rjwong

kai, just to let you know, I brake for dinners ... As for the fine dining, definitely Providence. Michael Cimarusti knows how to cook fish. And Adrian Vasquez really pushes the limits of dessert creativity. Sona is really good. I hope to go there again. Ortolan is definitely French. If you're not into Melisse, you might want to skip Ortolan on this trip. Casual dining, try anything on Beverly Blvd., between La Brea and the Farmer's Market/Grove. Hatfield's, BLD, Grace, Angelini Osteria, Ita-Cho, and Milk (for ice cream). Don't go to El Coyote. You've been warned. Also, there's the two Mozza places: Pizzeria Mozza & Osteria Mozza. And even though Mario Batali is a partner, these two places belong to Nancy Silverton, IMO. They're located on Melrose and Highland. Melrose also has a number of places you can try for eating and/or drinking: All'Angelo, The Foundry, The Village Idiot (bar), and way further down Melrose near La Cienega are Comme Ca and Lucques. If you have more questions, please let us know.

ramdav, welcome to eGullet, California forum! If you're staying in Beverly Hills, drive east to areas like Thai Town, Koreatown, and downtown LA where Chinatown & Little Tokyo are located. Any questions? Let us know. Enjoy Los Angeles!

Oh wow! Another local culinary vacation destination from Los Angeles, besides Northern California and Las Vegas. Eliot, if there are a few more restaurants to try in the Phoenix area (besides NOCA, of course), I'm on my way. You've been warned ... By the time I get to Phoenix, it's time for dinner ... Best wishes to you, Eliot!!

AES, try this link. Right underneath the photo in the middle column has the phrase "VIEW MENU", which directs you to a PDF file of the menu. If you have any more questions, go ahead and send me a PM or e-mail.

Savoy is quite a special place-but you will be hard pressed to get out of there for under $500 for two. ← Au contraire, mon ami!! There are a couple of options: The "TGV" menu is a four-course dinner, which lasts about 90 minutes. It's designed for those who are on their way to a concert or a show. The cost is $190 per person. "Bites and Bubbles" is their casual bar/lounge area with various appetizers and champagnes to begin or end the evening. Personally, if you can afford it, go to Guy Savoy for the full tasting menu. The food is very good and the service is excellent. Franck Savoy, Chef Guy Savoy's son, is one of the best maitre d' I have ever encountered. Along with Alex, Guy Savoy is very much a splurge dinner.

I'd rank them in the order you listed. However, Alex will break the bank if you go for the tasting menu at $195/person ($325/person with wine pairings). Alex's regular prix fixe menu is $145/person, so you can squeak by if you're careful with drinks/wine. I like Bartolotta a lot - especially if one orders whole fish. However, I always feel compelled to offer a caveat: the whole fish is prepared very simply. I think it's excellent, but some people have been underwhelmed. If you're willing to roll the dice, another possibility is DJT, at Trump International. It's very new, but has gotten some rave reviews. ← What lgott said, in the order you said it. Before the "big boys" of Robuchon & Savoy came into town, I would agree with some that Alex was arguably the best restaurant in Las Vegas. Definitely a splurge dinner. And the head sommelier, Paulo, has his own winery. L'Atelier is a bit more "casual" than Alex. Mind you, the food is excellent, creative, innovative ... It's all about the food. For a report on L'Atelier, click on this link (I hope you like poetry). Bartolotta is a very good restaurant with fresh seafood. I enjoyed the branzino when I was there last. I haven't tried Michael Mina yet. I ate at DJT. The best new restaurant in Las Vegas. I'm going back there next time. If I can get my act together, I'll give a full report ...

Jeff, take a look at this place. It's off the Strip, and it's a local favorite.

Pardon me for asking: ARE YOU SURE THEY DON'T OFFER TAKE OUT??!! What kind of casino place is this?? Don't they want your money?? To answer your question, I don't usually go eat Chinese food in Las Vegas, since I live in Los Angeles, close to Chinatown & SGV. There are a few Chinese places along Spring Mountain Road, if I remember correctly. You might want to do your own investigation. I'll check and see if I learn anything. If you want some non-Chinese BBQ, try Memphis Championship Barbecue on Warm Springs & Eastern, southeast of the airport. I hope this helps.

judiu, I got some info from a local Las Vegas foodie. For now, have your friends look at this website: Nora's Cuisine It's off the Strip, going west on Flamingo Rd. I've never been there. Mind you, for research purposes of course, I'll try the place on my next trip to Las Vegas, sometime this summer before your friends' wedding. My Vegas friend said that Nora's is "Garlic City." A local favorite, serving over 300 guests a day. And the prices look really affordable. Their large group menus (12 or more) has a price range from $22-32 per person. And that includes all sodas & ice teas, but not the 7.75% sales tax nor the 18% gratuity. I think that restaurant might fit the bill. I hope this helps.

CHEFDV, Welcome to eGullet!! I want to say thank you for the dinner I had at DJT a few weeks ago. I'll give my full report with photos later, after my report on the Vegas Uncork'd conference. Here's the short report: DJT is definitely worth going to! My evening at DJT was at a surprising excellent level. Chef Isidori & CHEFDV accommodated me with a tasting menu, more on the seafood end, since I had steak the previous night. The wine pairings were wonderful. The decor & ambience at DJT and throughout the Trump Intl. says luxury & excellence. Even the parking valet service was complimentary! I would have expect nothing less from Donald Trump. And yes, I'm planning to go back to DJT!

judiu, pardon the inquisition, but I have a few questions. Since Sept. 19 is on a Friday, about what time do they want the dinner party? 5 pm? 6 pm? 7 pm? What price range per person? $25? $50? $75? $100? On the Strip, $25 is about the price of a good lunch buffet at Bellagio or Wynn, $50 is the starting price for dinner (prix fixe dinner at Daniel Boulud at the Wynn for about $48 before 7 pm). What kind of cuisine? French? Steakhouse? Italian? Mexican? American? Southern? Seafood? Asian? BTW There are a few steakhouses in Las Vegas. What kind of ambience and decor? Nice and quiet with NO rock & roll music? Or something more festive? Formal? Casual? Does the wedding party want to eat their dinner and/or drink their dinner? Beer? Wine? Hard liquor? Iced tea? Soda? On the Strip or off the Strip? Downtown Las Vegas? A good local Las Vegas restaurant as opposed to a chain? I'll try to find a list of local places, if that's what the couple wants. A couple of important questions: Are you a part of the wedding party? If so, what restaurant do you want? Again, sorry about the questions. When it comes to weddings, might as well do it right.

David, I'm jealous. I'm really jealous ... I shouldn't be surprised by the amount of preparation that goes on at a place like Wynn. Mind you, that tour was quite impressive. Okay, David, how did the seafood taste?

DALI, Bastide version 1.0: Alain Giraud Bastide version 2.0: Ludovic "Ludo" Lefebvre Bastide version 3.0: Walter Manzke Bastide version 4.0: Paul Shoemaker I'm planning to eat at Bastide soon, just out of curiousity, but mainly to support Chef Paul. Paul worked under Michael Cimarusti for many years at Providence and I think at Water Grill as well. We'll see what happens.

Ted, Sorry for the late response. I was out of town. As for dining in "downtown LA," I never heard of Falcon. Perhaps you could give a little more info about this place. FYI I work in downtown LA, and some of the restaurants I like to go are: Water Grill (best seafood restaurant in downtown LA) Ciudad (La comida nueva latina, i.e. new Latina cuisine by the "Too Hot Tamales") Traxx (decent restaurant inside Union Station) Noe at the Omni Hotel (Adventurous cuisine with Japanese aesthetics, originally started by Robert Gadsby) There are other places (Chinatown, Little Tokyo), depending on what Mrs. wants. I hope this helps.

I was there back in Aug. 2007. My dinner was really good. FYI Bryan Ogden (the son) is leaving LV to go to Southern California. I'm going to try and find out more details where. Five more days until Bon Appetit's "Vegas Uncork'd" conference .. I can't wait

Thank you, Doctor Kerry. I was using Callebaut unsweetened chocolate. The unsweetened quality was quite evident, and I don't really want to subject my co-workers to that necessarily. I'll go with your suggestion: take two truffles with powdered sugar, and call you in the morning, ehh?

I'm in the process of either making a truffle disaster or a practical joke. My current experiment is cooling in the refrigerator right now in a bowl. I haven't shaped them into truffles yet. The ingredients I used are: 16 oz. unsweetened chocolate (not bittersweet, unsweetened!) 8 oz. heavy cream, scalded (not boiling over) 2 oz. unsalted butter, chopped into small pieces I would like to add some sweetness to the truffles. No, I don't want to make Exlax truffles. I'm not that evil ... What should I do? Dust them with powdered sugar? Reheat the ganache in simmering water and add some bittersweet and/or corn syrup? And I'm not ready to try tempering chocolate yet.

Actually, the new Father's Office 2.0 just opened in Culver City, located in the old Helms Bakery Building, near Beacon Restaurant & the Jazz Bakery. Apparently, it's mobbed already. As far as I know, no reservations.

What Carolyn said. Joe's is really good. Melisse would have been great, but unfortunately, they're closed on Sundays & Mondays. You might want to consider Fraiche over in Culver City. If you have an overnight layover on Memorial Day evening (flying out on Tuesday morning, correct?), the possibilities may even be greater. Please let us know.

Good on you, g-man! As for bbq, you might want to consider Memphis Championship Barbecue. And if you're more interested in wines, try Valley Cheese and Wine. And since you will be mobile, Rosemary's Restaurant is worth an excursion. Enjoy your time in Las Vegas!

Pardon me, did that include snacks?? I went to Prime a few years ago and enjoyed the steak there. I hope your dining experience was wonderful. And did you have any of the cheeses over at Morels? I got a chance to look at the place (didn't eat there) during its first weekend and the cheeses looked impressive. I'm looking forward to hearing your culinary report. I'll be going to Las Vegas in May for a Bon Appetit conference.

g-man, I've been to B&B at the Venetian. The food is pretty good and the music is definitely ... rock and roll, just the way Mario likes it. I haven't been to Carnevino. Talking with a friend who lives in the Las Vegas area and has been to both places, he recommends B&B. He said the steak at Carenvino is fine, but the other things, not so much. And Carnevino is quite expensive, even for Las Vegas. David, are we talking to the same people? Shh, don't answer ... If you're going to a steakhouse already at the Palms, I suggest that you go to B&B to have some Italian cuisine.

Good luck on your first trip to Las Vegas! Go ahead and post on the regular Dining in Las Vegas thread. As for the Vegas Uncork'd conference in May, I'll be going to the Payard Patisserie on Thursday night. I wanted to check out the desserts, you know ...

Que bueno, kalypso!! Muchos gracias!! How many were in your group? You didn't eat all that by yourself, did you?? What was that white sauce over the cabbage in that basic tilapia taco? Is German the owner's name? I was thinking all sorts of things when I first saw the name of the place. Were you first surprised how difficult it was to find a non-chain fish taco restaurant? Uno mas, muchos gracias!

Nice report, purplewiz! Thank you. As for Bally's Sunday Brunch, don't bother. You'll get a better deal over at the Wynn or the Bellagio. Save the $60-65/person on a nice dinner over at Daniel Boulud's Brasserie or Rosemary's (way off the Strip). As for your next trip, if you happen to be in Las Vegas in early May, Bon Appetit is hosting a conference called Vegas Uncork'd. It should be really fun.