A few months ago I celebrated my 31st birthday. In true Foodie Finder fashion, I had to celebrate it in an obnoxiously, big way. Everyone who knows me can attest that I'm a bit over-the-top, a "go big or go home" kind of gal. Can't do is simply NOT in my vocabulary.
This was the first time we've ever seen a bread cart pushed around at a restaurant. Too many to name. If you are a lover of bread, you'll say, "Holy shit, that's a lot of bread."
Given my little mishap on my 30th birthday, I had to make sure my birthday dinners were absolutely food snob worthy. Enough for other foodies to say, "I hate you" or "Damn, can we hang out on YOUR tab?". Noticed I said dinners (plural meaning more than one). Get this, I celebrated my birthday month with not only one nor two but EIGHT dinners in two weeks leading up to my birthday weekend. Hey, buying a real sportscar on your big 3-0 birthday is sorta hard to beat. It so makes up for the first two years of college when I didn't have a car. :)
On the day of my actual birthday we celebrated at *tooting horns*, Joel Robuchon at the Mansion. Since this dinner was a birthday present from Hubs, I didn't want to go overboard and passed on the menu degustation. It's another reason for me to go back again. Besides, a week prior I did a tasting at minibar, Citronelle and 5-courses at Gary Danko. My stomach could not handle another tasting so we choose the 4-course menu ($168 per person). It ended up being 10-courses between the two of us including the dessert cart which was plenty of food.
Ok, I'll stop blabbing and get on with the food.
This was the first time we've ever seen a bread cart pushed around at a restaurant. Too many to name. If you are a lover of bread, you'll say, "Holy shit, that's a lot of bread."
Gruyere Bread, Milk Bread, Cheese Bread (I forgot the actual name)
Original Brioche and Bacon Epi
A butter cart? OMG, are you serious!
Hand-carved butter sprinkled with fleur de lys on top.
Amuse Bouche - Le Caviar
Caviar in a fennel cream served as a surprise
Le King Crabe
King crab and asparagus blancmange, medley of season vegetables
La Saint-Jacques
Seared scallops, spiced coconut milk and fresh coriander condiment
Les Petits Pois
Light green pea cream with a hint of peppermint, sweet onion cloud
Pommes Puree
Robuchon's famous mash potatoes, light and creamy.
Le Tofu
Delicate tofu veloute on warm smoked eel seaweed gelee
La Sole
Sole with lemongrass emulsion, baby leek (I'm probably missing some other stuff)
Le Canard
Duck and seared foie gras with sweet and sour fall fruits, grapefruit zest and cracked black pepper
Tahitian vanilla pineapple, coconut sorbet and elderflower liqueur
La Pistache
Pistachio cream, raspberries infused with apéritif wine and rose sabayon
To the right, the table centerpiece. The decor was an elaborate display of Spring in Paris. Lots of pink and green hues throughout the room.
The surprise of the night, a celebration cake! When I placed my reservation, I mentioned that we were celebrating my 31st birthday. I didn't think we would get a separate cake to share amongst ourselves. The presentation alone made my mouth drop. The cake came in on a tray with a foot tall chocolate display with a huge butterfly on top. It definitely put a smile on my face.
Meringue cake with a mango filling and puree
Another elaborate display of mignardises on a dessert cart. There was so many to choose from. Hubs stopped me from wanting to try everything.
Before we parted, we were given a little gift box and a souvenir booklet showcasing the restaurant, menu, food, kitchen, and decor. I thought that was so cool. With a meal like this, every avant-garde restaurant should think about doing this.
Starfruit & lemon flavored marshmallows
Afterthoughts: SOoo worth it. What else can I say. Bread and dessert carts, hand-carved butter! OMG. There was a cheese cart, but it was located on the other side of the room. While I would have liked to have conquered the menu degustation ($385), I am now better prepared to do so. Vegas is literally our second home. I mean, we have deeded property here plus comped hotel stays at Venetian, MGM Grand and Bellagio. We have no problem coming back as often as we like. As soon as I get better, it's so on.
Joel Robuchon at the Mansion
MGM Grand Hotel & Casino
3799 Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89109-4319
702.891.7925
Las Vegas, NV 89109-4319
702.891.7925
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