Room Quality: Everything is a suite here. It better be for these prices, which propose to be the highest on the Strip. The rooms are at least 700 s.f., or what we like to call "our downstairs". There are a sleeping area and a living room some with a partition and a huge, swiveling flat TV. The living room has a sofa, desk with chairs, nice office equipment if you really feel you must fax copies of your markers to friends back home. The windows are floor to ceiling, and you can pay extra to stay in a room with a really nice view. Colors are generally neutral, mostly light browns with some white and dark hints. The bathroom has another flat-screen TV in it. Who knew the rich had nothing better to do than watch bad programming? The bathrooms also have lighted vanities and separate tubs and showers. We love that because once we soak in a bath it's too dang filthy to ever use again. There are phones in the bathroom, too, so if you're in the tub, you can get on the horn and call your friend in the shower on his cell. Oh, don't forget to head down to the casino in the bathrobe in your room.

Service Quality: Mixed to date, but expect it to improve as the hotel gets everything together. Of course, the employees are unfailingly nice,m even to the likes of us, but there are still glitches to be worked out and not all of the rooms were ready for the soft opening,

What You Get Bottles of in the Bathroom: More of Steve Wynn's own fancy, pretty-smelling concoctions. There is shampoo, lotion, conditioner and other pretty stuff to keep your inner ears, nose and face clean.

Clientele: Tough to say at this point, but it seems to be targeting an older clientele who likes to pay a lot for their drinks, but not necessarily in a noisy nightclub. Expect people in their 40s on up and a lot of German and Italian cars in the valet. We do not mean Trabants and Fiats.

How's the Pool? It looks very pretty, but we haven't been able to get in to it yet, so can't comment more.

Table Games: The casino is fancy, for sure. Marble, red, a butterfly theme and more red along with the red drapes that Wynn seems to love. The gaming areas are red and in small alcoves and rooms, which break up the space and makes it feel less social. We prefer a huge space so we can keep an eye on our friends and make sure they aren't winning more money than us. Table games, often red, include blackjack, craps, roulette (single zero at high mins), baccarat, Let it Ride and sucker games like a Big 6 Wheel and Casino War. No matter how swanky you make a casino, you can't get around the inherent tackiness of slot machines and video poker.

Bet Minimums: They want $10 minimum for the lousy games and look for $25 or more on busy weekends. Craps has standard 3x4x5x odds, which is just okay. We'll pretend that's the reason we don't play here, not that we can't afford it. The Very High Limit salon often has tables with $1000 minimums and a security running around trying to keep us out.

Machines: They have the penny machines that are so beloved, but they really feel so out of place in all this opulence. The slots then go up to $5000 in the high-roller areas. Actually, even the high-limit slots are tacky. But Encore doesn't have a lot of slots, and there is elbow room when you play them.

Cocktails? Good cocktails served pretty promptly, even to the low-roller. The cocktail waitresses are quite nice to look at, and to tip heavily and ask to marry you.

Who Gets Comps? The Red Card tracks your slot play and your table action. If you're a low-roller, don't expect much. The casino will send discounts to moderate players, though.

Botero: Most of the restaurants at Encore want to sell you a fancy steak, and this place is no different. This place is next to the pool and has what they call a "lounge vibe". That means hip plates and low seating, we think. Dinner only. The steaks are fine, but the salads are more interesting to us, and not just because they are cheaper. It's because they have a range of flavors, including buffalo mozzarella, goat cheese and candied walnuts among them.

Lobby Bar and Cafe: This cafe actually serves burgers, but also "tapas trees" which are exactly like they sound: sort of like a Christmas cookie tree, but with olives, and there is chilled caviar. you can eat late night here, and dig in to an omelette or salad.

Sinatra's: This fancy Italian joint has the blessing of Ol' Blue Eyes family and plays a continuous four-hour loop of his songs. It also features huge pictures of him, including with owner Steve Wynn, on the walls of the elegant dining room. The menu is brief, it's open for dinner only, the dishes feature lobster, scallops, steak and chicken over fresh pasta and risotto. Prices are beyond expensive, so don't stop in for a quick bite with a Miller Lite.

Society Cafe Encore: According to the Wynn folks, "the denizens of cool are gathering at Las Vegas' newest hotspot." Apparently to eat fancy waffles. We know that if we were cool, that's what we'd be doing. This is sort of like a coffee shop that serves all three meals, except yogurt costs almost ten bucks and bacon and eggs costs way more. Lunches are club sandwiches, fish and chips and burgers all done up fancy. The dinner menu adds chicken, steak and some Italian dishes.

Switch: They call it a postmodern steakhouse, whatever that means. Seriously, sometimes it feels like all you need to do is add postmodern to any word to make it sound important. Probably, they mean the walls, which go up and down while you eat, are postmodern. For the most part, Switch is a steak joint with some seafood all pumped up with very good food at obscene prices. Most dishes seem to be over $50 and that's before you pay for your sides, appetizers, dessert, drinks and cleaning your pants after seeing the final bill.

Wazuzu: The menu here is pan-Asian, but focuses mostly on Japanese. At least, that's the biggest part of the menu with the sushi and sashimi. The pineapple fried rice looks really good, as does the Cantonese style with pork. There are many other Cantonese style meals to go with the dim sum and the crab, eel, clam and octopus sushi. Open for lunch and dinner.

Garth Brooks: Honky-tonkin' good ol' boy Garth Brooks brings some country western sling to the Encore. It's a weird marriage. Seems the place would be a better fit for an Edith Piaf impersonator. But, we're not the marketing geniuses, and we're not the one who is sold out night after night. Mr. Brooks only performs a few nights each week, and on those nights he stomps around and twangs his guitar just like when he was relevant.

Surrender and Encore Beach Club: Surrender is a nightclub, tied in to the Encore Beach Club during the day, and it's all linked to the Switch restaurant. Here is your opportunity to hang at an exclusive pool club throughout the day, including your meals and sunset cocktails while listening to an electro-dance deejay spin vinyl. You can camp out on daybeds, lounges or under 40-foot palms. If you're a frog, you can rest on a submerged lily pad in one of the three Beach Club pools.

XS: XS. Get it? Isn't that clever? XS is a nightclub by Michael Drai, who created the nice little club that is at Bill's Gambling Hall. And that was maybe the first ultralounge in town. The room is beautiful and it overlooks the pool and the Island bar. There is table service indoors or outdoors. Expect to wait in along line unless you're as gorgeous as us. Bring $10,000 (plus tip) if you want the signature cocktail, the Ono. Don't worry, though, it comes with free cufflinks and a woman's necklace. Thank God, we always lose those when we have a $50,000 drunk on.

Number of TVs: Zero. Yes, zero. Maybe this joint thinks it's too good for sports on TV.

Number of Seats: Zero. That works out to an infinite number of TVs per seat, which is a great ration for zero people to enjoy.

How Many Betting Windows? One windows with two screens showing odds behind them.

Free Drinks? No. This is just a kiosk next to the slot club and in the middle of a bunch of slots. I guess if you want a free drink, make a bet and then sit down at the nearest nickel slot.

Snack Bar? Nothing nearby and nothing in the building. Snack bars are just so declassé.

Minimum Wager: Ten dollars on sports.

Other Notes: This place is just an outpost of the Wynn sportsbook next door. You're supposed to bet here if you're on the go. If you have the time to sit down and watch a sporting event, what are you doing at Encore, you layabout?