'When you eat here, I want you to recognize Mexico's fantastic flavors, with a bit of surprise as well. The rooms at the Encore are on average 100 square feet bigger than those at the Wynn. 'My goal is to take the best of the country's cuisine and then elevate it,' Thompson notes of using wagyu beef in her tacos. In the case of this head-to-head comparison, the Encore gets the nod for the same reason that the Wynn won the casino round.

Those experiences informed Casa Playa's menu. Prior to opening Encore's Casa Playa, Thompson toured these and other regions to research outstanding dishes and resources. 'Each region is so specific the food in Mexico City is totally different from what you'll enjoy in Oaxaca, and they’re both amazing.' 'That opened my eyes to a different culture and a cuisine that really spoke to me,' she says. When she was recruited to work at Cosme, the famed upscale Mexican eatery, Thompson discovered the delights of Mexican cuisine. 'I was a culinary professional who enjoyed Italian food when I started working in a Mexican kitchen,' explains the Boston-raised Thompson, who attended culinary school in New York before joining the Michelin-starred Marea, celebrated for its Italian seafood.

Mexico has captured the heart of Sarah Thompson, Casa Playa's executive chef.

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