rjwong

I'm more than willing to help out someone from UCLA. Go Bruins! In Long Beach, try Tracht's. I've never eaten there, but I have eaten at Jar, Suzanne Tracht's original restaurant on Beverly Blvd., between La Cienega and Fairfax. Tracht's is located at the Renaissance Long Beach Hotel. The food is pretty much a modern take on American food. In Venice, there's Joe's Restaurant. Popular place, parking on your own is an adventure. Use valet parking instead. If you want Italian, drive to Culver City to Fraiche. No, I haven't eaten there yet, but I know the chefs there and they're great!! Very popular place with THE prime location on Culver Blvd. Any of these restaurants should be fine, but make reservations, even for Sunday night. Enjoy your time with your cousin!

Rob, I don't understand. You said you "wanted to love this place" and you "all enjoyed the meal, but it was certainly not fancy." Were you expecting fancy?? The cafe sounds like a place to have a good home-cooked meal, away from home. If you want fancy, try Los Angeles. LA does have a few "fancy" restaurants ...

Stop it, Jason! You're torturing me! And it's not even Friday the 13th ... Thanks again for another report. It's a sign of the great restaurant when you have to nitpick on the very minor details. It sounds like you expect Marche Moderne to pay attention to the little things as well. And I hope you didn't start any in-fighting among the servers when you happen to mention only two of them. And FYI, you were greeted like VIPs because you are VIPs! Don't all the Orange County restaurants know who you are?

Tues. morning Before leaving Las Vegas on a bus back to Los Angeles, I had breakfast at Spice Market Buffet in the new Planet Hollywood (formerly Aladdin). It was fine, with the usual breakfast fare. Sorry, no photos. And the servers need to work harder. My server didn’t come by to refill my water glass or anything, and it wasn’t busy at all for a weekday morning. Final comments I enjoyed this trip. Meeting Robuchon, dinners at Boulud, Binion’s, Picasso were great. And I’m amazed at how many really great steaks I had this time around. I think I batted a thousand. As for the buffets, Bellagio is on the top of that department. Next time, I need to try Payard Patisserie, when it opens ...

Mon. morning After that meal last night at Boulud, I managed to have brunch at the Bellagio Buffet. Sorry, no photos. You’ve seen one buffet, you’ve seen them all, right? To a certain degree, that may be true. Mind you, Bellagio Buffet has a greater variety, better quality, and far better service, IMO. My server was right on top of things, refilling my ice tea, etc. And I think I’ve seen her before, working at the Bellagio Buffet. And that’s a good sign: They’re keeping their good workers. Mon. night Picasso is one restaurant in Las Vegas that I’ve been meaning to try after all these years. One can get bogged down eating at the newest places, then all of a sudden, one forgets an “older” restaurant that opened two or three years ago, or more ... Sadly, my dining companion was ill, so I was a solo diner that evening. To my left, I could see the Fountains of Bellagio, which never ceases to amaze me. Amuse bouche Maine lobster salad Pan seared scallop Sautéed foie gras Kobe beef, accompanied by vegetables Dessert Earl grey Petit fours My meal at Picasso was very good and comforting. Nothing too adventurous. The service was fine, perhaps a bit casual for my taste. Picasso didn’t have a full presentation of a tea list, like at other restaurants, where the list of teas are written out or the teas are presented tableside. The server just recited the list of teas to me, which was fine. Mind you, it’s those little things that distinguishes a good restaurant from a really great restaurant.

Sun. night I took the hotel shuttle bus again to MGM and then catched the bus that goes up and down the Strip, aka “The Deuce.” BTW, it was raining and I was late for my 6:30 p.m. dinner at Boulud. Daniel Boulud Brasserie was where I was to meet David Ross and TheDiningAdvocate, with two friends who own a cheese and wine store in Henderson. After I hurried to the restaurant and remembered to breathe, my two friends, Bob & Kristin, treated me to a terrific meal. Because they know the chef de cuisine and one of the servers, the kitchen staff cooked us a dinner that was “off the menu.” Therefore, I can’t really comment on Boulud’s on-the-menu items. What we did eat that night demonstrates what the kitchen can do. Perhaps, I need to go back and order what’s on the menu. Life is so hard ... Oysters with caviar Foie gras au torchon Rabbit mortadella Charcuterie plate Crispy pork belly Taleggio ravioli Presentation of the Muscovy duck before final preparation Salmon Sliced Muscovy duck with cabbage stuffed with duck confit Cheese plate A few desserts ... and the wine was flowing ... My friends and I had a great meal and a wonderful time. We got to tour the kitchen. It’s huge! To those of you who were previously disappointed with Boulud, I’d say give Boulud a chance, especially with the new chef in place. Admittedly, the photos I posted show what the kitchen can do. I’m sure it’s great when the kitchen can cook “off the menu” for VIPs and friends. Mind you, the real test for Boulud is how consistent they can cook from their menu, day in and day out.

Sun. morning Eventually, I woke up, took the hotel’s shuttle bus to the MGM, and walked up the Strip to try Bally’s Sterling Brunch for sixty-five dollars. Bally’s uses their steakhouse and Italian restaurant for their brunch seatings. Champagne Lobster, roast beef, shrimp, bacon, eggs, fish, vegetables, lamb, made-to-order omele, among other things Desserts The food was pretty good, but the food area wasn’t spread out. It was a bit crowded trying to get the food. And the service was almost non-existant, and I would fault management. Over in the section I was seated in, there were about two servers covering forty tables! There really needs to be more servers than that. IMO, the brunch, with all the champagne, wasn’t worth paying the $65 price. You’re better off going to one of the other buffet places, like Bellagio or Wynn.

Sat. late night As I was making my way back down the Strip from Downtown via taking the bus and walking, I decided to have a late night meal over at l’Atelier. Échirre butter This butter tastes so good, I could just lick the butter off the bread and forget about eating the bread ... Le boeuf au poivre That was one of the best steaks I had, with plenty of peppercorn on top, as it should be!! Aloe sorbet, lime cream and Granny-Smith apples As I was eating my boeuf au poivre, I looked up and saw ... Chef Joël Robuchon ... lui-même!! I had a nice, brief conversation with him, albeit with my limited French. He apparently noticed me taking pictures of my meal. Imagine, I just saw God and I lived to tell about it ...

Sat. afternoon Before lunch, I went to Caesar’s to find Payard Patisserie. It wasn’t opened yet during my trip. Mind you, I decided to take some photos anyways. You can see them here in its own thread. Afterwards, I had lunch at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab. It was crowded. The only spot available was at the bar, first-come first-serve. I started off with a stone crab cocktail followed by a New York strip. Both tasted very good. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures. Sat. night From my hotel, I took the bus all the way up to Downtown Las Vegas to have dinner at Binion’s. I wanted to try this place ever since eGullet member Chris Cognace kept raving about this chicken-fried lobster dinner on his TV series “The Hungry Detective” on FN. View from the 25th floor of Binion’s Chicken-fried lobster The decor is quite retro, as well as the service. The waiters are friendly, not prententious, but still professional. Definitely local Las Vegas, and I always mean that in the good sense, okay?

Payard Patisserie When I was in Las Vegas, Payard wasn't opened yet. Mind you, that didn't stop me from taking some photos. I did the best I can. So, here they are: Has it opened yet? Payard should have opened on Nov. 20. Has anybody tried their pastries? If so, how do they taste?

Fri. night Wollensky’s Grill is the more casual version of Smith & Wollensky’s, pretty much their bar area. Bread That spread for the bread tasted so tangy. Unfortunately, I didn't asked the server what's in it. Their famous split pea soup Nothing to write home about ... Bone-in New York The steak was very good. Asparagus The place is good for what it is, a steakhouse. You’d be surprised how many “steakhouses” can’t do steak.

During early to mid-Nov., I took a trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas with this new bus service. The decision wasn’t too hard to make, considering my round-trip ticket cost me $9.50. Yes, that’s nine dollars and fifty cents. The original plan was to meet up with a couple of eGullet members (David Ross & TheDiningAdvocate) face-to-face. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out this time. Well, as they say in Las Vegas, “Better luck next time.” I stayed off-the-strip at a nearby hotel close to UNLV. So, without my car around and I wasn’t going to rent one, I got around by walking and taking the local bus system. An all-day pass for five dollars (for all of Las Vegas, not just the Strip or Downtown) comes in very handy and oh-so convenient when you’re tired of walking. Anyways, here is my report with some photos. I’ll report on each restaurant with a separate post, if necessary. Enjoy!

Sorry, LoveToEatATL, I haven't used Restaurant.com. I just pay the Las Vegas price, to think I was a high-roller or something ... I'd say give it a try. It's probably better than getting burned at the slot machines, blackjack tables, et al. ... BTW Are you going to eat at Border Grill in Las Vegas? There is a Border Grill already in Santa Monica. And if you do go to Rosemary's, go there on a Sunday night. Their wine list is half-price, if you're into wines.

Carolyn, I'm glad that you liked your meal at TFL. I agree with you that perfectionism doesn't necessarily have to be "cold, austere or soulless." How would you compare/contrast it with Manresa?

LA Times has weighed-in on the Michelin guide for Los Angeles with the article, It's amateur hour chez Michelin / by Leslie Brenner Jean-Luc Naret, director of Michelin guides, was part of a panel discussion last Wednesday night over at Barnes & Noble at the Grove. Here's one of his comments:

LA Downtown News has an article on Water Grill and Patina, the two restaurants in downtown LA that each received a Michelin one-star rating. Here's the link to the article.

JASON, WHAT'S STOPPING YOU?? Keep writing, and get those pictures to keep talking!! Short & sweet? Personally, I wouldn't mind long and savory ... And how much did you buy at Dean & Deluca?

Before I forget, consider Binion's in downtown Las Vegas. Yes, Binion's, where that World Poker Tournament all started, if you're into poker ... On the twenty-fifth floor, there's a steakhouse with a gorgeous view at night. eGullet member Chris Cognac has a Food Network program called The Hungry Detective. In the Las Vegas episode, Binion's was featured, and they serve this amazing chicken-fried lobster. Anyways, Binion's is open for Thanksgiving and Christmas. One of the servers told me that on Christmas Day, mostly the locals & regulars come in for Christmas dinner. This place is not "Las Vegas of the Strip." This is local Las Vegas. You've been warned informed.

I haven't eaten at Saddle Peak Lodge, but based on my dining experiences at both Water Grill and Ortolan, those two are star worthy. In the case of Water Grill, it took David LeFevre a little while to get acclimated to Water Grill after Michael Cimarusti left to start Providence. And now, I feel that Chef David is coming to his own with his menu & culinary style. It's been a while since I've eaten there. So, another trip to Water Grill ... Ortolan has always been up there. Chef Christophe Eme is quite creative. The decor is gorgeous and formal. I've always thought of Ortolan, as well as Josiah Citrin's Melisse, as the few carrying the baton for French cuisine now that L'Orangerie is gone. Of course, it doesn't hurt to be French, non? IMO, Providence got snubbed. When you speculate a bit, would Michelin acknowledge from the beginning that one of the best restaurants in Los Angeles is owned by two ... Italians ...??!! FYI Providence is already working on getting that second star. They just bought new chairs, and I was told that in a couple of weeks, there'll be new uniforms for the servers. I'm going to check this out myself ...

What tupac said. You know, you (or better yet your wife) could have subtlely asked for a small box to take the petit fours home to try later ...

I'm sorry to hear about the mediocre food in Desert Hot Springs. Mind you, you really got me interested in the spas over there. Suggestion: Have a chauffeur or someone to drive you over to Palm Springs for a not-so-mediocre dinner ... hint, hint ...

Bryan, I would have to agree with you on Guy Savoy being a three-star restaurant, along with Robuchon. And you should really go to Robuchon. If you've been to L'Atelier in Las Vegas, that would be a good introduction to the more formal Robuchon. As for Picasso, I just had dinner there last Mon. night (12 Nov.). I'll give my full report later. And Bryan, you're forgetting that other distinctive attribute of Picasso: the Fountains of Bellagio. Watching the fountains go off while dining on my tasting menu makes for a terrific dining experience .... It's nice to see a restaurant from downtown Las Vegas (Andre's) receiving a Michelin one-star rating.

LA Times did an article on the Michelin ratings for both Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The article link is here. Below is the list for: Los Angeles Two-star restaurants Mélisse, Santa Monica Spago, Beverly Hills Urasawa, Beverly Hills One-star restaurants Asanebo, Studio City Cut, Beverly Hills Joe's, Venice La Botte, Santa Monica Matsuhisa, Beverly Hills Mori Sushi, West Los Angeles Ortolan, Los Angeles Patina, Los Angeles Providence, Los Angeles Ritz-Carlton Huntington Dining Room, Pasadena Saddle Peak Lodge, Calabasas Sona, West Hollywood Trattoria Tre Venezie, Pasadena Valentino, Santa Monica Water Grill, Los Angeles

Matt, Check out this Orange County thread. Also do a search under "Orange County", "Costa Mesa", "Anaheim", or "Newport Beach." Hopefully, two eGers, Swicks & SiseFromm, can give you the scoop on the culinary scene behind the "Orange Curtain," as well as others in Orange County (aka Mickey Mouse Land) ... Marche Moderne is one restaurant I want to try. It's located at South Coast Plaza, the huge shopping center.

Alex, thanks for the recap. Between you and SiseFromm, I'm determined to get over to Marche Moderne for dinner. Did you tell your waiter that you hate Cab Franc?? If you did, perhaps he would have given you a taste first, unless he was pushing the Cab Franc very hard that night ... You'll just have to deal with that portion size issue on your own and learn to eat more.