperial Cocktail

Airmail – Denizen rum, orange blossom honey, lime, sparkling wine – adapted from the esquire handbook for Hosts, 1949. This is a very tart rum cocktail that finished heavy on the lime. This was not Daniele’s favorite cocktail of the evening, although I actually liked it. $16

Rose Rabbit Lie Airmail cocktail

Flask Cocktail - “Craft in a bottle”

These cocktails are served up on your own personal large format glass flask that you get to take home with you. The cocktail is meant to be “shared.” Based on my personal observations, very few folks were sharing their flask cocktails. I saw one group of 20 something girls, each with the own flask…they were funny to watch for the rest of the night. Flask cocktails we tried:

New Moon - Chopin wheat vodka, violet liqueur, lemon, orange cream citrate. This is an all-around balanced cocktail that placed equal emphasis on sweet and aromatic notes. It was easy to drink this cocktail and did not leave the sticky taste behind of a fruit forward cocktail.

Rose Rabbit Lie Flask Format Cocktails - The New Moon

Example of other flask cocktail options: Jacquemot Rose (light and fruity), 1920 cocktail - Rye Whiskey, Roso and Dry Vermouth, Orange Bitters

Desserts

Desserts can be bizarre in name and presentation. Unfortunately we did not have enough time to order dessert because we wasted time debating cocktails. There were some very interesting creations, the one that stood out, one of these was the“Jar of Cookies.” The table next to ours ordered this it comes in a cookie jar in the shape of a head.

Rose Rabbit Lie Jar of Cookies Dessert

Inside is a variety of house made cookies, pastries and treats. I could hear the table next door moaning over the cookies like sailors at a brothel on shore leave. This made me food horny and a little jealous. Another fun option included “The Terrarium”, which is made to look like a terrarium bowl, but made with dessert items to replicate a mini jungle. …next time.

What you should know

Dress Code

Directly from their website: Casual Elegant | Collared Shirt Preferred. No athletic wear, tennis shoes, flip flops, shorts, t-shirts, hats, baggy jeans or jeans with holes.

Budget

For dinner, budget around $110 per person for dinner, cocktails and dessert (tip not calculated). If you don’t drink, but yes to dessert, plan on $75+ per person. The show’s retail price is $125 (includes nightlife afterwards). Discounts are available to Cosmopolitan Hotel guests. Living Social is offering a deal as of right now, . Vegas.com is advertising this deal as well. Do your homework and search for deals ahead of time.

How Much Time You Should Allow for Dinner?

I recommend 2 ½ hours. If you finish up early, head to the bar and watch some of the pre-show entertainment.

More Info about Rose Rabbit Lie see their website

Rose Rabbit lie Pre Show Dinner Entertainment

Vegas Nocturne - The Rose. Rabbit. Lie. Show.

After dinner we were ushered by a member of the caste to our seats. It was a classy touch. We had no idea what to expect from the show, but the Cosmopolitan’s tag line, “The right amount of wrong” is very appropriate for the show. I just had a conversation with my co-worker and tried to describe the show and the best I could come up with was “It is kind of a vaudeville show, plus comedy, throw in some nudity, characters with personality disorders, a creepy Chihuahua and a guy with a dragon costume, and some performances from America’s Got Talent, and a large helping of racy jokes.”

If you are saying “What the Hell” at this point, that is what I said as I watched the performance. I don’t want to ruin the show for you, but expect to be entertained in an awkward kind of way. This is a very small and intimate venue so you feel like you are [art of the show.

Rose. Rabbit. Lie. Nightlife

The nightlife lounge is like the hot roommate who joins in on your bedroom activities unexpectedly, but you kinda liked it anyways. If you bought dinner and show tickets, then staying for the nightlife is a must. The lounge is full of happy people because most of them just came out of the show, so everyone is a little drunk and upbeat. As you socialize, the show re-integrates itself back into the lounge. It is as if you were invited to the after party at the character’s house. We saw a magician, contortionist and the band integrating into the crowd with impromptu performances.

Rose Rabbit Lie Nightlife

My Final Thoughts about Rose. Rabbit. Lie.

Rose. Rabbit. Lie is the new must experience Las Vegas Show, Restaurant, and Nightclub. This is a very different experience than anything I have tried in Vegas and Tom’s Foodie Blog highly recommends it. The entire experience can get a little pricey, as things add up quickly. I recommend you budget this as part of your Vegas trip and made early reservations. If you attend Rose Rabbit Lie, let me know about your experience and leave a rating below. What happens after the show? That is up to you

What happens after the show? That is up to you

I generally disagree with some of the Urbanspoon reviewers, but here they are

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