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

Hawaii: Shrimp Trucks

During our trip to Oahu, Hawaii last February, we stopped by our favorite food truck in Kahuku, the Famous Kahuku Shrimp truck. Most people will argue that the best food truck is Giovanni's but everyone has their preference. The Kahuku shrimp has a thicker coating of flour and garlic which I love.

Famous Kahuku Shrimp Truck
56-580 Kamehameha Hwy
Kahuku, HI 96731
Website: http://www.hishrimp.com/

Kickstarter: Crucial Detail - Nip

Last Fall I supported a Kickstarter campaign by Crucial Detail for a drink vessel called The Porthole. Tumblers were also designed to accompany the Porthole. I ordered two additional sets as a back up (8 glasses total).

I haven't received my Porthole but I didn't mind as the tumblers were a work of art.

Product name: Nip
Description: Hand-blown glass, set of two tumblers
Dimensions: 2-3/8"diameter x 2"height (6cm diameter x 5cm height)
Capacity: 1 ounce (30 ml)

Crucial Detail

Tasting Tumblers

$19.99

Order at: http://crucialdetail.com/work/tumbler.html

Nespresso: Unlimited Variations

If there was one thing I can take away from our trip from Spain, it would be this: Nespresso

I'm not a coffee person but when I had my first sip of the finest espresso, I was instantly hooked. Where has Nespresso been all my life? Apparently I had to stay at a Ritz Carlton in Barcelona to find out. Our room came equipment with a Nespresso machine. Initially, I wondered why the coffee cups in our room were small. Lke super small. It took a few days to figure out that Europeans drink espresso not Caffè Americano (watered down espresso).

Anyways, a few weeks after our trip, I found a Nespresso boutique inside our local Bloomingdale's. I thought the machines were only sold in Europe but apparently the company (the parent is Nestle), is trying to break into the U.S. market. Fast forward to today, I own two machines. A Pixie which I use at the office and a Latissima Plus at home.

Nespresso has 16 Grand Crus but three of their limited edition flavors will be part of their permanent collection. Believe it or not, once limited edition capsules are sold out, it's gone for good. Meaning, they're really expensive to buy on ebay. The strategy is to buy as many sleeves (a box of 10 capsules) of your favorite flavor before it sells out. I'm currently hoarding Cherry,Chocolate,Coconut, Hazelnut, Macadamia nut and the elusive Kazaar, the most intense limited edition Grand Crus yet.

The 3 new permanent flavors are:

- Vanilio: Rich, velvety aromas of vanilla meeting the mellowness of the Livanto Grand Cru.

- Ciocattino: Dark and bitter chocolate notes meeting the caramelized, roasted flavors of Livanto. Reminiscent of a sqaure of dark chocolate.

- Caramelito: The sweet flavor of caramel softens the roasted notes of Livanto. A gourmet marriage evoking the creaminess of soft toffee.

This weekend I received a mailing informing me that I can taste the new flavors on Friday, June 7th through Sunday, June 9th. It looks like I'll be taking a trip to Bloomingdale's during my lunch break this Friday.

Video: Dover Sole at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon

 Videos of the server deboning the dover sole tableside at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon.

Before

 

After

The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2013

The results are in and El Celler de Can Roca took the top spot as the World's Best Restaurant in the World. Luckily for us, we dined there back in 2011. I know the results are subjective but a list is a list. To me, it means I don't have to dine there as it will be hard to get a reservation for the unforeseeable future. I tend to look at the new entries or restaurants at the bottom of the list because a select few with time will eventually make it up the list. For example, Restaurant Andre in Singapore was ranked at the bottom of the list a few years ago and now ranks at #38. I wished I dined there during our trip in 2011.

 

Steak tartare from El Celler de Can Roca

 

An interesting ranking on the list was Eleven Madison Park (ranked #5) as it surpassed Alinea who dropped to #15. What goes up, must come down. I wasn't too surprised as I witnessed some things that were unacceptable (e.g. bad attitudes of young chefs to visible wear of the table tops). I still think Alinea is a great restaurant but it makes you wonder if too much attention is being spent on Achatz's other restaurant Next. Whatever it is, I hope it invokes game changing ideas at Alinea.

 

Narisawa, Asia's Best Restaurant in 2013

 

What's next? As for travel, I'm hoping Hubs travels to Australia as it's a country I would like to explore. I originally wanted to go to Hong Kong but the bird flu outbreak continues to be a threat. Out of convenience, we'll likely travel to Napa during the summer. New York is an option for the Fall and perhaps Europe next spring. Right now Hubs has a impending trip to India and I'm trying not to drown in research projects.

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

 



How-To: Book Reservations



I hate booking reservations. Over the years, it has gotten ridiculous hard to book regardless of what economic state this country is in. From Ticketmaster-like systems to simply dialing a phone number 100 times with no results, I've decided enough is a enough. I'm throwing in the towel and leaving it up to professional services to endure the agony.

Booking reservations at restaurants outside the U.S. have an additional layer of difficulty: Local time zone and language. Unless you're a local, sometimes you're required to call at a specific time for "English-speaking" diners.

Last year, I found out two of my credit cards had complimentary 24/7 concierge services. I decided to take a chance with the service to book dinner reservations at the elusive RyuGin in Tokyo, Japan. Within a few hours of filing out an online form from Visa Signature Concierge, I get this email.

No more waking up at 3am or practicing my dialing techniques. The service works and I'm never booking reservations myself ever again. The biggest challenge would be booking the French Laundry. I've tried for the last 5 years with no success. Maybe this year will be the year.

Overview of conceirge services:

Visa Signature Concierge

• Complimentary 24/7 concierge service for Visa Signature cards
• Requests via phone or online
• Common cards: United Airlines Explorer or Hawaiian Airlines Visa Signature

Mastercard World Elite

• Competitor to Visa Signature Concierge. Also complimentary 24/7
• Requests via phone
• No annual fee

AMEX Platinum Card Concierge

• $450 annual fee
• Requests via phone
• Holds table reservations for card holders in certain regions.

Best of Best

After having this blog for nearly five years, I've compiled a list of dishes that were truly unforgettable. These are definite "must-have" eats and drinks which were thought-provoking and have made a permanent impression on my long-term memory. Essentially, this is my rendition of the Food Network's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" from A-Z.

This list is located in a new tab called "Best of Best" at the top of the blog.

Direct link: http://mysocalledfoodblog.blogspot.com/p/fa.html

*Note: This is completely my own opinion. I don't claim to be a food expert nor is this my full-time job. I am a researcher by trade so any "research-related" stuff I can claim would be legitimate (e.g. how to book reservations, etc). I get a lot of questions about where I've eaten and what were the "best" things I've ever eaten. I figured it was time to put a stake in the ground and mark the territory.

Pictured: Macarons from Laduree, Tokyo and Gambas Al Ajillo from Jaleo in Las Vegas, NV.

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.