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lgott

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Posts posted by lgott

  1. Wouldn't you know it, as soon as I posted the above, I got information on a related item? I had emailed Charlie Trotter's, asking about the quality of the Omi beef at Bar Charlie in Las Vegas. Due to problems with the email address provided on their web site, the message had to go through the Chicago location. The response was also from the Chicago location:

    ...We are currently offering a very special piece of rib eye. A5-12 fat.

    This particular cut is from SAGA which I am sure you are aware of it's rarity and quality...

    A5-12! I thought marbling scores above 10 were virtually nonexistent outside of Japan. It's hard to tell if this email refers to Las Vegas or Chicago, but it's worth checking out if you're in town.

  2. I'm traveling to Las Vegas in a couple of months, and am beginning to obsess about ridiculously unimportant things. Having said that...

    My current favorite steak house is CUT. I tried their Japanese Wagyu and thought it was excellent. At the time, their supplier was from Kagoshima Prefecture. I saw on another board that CUT now gets its beef from Saga Prefecture. I know, I know: ridiculously unimportant. Nonetheless, has anyone tried both?

  3. I emailed rm seafood about this very issue about a week ago, and received the following response:

    "Please eliminate all references to upstairs. We are treating Rick Moonen's rm seafood as a singular entity and avoiding the confusion of up vs down...The upstairs is not reopened yet. We currently doing our due diligence to determine whether or not we'll be able to open after Labor Day weekend Saturday September 5th...We will announce the date before the end of June."

  4. Perhaps things have changed in the last few years. It was my first dining experience with Charlie Trotter. I might have to defer to my fellow eGer, lgott, who has eaten at Bar Charlie three times (lgott, please respond).
    Russell, thanks for the plug! I'm in love with Bar Charlie, probably beyond what is reasonable. If there were such a thing as objective food ratings, I'd have to say it isn't as good as Joel Robuchon, Guy Savoy or Alex. However, it's very good indeed, and I enjoy the food bar atmosphere so much that it's the only one of the the uber-expensive places to which I return. If you go for the 14 course meal, talk to Chef Hiroo about your likes and dislikes. He's more than happy to accomodate (at least, he was for me).

    When I judge a restaurant, one of the ways it can impress me is by offering foods that I don't think I like, but which are prepared so expertly that I begin to think that perhaps I've simply eaten at the wrong places. Bar Charlie is like that. How could egg drop soup be anything special? Well, prepared with sea urchin and lobster, and with incredible broth, it was. So was the ice cream flavored with ocean trout and miso.

  5. I can chime in with a couple of answers/opinions:

    2. re: Restaurant/Charlie: ...Do we know who is manning either station?
    Chef Hiroo Nagahara is at the helm of Bar Charlie. I like him a lot. When things aren't too crazy, he'll take the time to describe things in detail, e.g., I once received a ten minute tutorial on Japanese knives, and the particular knives he uses.
    4. re: Raku. And what does everybody who's been except you have to say about it? How much of a schlep is it out to Raku? Are we talking a nice, but manageable walk? Or are we talking $80 cab ride?
    I've only been there once, but liked it quite a bit. It's a very small, simple place, but the food is both interesting and tasty. Its address is 5030 Spring Mountain Road. That's about two and a quarter miles from the nearest point on The Strip. I never thought about walking to it, but my very fuzzy memory suggests that Spring Mountain Road isn't exactly a pedestrian's paradise. You can probably use Google maps to take a peek at the route.
  6. So far, I've purchased tickets for:

    Theater in the Kitchen (L'Atelier).

    The Grand Tasting.

    The recently added Chocolates, Bubbles and Ice.

    I'm agonizing over the Gala Dinner, but at $275 that's almost a dinner at Bar Charlie, which has become my must-go-to restaurant each trip to Las Vegas. The Interactive Luncheon also sounds good, but you mean I'd actually have to do something, other than just feed my face??? I don't know...

  7. 1. Bouchon for breakfast. It's not cheap, but it's so good it's still a good value.

    2. To me, Bradley Ogden isn't worth it - unless they still offer the $29 three course meal at the bar. For that amount, I got the best hamburger around, a very good Caesar salad, and a reasonable dessert.

    3. Daniel Boulud's $48 prix fixe dinner. There are restrictions on choices and on when it's available.

    4. A pastry from Payard Patisserie or John-Philippe Patisserie - expensive for a pastry, but cheap for a meal.

  8. I've probably just missed this topic elsewhere, but couldn't seem to find anything on point. I'm talking about food festivals/conventions/whatever that offer a chance to try really good food, and hopefully offer a good time as well.

    Searches have turned up a number of events specific to a certain food. There's a chocolate festival, a garlic festival, an asparagus festival and, yes, a peanut butter festival. However, I'm looking for something a little more general than that - something which at least attempts to offer some of the best food around, and would be worth a trip even if you're not in the area.

    For example, Bon Appetit's Vegas Uncork'd event offered several days of special meals cooked by some of the best chefs around, plus one evening devoted to a grand tasting of food and wine by some of these same top chefs, as well as others. Miami Beach's Wine & Food Festival doesn't quite reach that level, but still is pretty good, and quite a spectacle. I've googled for others, but it's hard to get a feel for the level of quality.

    Does anyone have any recommendations?

  9. We're off to Vegas in a few weeks and have hit most of the "established" places by Vegas standards -- Picasso, Bradley Ogden, Delmonico etc. -- or have been to another outpost of several others -- Bouchon, Craftsteak, Mesa Grill.

    For our nicer dinner (at or under $400-500 for 2 with drinks & tip), where should we try?  Current frontrunners are Alex, L'Atelier Joel Robuchon, Bartolotta, Michael Mina. 

    Thoughts, other suggestions?

    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.

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