We enjoyed Beauty & Essex although I would not call the food outstanding, but it is a very fun atmosphere and solid food. We also had a really good meal at Harvest in Bellagio recently. I was not wowed by Lago---but love the setting. Just had sort of okay food. Agree that Jaleo is terrific and not so similar to e as to present an issue. Sage is also great, and does do smaller plates at the bar. The bartenders and cocktails there are terrific.

Veranda is really great for brunch, especially with the great weather we are having. You might also consider the Country Club at the Wynn, which has a nice brunch and also good outdoor seating.

I agree with Veranda, very pretty and consistently good food. I am not sure Bouchon could accommodate a group that size.

A couple of other ideas: there is a golf club on the Strip called Bali Hai that has a number of private rooms with patios. We did a party there for my parent's anniversary and they did a great job with food and bev, and the setting is quite nice.

If you are willing to venture off the strip, the patio at Marche Bacchus is terrific: it faces a little lake and is very romantic, and the food is great. It's a very nice atmosphere. Also off the strip is Vintner Grill, which also has a very nice patio area.

Also in the Venetian complex Morel's has a nice patio and across at the Wynn, the Country Club actually ha a nice patio as well (although I'm not sure it would accommodate thirty).

Finally, if you are looking for a more hipster feel, I'd consider Kerry Simon's place downtown: it has roof deck and is close to a lot of fun drinking establishments. It's called Carson Kitchen and the food is really very good.

Have a great wedding!

a few places come to mind to check out. First, I think it will be a bit tough to do this on the strip at this price point and with the ambiance you have in mind..just my two cents. I do think Spago is a great idea if it will work. One place that is right off the strip that might be worth looking at is the Barrymore (around the corner from the Wynn). They have a reasonable list and very good service in my experience, and I think it is the kind of place where the chef might really enjoy the opportunity to do a menu like you describe. Off the strip, I would consider Todd's Unique Cuisine in Henderson...he has a private room and I think again would enjoy the opportunity, and I think can deliver something quite nice at the price. I'd also check with Vinter Grill.
Another new place that is doing private events is a place called CraftKitchen up near Anthem. The restaurant is only open through lunch but has a private dining area that is actually rather nice looking and the chef seems very good based on what we have had at breakfast and lunch, but it would be a bit of a flyer. I do think you would get to bring a lot of your own wine, which might be nice.
On the strip, one option I would consider would be Sage in the Aria. Very pretty space, very good food and a nice list. What their view would be on corkage would be a question mark for me.
One of the reasons I am a bit flummoxed on suggestions is because I think many of the best wine lists (although far from all) might be found at steakhouses, and I think on the strip to have a private area with a group and some BYO will be a bit tough at those locations without really breaking the bank, but perhaps I am mistaken.

Other Mama is terrific. We have been three times, twice at the bar (which I highly recommend) and once at a table when there with a bigger group. Terrific oysters with a choice of six sauces. Also excellent sashimi and sushi. We have had the chef's tasting of nigiri and it was outstanding. We've also had santa barbara shrimp with kim chee fried rice, and the amberjack crudo. All fresh and excellent and fairly priced There is also a very good cocktail program and a decent beer and wine menu. The staff is extremely accomodating and very personable. Although it is in a fairly non-descript strip mall, the interior is quite comfortable and fun. I would say that on weekends in particular you want to call ahead and make sure there is space (I don't think they take reservations). It
is a small room and gets crowded. But well worth the effort.

We ate at Japaneiro last night for the first time and wanted to report and also give some updates. First, they now serve beer, wine and sake; including Ashai on draft. I had some excellent sake. Also, there is some pretty nice otuside space for those that enjoy eating al fresco; it's finally getting cool enough in LAS to enjoy that, and it's quiet and pleasant outdoors.

We went at about 8 and we were the only folks there, which, based on our experience, is a real mystery. We had a terrific meal, including top notch service. Many of the itmes previously identified as specials are now on the regular menu, but htere was still a very signficant specials board. Sadly, oysters, which we defintiely wanted, were ont he board, but had run out. INstead, we had seaweed salad (simply but refreshing); salmon ceviche (ecellent, with a very fresh set of wonton chips and a nice zing to the ceviche itself); the 7 oz NY Strip steak grilled medium rare, with the sauces and salts (we really enjoyed this, including the protion size, which was just right to have a good tast of beef but not overwhelming); shrimp done on a sizzling plate with asparagus and onion (the winner of the evening; the shrim pwere a perfect size, adn cooked just to the point of doneness, and the sauce that accompanied them and vegetables had us wanting to lick it right off the red-hot plate); and finally, their combination friend rice, which was a very ample portion (we are still eating today) and nicely repared, with a smoky rather than fatty taste. As you can see, we did not go quite as deep into the unusal specials as we wil next time but everything we had was excellent, and clearly prepared with great care. We spoke to the chef twice and assured him we would be back soon; he was cordial and clearly enjoyed the intteraction. He did send out two glasses of plum wine at the end of the evening, and it made a terrific and tasty finish to the meal.

Well, those are some very nice options. I think budget better not be an issue at all if you are going to host 22 people at Joel Robuchon! A couple of questions: do you want a private room or space? If so, I'd check to see if these places all have that option.
Joel Robuchon is a great restaurant, but it is a real food -lovers experience, and although I don't think it's stuffy, I would say it is serious. I would only host a group there if it was a group of real food folks who would be excited about a three hour or longer dining experience. Although Twist is less formal, I think some of the same reservations would apply to it (although to be clear, I think they are both terrific restaurants)
I think Cut is a really good choice; it's in my top two steakhouses, and has a very cool vibe and is a bit more contemporary than some steak houses. I also really like Sage, and have had some very good meals there. I think Esiario Milos might be less successful for a large group although I have enjoyed it several times for lunch and for dinner as well.
I haven't been to Michael Mina for a while, but his new French brasserie in Aria is getting a lot of love, and might be worth considering also (it's called Bardot).

For your a outfit, I'd consider andiamos downtown, and possibly the Barrymore. A bit more relaxed, easy going places.
For your b outfit I think you can go pretty much anywhere. That being said I would consider instead of a button down a party shirt...Nat Nast for example. And then I would recommend STK at the Cosmo which I think does a very good job with the food and is a very fun atmosphere. My favorite is CUT and I think your B outfit works there too but its more of a staid atmosphere.

I also am a fan of Scarpetta in the Cosmo for Italian. Very good food and great room. The more casual sibling DOCG next door is also tasty.
Off the strip, you might enjoy Vintner Grill. I would not say it is a classic Italian menu, but there are definitely dishes that lean in that direction. Fun, lively atmosphere.
For better and more interesting food I would give David Clawson a try; a good ways off the strip but excellent small plates. Tried it for the first time last week and will probably be there about once a month.

I have been to all three. Didn't love Sinatra. Raos is very solid for traditional Italian American food....good antipasto, calamari, pastas, and the lemon chicken are all good. Service is generally better than average....experienced, knowledgable servers are the norm. Good bar.
Giada was very tasty and a beautiful room. The food is more Cal-Italian from my perspective. Portions are moderate and food very nicely presented. I would return, but if I were looking for something akin to Il Mulino, I'd give the nod to Rao's.

A couple of thoughts. If you have a bigger budget for the special dinner, I'd consider the Barrymore. Focused on steak but other options available. Very cool retro space, great service and less expensive than the general steak house.
If budget is out the window, we've had two excellent meals at STK in the Cosmo in the last six months. It gets loud and it's hip so you'd have to decide if it worked for you but we think the food and the service is both terrific and its a lot of fun. I would say it is a squidgen less expensive then the CUTs and Carnevinos but only a squidgen.
You might also consider the lunch special at Milos in the Cosmo...very good deal on a three course lunch for around 20. DOCG in the same hotel does a nice job with casual Italian.

We took advantage of this offer last night despite the Marathon (which caused some interesting traffic issues). It appeared to me that a lot of folks were also brought to Ku by this promotion; it was quite full between 615 and 730. It was busy enough that although we had a reservation we ended up with the worst table in the house and switched to the bar.
The bartenders were terrific and the service very good except for a misplaced order of green beans which arrived at the end of dinner. The room is a bit odd...a large bright front area with some communal seating, the bar and three oddly placed tvs (they can only be seen by the bartenders) and a back area with some comfortable looking booths and tables. There is also an open kitchen for noodle making.
We had a nakamura cocktail and a beer to start. The cocktail is a cucumber spin on a Cosmo although less sweet. Well made and enjoyed.
We ordered the lamb shu mai to start, the green bean salad, and two noodles: the cold sesame and the warm tomato/egg. The shu Mai is five pieces, and comes with a vinegar dipping sauce. It was fresh, well prepared, and the lamb and cumin made a nice change from the usual shrimp/pork.
The noodles were both hits. The cold sesame noodles are garnished with carrots, cucumbers, cilantro and nuts,and served in a dark, sesame oil dominated sauce. You need to toss the whose assemblage together when they arrive, and the noodles then soak up the sauce and become very delicious.
The tomato noodles are served warm and come with a scrambled egg and black garlic. They are very soothing noodles, and although the black garlic is visible, it does not add a lot of garlic taste. But the combination of tomato , noodle and scrambled egg proves irrestible ....at least, there were no noodles left to tell the tale.
The green bean salad should have arrived before the noodles (ours mistakenly went to a neighboring diner) and instead arrived in Parisian style near the end. This is a pretty simple but tasty stir fry of green beans, ginger, and garlic, with some dried red pepper for zip. The beans had a nice char, which I prefer, but were still snappy. We did not finish them (the order is pretty sizable) but thought that they were quite tasty.
Service was generally friendly and efficient with a few glitches. Total tab, with four drinks: $50. A very good value and it will bring us back to the SLS for future Sunday nights.