Foodie-Girl

Hi Everyone, We're making a quick trip to Arizona in March (4 nights) and are thinking about: Vu Mary Elaine's Mosiac Sassi Any thoughts on those? Also, for our first night, due to late arrival, can anyone suggest a great spot very near the Embassy Suites on East Paradise Village Parkway? (Hey, I have almost 200,000 Hilton Points so it was hard to pass up the free hotel nights ) Char -------------------- Char (formerly Foodie-Girl) Never let the fear of striking out get in your way. Babe Ruth

***And they were delicious, Lorna !! Char & Richard

***Trotter DID have a restaurant in Las Vegas several years ago and at that time the hotel seemed more interested in getting diners in and out quickly. I ate there twice and found it excellent both times. Fast-forward to a different climate in Las Vegas where hotels seem more interested in offering a more varied vacation experience. Long tasting menus have popped up in numerous restaurants. For me Las Vegas offers fine dining, world-class shopping and fine art exhibits at the Venetian outpost of the Guggenheim as well as the Bellagio Fine Arts Gallery. Dinners at Le Cirque, Valentino, Bradley Ogden (to name a few) are in no way sub-standard to dining in New York or any other major city. I base my opinion on 35+ years of visits to Las Vegas and have witnessed a huge change for the better.

These arguments seem ill-conceived. No past: on the one hand, any new restaurant can be said to have no past; on the other hand, an outpost of Guy Savoy or another established restaurant surely has a past. No personality: do the restaurants in Las Vegas really lack personality? It's hard to know what Richman means by this -- perhaps it is explained elsewhere in the story -- but it seems there are plenty of establishments there that reflect the personalities of their chefs and of the city of Las Vegas. Maybe Richman doesn't like that personality, but it's a personality nonetheless. No uniqueness: this objection would seem to apply to any duplicate restaurant, such as (in the case of New York City) Per Se and Nobu. Even so, the restaurants in Las Vegas do seem unique, in that most are much more glamorous than their originals. Again, I think Richman may be confusing something of which he does not approve with a lack of that something. Do Daniel Boulud and Guy Savoy represent real people to those eating at their restaurants: do they represent real people to those eating at Daniel in New York and Guy Savoy in Paris? Is everyone dining at those places a personal friend of the chef? Does Daniel Boulud cook any of the food at Daniel? Is he always there? Once chefs put their names out in the public eye they're brands, whether they like it or not and whether have one restaurant or a hundred. ← ***Well said, Fat Guy

***You're ahead of me by a few weeks (L'Atelier in late October). Looking forward to your comments. As for the above-captioned article. I've eaten at most all of the 'high end' restaurants in Las Vegas and found food/service to be excellent in many. As I've written previously...dinner at Le Cirque on at least 5 visits surpassed Le Cirque/NYC by a wide margin. The pricing for Guy Savoy and Robuchon seems staggering to me and I will be very interested to see how those two play-out over the next year.

Interesting to say the least. While a dining is a subjective experiece to at least some degree I must say that I don't know anyone who has had a GOOD experience at Aureole nor anyone having less than a stellar meal at ALEX and I'm talking about numerous visits by friends and colleagues. There is absolutely no excuse for rude service at any fine restaurant no matter the location. Of course I would be speaking to the maitre'd immediately should that happen but as a diner I'm in a different position than one writing a review. (I've been to Alex 3 times and Aureole once).

Henry and Lorna, many thanks for putting so much thought into your blog...it was wonderfully engaging from start to finish! Oh and I gained about 4 pounds just READING what you ate.... Char alias Foodie-Girl/Charcoop

I was there in May....another outstanding meal. For the "best" it's a close call between Lampreia and Mistral in my somewhat humble opinion. Mistral is my very favorite in Seattle.

The entire meal is impressive beyond words! You may have to open a restaurant in your spare time.... Iron Chef #1 9 points Iron Chef #2 8 points Almost too close to call...

Your blog is off to a great start~ What a beautiful backyard...it looks so familar My vote is for PEACHES Char

I don't live in Arizona but had two SPECTAULAR meals a few years back. Yes, Sea Saw for sure and BINKLEY'S which is a bit of a drive but fantastic. I believe it's in Cave Creek, AZ. Absolutely incredible cooking.

***That's exactly what we decided to do (-:

Just finished watching the Beirut episode. This is Emmy-material. Hey Tony, "Mr Wolf" ? I'm thinking you're making a subtle and clever reference to the "clean up" guy, Harvey Keitel in Pulp Fiction. This just couldn't possibly be a coincidence......

We stayed/ate at Salish Lodge once...about 3 years ago. Loved it. Excellent food and service and no I don't remember what we ate...

Thanks, Pam and Lorna. I think I'll give Method 2 a try as the combo of schmaltz AND 'chicken fat chips'...... is rather enticing. BTW I have found that schmaltz freezes very well and for months with no appreciable change in quality.

Hi Pam! Thanks for jumping in. Well, I don't make chicken soup but it might be worth doing if I can get a significant amount of chicken fat out of the process. I am ashamed to admit most of our crispy chicken skin gets eaten....I know...not exactly a healthy idea but so tasty. Thanks again!

***OK, I also don't have time to read the entire board but must comment on The Apprentrice versus HK (which I LOVE). The potential apprentices come to the show with CREDENTIALS. They all seem to be either extremely well-educated and successful OR 'learn by the seat of your pants' and STILL extremely successful. In HK..who the hell are these people? A bartender? A prison chef? Some are semi-literate. Most don't seem to know how to cook. The show would be SO much better, in my opinion, if it was structured with competing cooks with the ability to actually prepare a meal. I love GR as he brings energy, personality and balls to the show. What to the others contribute other than weeks of incompetence? OK, bit harsh but that's my take.

***Lorna, I'd love to know how you make schmaltz. A few times a year I make "chopped liver" for friends and it's either a trek to Seattle to buy frozen chicken fat or my method which is to render fat from a chicken. That seems to take forever and the yield is very low. Char

I was a big fan of Fatburger when there were just a handful in SoCal. It was the first burger I had that included a fried egg and relish. (I used to tip the cashier to make my fried egg extra runny ) I was extremely excited when they opened one up here in Bellevue. Unfortunately, I found that the memory was far greater than the real thing. I found the one I tried up here to be no better than any average burger. I'll have to try one again when I'm back in SoCal. So I'll have to stand by my old favorite In-N-Out as the best fast food burger I've had. Although a Carl's Jr. Western Bacon Cheeseburger comes in a close second! I can't wait to try Taylor's Refresher in SF and Burgerville in Portland! ← Henry:I would definitely give In-N-Out the edge over Fatburger but I am now going to go WAY back down memory lane and ask....did you ever have a TOMMY'S? A Tommy's truck used to stop by the hospital where I worked at my first job after high school.....circa 1966 and most mornings I'd have a Tommy Chili-Burger for a 10AM snack..... I know...what is more shocking...the snack or the year?..... Ever had a Tommy's? Where does it rank? Ling: Hey, talk about 'going back YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEARS look at when I was eating those Tommy-burgers.... Char (alias Foodie-Girl/Charcoop on 'other' board)

Yeah, but.... Tejas has brisket and Tex-Mex...mmmmmm! And peeps who have the machines to make frozen margaritas! ← ***And I have an 89 year-young Mom who's idea of Mexican food is FAJITAS....LOL. Thanks for the tip. OH I'm drinkin' whatever they are pouring this week. Actually had a really good Sidecar with dinner last night (-:

OK, Henry, In-N-Out versus Fatburger...what say you? My husband is in CA as I write and I'm stuck in Texas for the week. Sorry Texans but it's slim pickin's in Grapevine, TX....LOL I know my husband is having a field day. In-N-Out/Jerry's Deli/Pink's Hot Dogs...

Last visit was a few years back but really enjoyed BRIX.

***Thanks, Robin. More "food" for thought...(-: Yes, it's the idea of having to scrimp that is putting a damper on the idea of going to either JR or GS. At Alex or Bradley Ogden I don't have to worry about the cost...it's within my comfort zone and, based on my past experiences, a guaranteed great meal.

I have had one meal at Aureole and it was disappointing in every way imaginable. I don't think I've read one positive review on this or any board...could be wrong, but sure don't remember seeing one.

Robin: I was feeling encouraged by your post until the very end about Bradley Ogden. So, I have to conclude that you didn't LOVE your dinner Robuchon?? I have been to Bradley Ogden twice and did the big tasting menus...cocktails and very moderately priced bottle of wine for $400 total for two (with tax/tip). Now last time was 9 months ago so it may have gone up...but still would be a fantastic meal for under $500...about half of a similar number of courses at either GS or Robuchon.. M&M: See how confusing this is...LOL. Yes indeedy I have been to ALEX...twice in fact. I probably posted it somewhere. I agree it's fantastic. The problem is I've been to most of the really good existing restaurants at least twice so we are hoping to try something new.