What's Next: Las Vegas

I got back from another trip to New York a few days ago which didn't leave me enough time to finish up my post on Atera. I had a lot going on during my work trip and I almost missed my flight home to San Diego. Aside from that drama, I'm looking forward to my next trip and much needed time off.

I'm definitely overdue for a trek to Las Vegas since a number of restaurants have opened up. So far I've book a reservation at the Bazaar by Jose Andres at the SLS Hotel and will likely do a walk in at Chada Thai & Wine or Lotus of Siam. My Vegas itinerary is simple: eat, sleep and gamble (if I'm feeling lucky). I don't go to the clubs nor drink massive amounts of alcohol. It's not my thing. What I do like doing is dining at all of the essential restaurants in Vegas to keep up with what's going on in the Vegas dining scene.

In terms of blog posts, I'm trying to keep the content flowing with weekly posts every Friday morning or by Sunday. October was a chaotic month with work travel, planning for my first Halloween party and making homemade granola for a fundraising event at work next week. More on that later on. So hopefully I'll get around to finishing up my Atera post and start working on one for the NoMad.

More exciting news, I've started planning our European trip to Italy next year. My dream, dining at Osteria Francescana. Reservations are taken 3 months out. So far, reservations are sold out from now until January 2016. Wish me luck.

Las Vegas: Jaleo

This is a forgotten post from a year ago. Better now than never.

Jose Andres has a number of restaurants in the DC area but when he headed West to Sin City, I was excited to try his Spanish tapas restaurant, Jaleo.

The menu

 

Sangria (right) and Inedit beer (left)

Croquetas De Pollo

traditional chicken fritters

Jamón Ibérico Fermín

cured ham from the famous, black-footed ibérico pigs of spain

Gambas Con Gabardina

batter-fried shrimp with caper mayonnaise and black olive salt

Gambas Al Ajillo

the very, very famous tapa of shrimp sautéed with garlic

Arroz A Banda Con Bogavante

literally meaning, ‘rice apart from lobster,’ made with lobster and cuttlefish

Flan Al Estilo Tradicional De Mamá Marisa Con Espuma De Crema Catalana

a classic spanish flan with ‘espuma’ of catalan cream and oranges

I love Spanish tapas as it's portion-friendly and when you're with a large group, you can try a lot more items on the menu. I noticed a number of newer items on the menu now so I think we'll be stopping by Jaleo on our next trip to Las Vegas.

Menu items to try next time:

La Serena Con Membrillo - la serena cheese and quince paste cone

Mini Pepito De Ibérico - spanish mini burger made from the legendary, acorn-fed, black-footed ibérico pigs of spain

Bikini De Jamón Ibérico, Queso Manchego Y Trufas - pressed sándwich of ibérico ham, manchego cheese and truffles

Flauta bread brushed with fresh tomato, extra virgin olive oil and serrano ham, cured pork loin, or manchego cheese

Buñuelos de bacala - salt codfish deep-fried with honey alioli

Jaleo

3708 S Las Vegas Blvd

Las Vegas, NV 89158

http://www.jaleo.com/las-vegas

Las Vegas: L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon

Last weekend we dined at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas, NV. We opted to order from the ala carte menu as we had a few hours to eat before the Price concert.

Here's what we had:

Bread basket

 

Amuse bouche

Foie gras parfait with port wine and parmesan foam

 

Le Foie Gras

Traditionally poached chilled duck foie gras

 

Le Burger

Beef and foie gras burgers with caramelized green peppers

 

Dover sole for Two

Glazed with lemon butter sauce

 

Pommes Purée

Robuchon's Famous Mash Potatoes

 

La Framboise

Fresh raspberry surprise inside white chocolate sphere, yuzu ice cream

 

We both agreed the amuse bouche was exceptional that day. I can't get enough of foie gras now that it's banned from California. The dover sole was the evening's special which was de-boned in front of us. Hubs took video which I will post later. The dessert was a perfect sphere before it was doused with a raspberry glaze. Overall, this was a great meal before attending an exciting show by Prince.

 

L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon

3799 S Las Vegas Blvd

Las Vegas, NV 89109

(702) 891-7358

 



What's Next: Las Vegas

Later this month, we're heading back to Las Vegas to celebrate Hub's birthday weekend. We were in Las Vegas not so long ago but we didn't go to any new restaurants aside from our usual spot, Raku.

During our last trip, there were a few things I had to do while in town:

1. Pick up our CD of our wedding at the Bellagio. Four years isn't long at all.
2. Watch the Cirque du Soleil show, O. Courtesy of M life, we also got the best seats in the house.

For Hub's birthday, we're going to the Prince concert at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel. This was a long time coming as we've waited 5 years to go to his concert. Before the concert, we're having dinner at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, courtesy of M life. I can't say no to comped dinners.

Once, I get my concert fix, I'll be back to my regular blogging schedule and finally post the rest of our photos from our trip to Tokyo. So far this year, we're seeing Rihanna, Prince and Bruno Mars. 

Las Vegas, NV: Raku

After our trip to Tokyo, I was craving Japanese cuisine almost everyday. I knew Raku would hit the spot during our trip to Las Vegas. The last time we've dined at Raku was back in 2009. This place doesn't need an introduction. You just need to know that this is a place where other world-class chefs dine at off the Strip.

One thing I noticed since our last visit was the dining room had extended to second room. Given the number of diners every night, a reservation is a must. A number of diners were turned away since they didn't have a reservation. If you call the restaurant by 3pm, you can snag an early reservation at 6pm.

As soon as we were seated, we knew exactly what to order. We always try to get a few specials written on the black chalkboard and a number of classics. I recommend ordering the house-made tofu. 

Shrimp Balls

Bluefin Tuna Sashimi

Juicy Deep Fried Chicken

Kobe Beef Outside Skirt with Garlic

Kobe Beef Fillet with Wasabi

Yellowtail with Glazed Soy-based Sauce

Chicken Breast with Skin

Kurobuta Pork Cheek

Steamed Foie Gras Egg Custard

Fluffy Cheesecake

Raku will never let me down. The service is prompt and helpful and the food is unparallelled. 

Raku

5030 Spring Mountain Road

Las Vegas, NV 89146

(702) 367-3511

http://www.raku-grill.com/

Preview: Las Vegas

We spent a week in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. The only planned dinner was at Jaleo. For the rest of the week we just winged it. Best vacation in a long time: 12 hours of sleep and being able to find a place to eat at 2am. We also got bumped up in status on MLife (MGM's Player's club). Never thought we would ever reach Platinum. Well, at least I don't ever have to wait in line for anything, EVER.

Las Vegas: é by Jose Andrés

This past weekend, Hubs and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary at é by Jose Andrés. Initially I wanted to dine at Manresa but for some reason I felt that the longer I waited to dine at é, the harder it will be to land a reservation once it got more popular. It was an act of nature (remember Snowmageddon) that landed me a reservation at minibar so I didn't want to take my chances. Besides, anniversaries are great excuses for expensive dinners.

When Hubs and I got to Jaleo, we were first to arrive so we were escorted to the bar to have a drink while we waited for the other diners. I took a look at the menu and saw a drink that I always wanted to try. It was called Clara ($9) and it's beer mixed with raspberry lemonade. It was quite refreshing and the lemonade helped offset the hops from the beer. Hubs downed it within minutes. I think it took me 20 minutes to finish it off.

While we were seated at the bar, I met one of the co-captains of é, Stephanie. She told me she was the one who was emailing me back and forth about the reservation. It's always nice to put a face to a name. Prior to the "show", the captains took everyone's drink order. Hubs and I knew we didn't want to do the drink pairing because it was almost as much as the dinner alone. We opted for a bottle of Estrella InEdit. Yup, the beer in a wine bottle. Serious foodies know about the beer and how it was made to be paired with food. It was a no brainer since it only cost $22.

Sometime after 5:30pm, we were escorted to the private dining room. The room was artistically designed and was filled with trinkets that Jose has collected from his travels.

One of the surprises during our dinner show...female chefs! Yes, two of them. Of all of the places I've dined at in the last few years, this was a first.

And of course the menu. The first few courses are small bites and snacks followed by textures and dessert.

Gin & Tonic

Spanish "Clavel"

Beet Jewelry

Caramelized Pork Rinds

Apple "Brazo de Gitano"

Crispy Chicken Skin in Escabeche

Jose Taco & Artichoke with Caviar

Bocata de "Calamares"

"Sandria"

Ajo Blanco

Lobster with Citrus & Jasmine

Chickpea Stew with Iberico Ham

Catch of the Day

Rosemary Wild Mushrooms in Papillote

The top of the bag was cut off to reveal the mushrooms infused with rosemary. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take a better photo prior to the chef putting a dollop of foam on top.

Secreto of Iberico Pork

Orange Pith Puree La Serena

Apples and Red Wine "Fredy Giradet"

Chef preparing our next dessert course. Can't have a show without fire.

Frozen Apricot Coulant

In the previous photo, the Chef was torching this thing so I had no idea it was actually frozen. It was rock hard when I stuck my fork into it. It should have been slighted melted on top but it wasn't. Weird, right?

25 Second Bizcocho

"Crema Catalana"

Fizzy Paper

"Air Chocolates"

At the end of the meal, we received a copy of the menu. The rubber stamp was a nice touch.

We were also asked to sign a guest book which we can leave a brief message to Chef Jose Andres. Hubs and I were guest#1382 and #1383. This is what I wrote:

"I enjoyed é as much as minibar and Saam at the Bazaar. Great work!"

A view of the bill. I like this presentation since regular receipts don't last very long since the ink fades after time. Tax and gratuity was added to the total bill.

The restaurant within a restaurant isn't new to Jose Andrés ThinkGroup establishments. I was lucky enough to dine at all three "secret" restaurants. In Washington DC, there's miniBar within Cafe Atlantico and Saam at the Bazaar in Los Angeles. I feel é is a combination of both miniBar and Saam. é takes the sushi bar lay0ut from miniBar but the intimate seclusion of Saam. The menus are also different. Saam's menu is similar to miniBar yet miniBar acts more like a think tank where dishes are created and tested. é on the other hand does not try to be the Las Vegas version of miniBar. Andrés has stated that é will focus on "pure product" and follow Spanish-inspired recipes with a "Modern" twist. I hate to use the term "molecular gastronomy" because no one can clearly define this style of cuisine.

Overall, I think é should be on everyones bucket list of food destinations in Las Vegas. The food was well executed and courses change periodically so you could possibly have a different menu each year. In my opinion, minibar will always be my top choice since the food and service is unparallel. I just like the vibe in DC in general. No dress code and the drinks are super strong. It just makes the experience that much entertaining.

At last, the trifecta is complete.