It was 2.10am on Wednesday 27 October 2021. Fifteen minutes, he told her, then he left reception and went to the kitchen. “But then I thought: ‘This is a five-star hotel, I must serve her.’” The hungry woman accepted his offer of a salad and asked how long it would take. Three times the guest asked if he couldn’t rustle up a little something and three times he politely refused. The night manager said he was sorry, but the kitchen was closed. “But asking for something to eat? That was very, very odd.” “People sometimes ask for a herbal tea, or a coffee, or a glass of something,” he would recall in court later.

In the eight years he had spent in the elegant gloom of Atrio, a luxury restaurant and hotel in Cáceres, three hours’ drive south-west of Madrid, the night manager could recall only two similar requests. If this was in one of the strip hotels (it definitely wouldn't look out of place in the Bellagio) then it would be packed every night in my opinion.W asn’t it a little odd, thought the night manager, that the woman in room 107 should be peckish so soon after finishing the hotel’s 14-course tasting menu, a paean to the pig featuring tuna belly with red lard, scallops and pig’s trotters, pork jowl pudding with caviar, and Iberian meatballs with cod tripe that had concluded, inevitably, with chocolate and coffee served with aged ham. It was a shame that so few people were in there and I guess that's down to advertising a possibly location. What a really nice guy he was - a real asset to the Rio! We ended up staying for around 90 minutes. Whilst the flight I chose was fairly expensive, there were different flights to suit different budgets and each glass received a decent pour.Īs it was so quiet we got to spend our time chatting with Jose, who was our server, whilst we enjoyed our wines. We also ordered a cheese plate to go with it, which came with fresh bread (which was topped up when we ran out). We sat at the bar and I ordered a 4 glass red wine flight and my partner ordered a 3 glass white wine flight. We arrived around 6:15pm and there were only 4 or 5 other people in there. This trip we made a special effort to visit and I'm glad we did. I'd heard about this place before and had always wanted to try it out but had never found the time. Very tempting!Īll in all, this was a great place to visit, enjoy the wine, and spend a quiet afternoon. And if you are interested, he will send you a list of what he has and ship to you if you would like.

They have an amazing collection of very high quality and rare wines available for purchase. However, I don't see myself buying a bottle ($1500+) anytime soon.Īfter the flight, we chatted with Hung Nguyen, the manager. I couldn't resist, so I paid my $85 for a half-ounce pour. I've seen the bottles in various places, and just about every casino bar in Vegas has a bottle prominently displayed. These cognacs are available in various pours ranging from 1/2 ounce to 2 ounces. The menu also includes premium whiskeys, as well as some ultra-premium cognac.

The wines are of good to excellent quality, and bread and water are provided to cleanse the palate. The menu contains several pages of themed flights, but you are able to buy glasses or bottles of any individual wines and you can design your own flight. We sat at the bar and chatted up the bartender. At first, we were the only customers during the mid afternoon. The sign is not very noticeable, but as you descend into the tasting room, you enter a large area with a bar and multiple rooms for tasting and events. The Wine Cellar is tucked away at the bottom of a stairway in Masquerade Village at the Rio.

The wine cellar