Three Days to Kill in Sin City...
Las Vegas~ day one found us drooling over Jean Phillipe Patsisserie with the wonderful chocolates, pastries, gelato and crepe station complete with an incredible 2-ton chocolate waterfall. As we walked and consumed the gelatos, weaving in and out of mid-western "touristas" smoking cigarettes and pissing away their money on the slots, we did some recon on the food scene. With so, so many choices, and my kids in tow, we opted for one of Todd English's swank eateries; Olives at Bellagio. I started with a special appetizer offering of Roasted Pumpkin Soup with shaved Porcini Salad, Arugula, "Crostini", (a raft afloat in the thick sea of subtle sweet Autumn Gourd Puree), Walnut Pesto and a Saba (sardinian grape must syrup) drizzle. Every chef seems to have their favorite tried and true recipe for pumpkin(or winter squash) soup. This one very fitting of the season although 80 degrees in the desert in mid October seems odd, if not completely out of sorts. The most tasty of our dishes however.
The next course was a tasty Pan Roasted Foie Gras Steak, nicely seared although a touch cool inside. Still, for me it becomes a bit like the pizza cliche..."pizza is like sex...even when it's bad, it's still pretty good!" This dish was served with a pressed "block" of Duck Confit, tender and moist topped with Pistachios, an oversized mound of Medjool Date Jam (a bit on the sweet side), toasted Sponge Cake, and Frisee tossed with a wisp of Sherry Vinegar. Next up, I opted for one of the pasta offerings; A Chestnut Ravioli, which came out more like an "agnolotti"- no worries. Call it whatever so long as it tastes good. It was indeed tasty, yet with two richly constructed dishes prior, this was a bit much. I like to eat, and still, a bit much. My bad! This is why I favor the tasting menus- to get the flavor and "flava" of the dish and the chef, without the monster portions, creating an inability to consume the whole, rather just a few sums of their parts. Unless I am having one or maybe two dishes, it seems wasteful (hence my 10-year old's $46.00 12-ounce Rib Eye. Yea right... like he was going to finish that one!) Flavorful mind you and with Truffled Frites! My better half ordered a flavorful Flatbread (that's pizza "nouveau" to someone perhaps from some far away town not keeping up with the Jones' or one that has just crawled out from under a rock) with Roasted Portobello Mushrooms, a smooth Mushroom Puree, Red Onions, Fontina and White Truffle Oil. Very aromatic, savory and totally English(Mr.) The crust quite thin and crisp, as it should be. We all shared a couple dessert bites. A typical and mainstream offering of "Molten Chocolate Souffle Cake", with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream( I guess we are in somewhat of a pedestrian market) and a plate of warm Cookies, Biscottis, Macaroons, Bars and a Red Velvet Cupcake. Fun Times! A smooth cappuccino later and we were set to go. The lasting thought to this tasty gathering, sporting a moderately hefty price tag was that Seattle diners have no clue as to what steep pricing is(or at least do not seem to). We'll see where the next journey takes us.
The next course was a tasty Pan Roasted Foie Gras Steak, nicely seared although a touch cool inside. Still, for me it becomes a bit like the pizza cliche..."pizza is like sex...even when it's bad, it's still pretty good!" This dish was served with a pressed "block" of Duck Confit, tender and moist topped with Pistachios, an oversized mound of Medjool Date Jam (a bit on the sweet side), toasted Sponge Cake, and Frisee tossed with a wisp of Sherry Vinegar. Next up, I opted for one of the pasta offerings; A Chestnut Ravioli, which came out more like an "agnolotti"- no worries. Call it whatever so long as it tastes good. It was indeed tasty, yet with two richly constructed dishes prior, this was a bit much. I like to eat, and still, a bit much. My bad! This is why I favor the tasting menus- to get the flavor and "flava" of the dish and the chef, without the monster portions, creating an inability to consume the whole, rather just a few sums of their parts. Unless I am having one or maybe two dishes, it seems wasteful (hence my 10-year old's $46.00 12-ounce Rib Eye. Yea right... like he was going to finish that one!) Flavorful mind you and with Truffled Frites! My better half ordered a flavorful Flatbread (that's pizza "nouveau" to someone perhaps from some far away town not keeping up with the Jones' or one that has just crawled out from under a rock) with Roasted Portobello Mushrooms, a smooth Mushroom Puree, Red Onions, Fontina and White Truffle Oil. Very aromatic, savory and totally English(Mr.) The crust quite thin and crisp, as it should be. We all shared a couple dessert bites. A typical and mainstream offering of "Molten Chocolate Souffle Cake", with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream( I guess we are in somewhat of a pedestrian market) and a plate of warm Cookies, Biscottis, Macaroons, Bars and a Red Velvet Cupcake. Fun Times! A smooth cappuccino later and we were set to go. The lasting thought to this tasty gathering, sporting a moderately hefty price tag was that Seattle diners have no clue as to what steep pricing is(or at least do not seem to). We'll see where the next journey takes us.
posted by cuisinier at 6:55 PM
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