Birthday+Fountains=Eiffel Tower Dinner

Last year for our anniversary Pat's Dad and Kate gave us a gift certificate to the Eiffel Tower Restaurant in the Paris casino.  So Pat and I decided to take a staycation on the strip and use the gift certificate for dinner on my birthday.  It was such a nice experience and we truly appreciate the generosity.

The restaurant is located in the actual Eiffel Tower that sits on top of the casino.  You take an elevator from inside the casino up to the restaurant.  The restaurant is a square where all the tables face out towards the windows.  On two of the sides you get a great view of the strip and the fountains of Bellagio.  We got lucky to have a seat directly across from the fountains.  As a matter of fact we probably had the second best seat in the house.  The table next to us on the right is the famous corner table shown in a lot of the advertisements for the restaurants...you can even reserve the table for special occasions for a mere couple hundred dollars...so our table was spectacular and we got to enjoy the fountain show many times over the course of our dinner.

Now onto the food(and I will admit this blog entry has been sitting half written for months.  We went in Oct and it's now May. So when I say it was delicious and go on about the courses we remember you know they were good).  We did the tasting menu and added souffles for dessert(which they ask about before you even order so they have time to make them).  The first course was a seared sea scallop with roasted onion and capers and a garlic mousseline.  It was very good.  I am a sucker for a perfectly cooked sea scallop.    The second course was probably hands down the best bite of food Pat and I have had in Vegas.  It was a seared New York State fois gras.  I had never had fois gras before.  I wasn't sure I would like it and I wasn't sure that morally I would want to eat it but it was delicious.  So delicious.  It was smooth and rich both in a fatty rich way and well balanced perfectly seared way.  It was good.  And I would eat it again.  The third course was a sea bass with celery root puree and roasted brussel sprouts.  It too was good.  Pat wasn't the biggest fan of the brussel sprouts but brussel sprouts are one of my favorite vegetables so I thought this course was delicious.  The fourth and final savory course was a sauteed veal medallion on top of a fava bean mousseline with mushrooms.  It too was delicious.  I can't think of anything that we didn't like about the meal.

Then came my favorite part:  dessert!  The wait staff had casually asked us if we were celebrating anything earlier in our meal and we had said it was my birthday so while waiting for or dessert they actually brought a plate with Happy Birthday written in chocolate and a tiny shooter of chocolate mousse.  It was good.  I'm not always a chocolate mousse person but this was out of this world.  It was light and airy and just perfect.  Then came our souffles.  Pat ordered the pistachio one and I ordered the caramel one.  Pat's was better.  Hands down.  Mine was delicious don't get me wrong but his was uber delicious(is that even a way to describe something?).  Both souffles were light and airy.  They came to the table and the waiter took a spoon and made a small hole in the souffle and added a sauce.  It was delicious.  The best dessert(even my caramel one) that we have had in Vegas. 

We highly recommend the Eiffel Tower Restaurant.  As a matter of fact we got another gift card for our anniversary this year(Thank you again!) and can't wait to go back.  With an abundance of deliciousness in Vegas you know it was a really really good meal if we can't want to go back.  And if you decide to go make sure to make a reservation because I would not have wanted to wait in the crowd of people who didn't have reservations.

UNLV + Forte = Chef Artist Dinner Number 1

Pat and I went to a chef artist dinner at UNLV.  Pat had seen in the daily UNLV bulletin information about their hospitality and culinary programs holding this dinner.  What they do is bring in a famous/thriving chef, have them work with the students, and together they cook and serve the dinner.  The students were the hosts, chefs, and servers.  It was a cool experience and we are going back for their second one in a couple of weeks.  It was a little weird in that it seemed that we were the only ones who were not affiliated with the hospitality program. We were seated at a table with the dean of the school and some people from the UNLV foundation. It was a good group who made us feel welcomed and kept conversation up with us.

 This dinner the students collaborated with chef Nina Manchev of Forte.  Forte classifies itself as an European tapas Bar and Bistro.   It's been on many of the top restaurants in Vegas lists.  

 It was a buffet station meal that was delicious.  There was a charcuterie and cheese board, which I feel has become a very in thing recently. The meats were hand made at the restaurant.  The other tapas they served were:  Gambas Al Ajillo:  Sauteed shrimp with garlic, white wine, and Spanish olive oil.  There shrimp, which were cooked perfectly, had really good flavor and texture.  There were two different types of stuffed peppers.  One was stuffed with feta and egg and the other as stuffed with pork.  Both were delicious although I think the pork one was better.   There was a cheese egg bread called Adjarski Khachapurri.  The bread was formed into a flat boat shape with slightly raised sides and a cheese was put in the middle. There was then an egg cracked on top and it was baked like a pizza.  It was very good.  I felt it suffered some from being on the buffet. I would like to go try it at the restaurant, where I think the egg would be runny and the bread not as hard and then I think it would be amazing.  There was also a Shopska Salad which had tomatoes, cucmbers, green onions, roasted red peppers and Bulgarian feta.  It too was delicious.  I'm a huge fan of feta so it's a little hard to go wrong.  There was also a beef and lamb confit and a beef stroganoff.  Both were good.

The absolute best part of the meal was dessert.  There were two of them(a chef after my own stomach):  baklava and biscuit cake.  I love baklava and Forte's baklava was no exception.  I saw biscuit cake and was like I wonder what that is.  It looked nothing like what I had thought biscuit cake might be in my head.  So biscuit cake is basically like a tiramisu but better and I love tiramisu.  It was a light cake layered with crumbled honey biscuits, marscapone, rum laced expresso, and a rich chocolate.  It was so good.  I don't even have words for it.  It all melded together.  I am usually really quick to pick out rum and stuff from my desserts and it was all mixed together and so smooth.  It really was good.  I would definitely order it again.  

Overall it was a great meal and a really cool idea.  The students did a great job of doing all the work.  We are excited for the next one. 

Birthday+Kingman, AZ=Rum Tasting

Well this is the first in a bunch of blogs to "hopefully" be posted in the next couple days.  Many of these I wrote while flying in October and November but I didn't have time to post them.  So enjoy!

Pat and I went to Kingman, AZ for his birthday to go to another event at the Desert Diamond Distillery.  They were doing a rum tasting. John, the owner, made a selection of different age rums for us to try.  It was so interesting to see how the rums changed with their ages.  You could taste how they smoothed out and then how they picked up the subtleties of the wood they were being aged in.  It was a small intimate gathering.  There were five or six couples which lent itself well to crowding around the bar john had set up in the distillery.  We also go to hear the story of how the bar in the entry room of the distillery was an antique he bought for a steal.  If your in Kingman stop by and ask about it.  It's a story I can't do justice to here.

We of course picked up some more of our favorite rum while we were there.  It really is a delicious rum.  This time we bought a dark rum and a white rum.   I cannot stress how important it is to support these small local businesses.  Desert Diamond Distillery is a rare find.  John is crafting rum that is amazing.  You don't think of rum as a sipping drink but this sure it.  It's quickly become one of Pat's favorites...I still haven't gotten into the sipping alcoholic drinks.  I need the fruity, you can't tell this is alcohol variety but I will take Pat's word for it that this is delicious sipping rum.  If you are ever in Kingman be sure to go visit.

Speaking of local Kingman hotspots.  We ate breakfast the next morning at Ma and Pa's Hot Rod Cafe it was a good breakfast.  Pat and I each had omelets, which were very good.  It wasn't amazing food but it was good food that wasn't trying to pretend to be something it wasn't.  It was a great place for breakfast and you won't be disappointed by it.

Friends+ Delmonico=Saturday night on the Strip

     Pat's friend Bryon was in town visiting Vegas and he invited us to go along with him on one of his Vegas traditions:  dinner at Emeril's Delmonico Steakhouse in the Venetian.  When we arrived at Delmonico we were sat by a very nice hostess, who happened to be a former student of mine.  Frankly I'm surprised Pat and I haven't had that happen before as many of my students work on the strip.  A plus to being sat vy a student was she then knew we were locals and we were given a special amuse bouche.  It was a tiny cup of butternut squash soup and it was delicious.

     We started the meal out by ordering the truffle and Parmesan potato chips.  They were paper thin potato chips that were covered in the seasoning.  It was a great appetizer and we were glad Bryon had suggested them.  

     Pat had a special that was medallions of beef in some type of sauce.  It was very good.  I had the filet mignon.  It was done perfectly medium rare.  It had good seasoning.  We had it with the roasted fingerling potatoes and the buttered asparagus.  Both sides complemented the beef well.  The potatoes were seasoned and were the perfect doneness.  I'm pretty picky about my potatoes.

     For dessert Bryon had the creme brulee and I had the apple fritters.  The apple fritters were delicious. It is not often that I meet a dessert I cannot finish but this one did me in.  It came with five fritters that were almost meatball size and a side of salted ice cream.  They were delicious but alot.

      Pat and I were both happy we got to try Delmonico.  We were even happier to just have had some time to spend with Pat's friend Bryon.  It was definitely good food, good friends, and good conversation.

    

Honey+Salt=Restaurant Week Day 2

     So for our second restaurant week outing....yes I know I'm a couple weeks behind in posting...be prepared for a marathon posting session...Pat and I went to Honey Salt.  The restaurant has a very homey feeling.  It's a very refined chic place.  The only negative was it was so loud....although this was because it was super busy, which isn't a bad thing, just didn't set the most romantic tone.  Pat and I would actually like to go back once it is cooler, sit outside, and hopefully have a quieter and more romantic dinner.

    The restaurant week menu was a three course meal.  The first course you had a choice of a Caesar salad or a creamless corn soup.  I wanted the soup but unfortunately when we went to order they had just sold the last bowl of soup.  So Pat and I both had the salad.  Pat was less impressed than I was.  I think he didn't like it as much because it wasn't just romaine but a mix of romaine and kale.  I thought it was very good and the kale didn't bother me.  The best part of the salad was a puffed Parmesan crisp.  It was like a puffed sheet of Parmesan.  It was so good. We both thought it was the best part of the salad.

     For the main dish I had the Salmon.  It was cooked perfectly....something I have found to be an issue in Las Vegas...it's like since we aren't near water here we don't know how to cook fish properly.  The salmon was served over a red quinoa with roasted fennel and house-made peppadew chimichurri. It was delicious.  Especially the roasted fennel.  I love roasted fennel.  I'm not a huge raw licorice tasting fennel gal but carmelized it is a completely different story.  Pat had the brick oven chicken breast that came with macaroni and cheese.  he said both were very good.  I tasted his chicken and it was very flavorful and moist...always a plus in a chicken dish.

     Then came dessert.  I ordered the peach pie that was baked in a brown bag.  It was ok.  I as a dessert connoisseur was not impressed.  The peaches were maybe too big.  It was more like a peach crumble with a pie shell.  It was served as in individual pie but it somehow threw off teh balance of the pie.  Pat had a berry crumble.  It was very good and he liked it.  I had a bite and he definately won the dessert round.

       Overall we really liked Honey Salt.  Put them on your list of places to go in Vegas and you won't be disappointed.

    

Fountains + Cantonese = Start of Restaurant Week

This week starts the semi-annual Las Vegas restaurant week.  The first restaurant we went to was Jasmine in the Bellagio.  It's Cantonese cuisine.  Let me start off by saying the food was indeed good.  I'm saying this upfront because it didn't meet our expectations.  I don't know if that's because for a restaurant in the Bellagio Pat and I expected more and it just didn't quite live up to our expectations.

Now Jasmine has a FANTASTIC view of the Bellagio Fountains.  The restaurant basically sits out over the pond that the fountains go off in.   So when the fountains go off you get to watch from right behind the fountains.  I love the fountains at Bellagio and seeing them from this point of view was pretty cool and different.  As the water shot up you would get to see this wall of water out the windows and it was really cool.

Now onto the food.  Pat and I each got a cocktail to start.  They brought their cocktail menu out on an ipad.  It was pretty cool.  There were nice pictures and you could touch each drink and see a description and ingredient list.  Maybe a slight overkill of technology but still kinda neat.  Pat got a drink called the Kiss of the dragon.  It was an orange-y tasting drink which was supposed to be slightly spicy but it really wasn't that spicy.  I got a watermelon mojito.  It has a good watermelon flavor and was nice and sweet, which is how I like my drinks. 

For my first course I picked the prawns two ways.  There were four prawns, two with a walnut sauce and two with a wasabi sauce.  They were really good.  Pat got the baby spinach and clam soup.  It was good but very mild in flavor.

Pat chose the wok fried beef tenderloin for his main entree and I choose the pan fried Chilean sea bass.  Both came with egg fried rice.  The rice was somewhat disappointing.  It had egg in it but for fried rice being called egg fried rice I expected it to have more of an egg punch to it and it just didn't.  Pat's beef was good and my sea bass was also good.  The sea bass came with a medley of mushrooms, which again weren't bad but they just weren't as flavorful as I thought they would be. 

Dessert was quite the show.  It was a mango cream.  It had a consistency slightly thicker than a soup.  It had small dice of mangos inside it and a lemon sorbet on top.  It was probably the best part of the meal.  It also had a showstopper presentation.  The bowl was set on top of a larger bowl of dry ice so it was swirling with smoke as it arrived.  I actually managed to get a picture.

So unfortunately we wouldn't recommend Jasmine.  Not because it was bad.  There are just better places serving similar food on the strip.  I did write a blog about one of them...unfortunately it was one of the ones that got lost...so if you are on the strip and want some good Asian food we would recommend either Zine in the Venetian/Pallazzo or Rice and Company in the Luxor.  Both were very flavorful meals.  If on the other hand you are more interested in a cool view of the fountains and decent food then go to Jasmine.

Amarillo + Beef Brisket = Amazing BBQ

It's a good thing I don't live in Texas.  I don't think I would eat anything but BBQ beef brisket...every.single.day.  It's so delicious.  Two years ago my brother Joey got married in Texas and Pat and I were exposed to all sorts of Texas BBQ.  We did the Salt Lick and then Smities and Black's in Lockhart.

When Pat and I drove across the country to move him to Vegas we had our first taste of Tyler's BBQ.  When I moved out to Vegas I stopped there.  And two weeks ago on our trip across the country we stopped again.  This time we didn't even bother to order anything but a pound of brisket.  It's THAT good.  It just melts in your mouth.  It has a great smoke ring.

And Tyler's BBQ was recently named one of the top 50 BBQ Joints in Texas by Texas Monthly.  Tyler's has been open just around 3 years and is already an award winner.  Pat and I totally agree.  And if you happen to be driving across I-40 in TX it's easy to access from the highway. 

So go to Tyler's.  It's delicious.  But be sure to get there early because they make a certain amount of BBQ each day and when they sell out that's it.  All you will get is a brown paper bag tapped to the door saying sold out.