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Foodie-Girl

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  1. Well, to be clear they were "full-size" bottles of S. Pelligrino in "regular" glass...LOL. Until recently I drank wine and "water from the tap" so maybe I'm out-of-touch on the cost of bottled water.
  2. ***We did appreciate the gesture of removing the wine cost in discreet acknowledgement of our less than stellar experience (a perfect turn-of-phrase, Brenda) especially given the fact that we never made a negative comment during our meal. Our poor waiter had beads of perspiration on his forehead for most of the evening as he raced around and did his best given the situation. I use the word "gesture" as our wine order consisted of a modestly-priced 1/2 bottle for my husband. At the moment I'm "off wine" for health reasons and was charged the bargain price $36 for two bottles of mineral water.
  3. Yes, of course it was hyperbole to use the expression "it left a bad taste in my mouth"...it's not a literal statement. More of a "gee that sure left a bad taste in my mouth".... To fill in a few blanks...the foie gras floating in the soup: Well for me the texture spoiled the distinct taste of perfectly seared foie..in fact it was cooked almost all the way through rather than barely-rare as I'm used it. The salmon dish DID sound interesting when described but the fish was flat in flavor. I eat a ton of salmon and some are good and some not-so-good. There was none of the delicous rich taste that comes with a perfect piece of salmon. As far as the service I think "uneven" as I said is the best way of putting it. First off we sat for quite a while before our amuse arrived. Others seated after us received got theirs while we patiently waited. No bread was offered...I had to snag the fellow with the tray as he tried to work his way between the tables which are rather closely crowded together. There were long gaps between some courses and not enough time between others. What made the dinners at Araxi and Bearfoot Bistro more enjoyable was simply the "wow isn't this great" feeling after each bite...The flavors were sharp and distinct...presentation beautiful and the server attentive but not cloying. The meal flowed and the restaurants were "roomy" enough so that people could easily get in and out of their seats. Some of the two-tops at Lumiere are so close that I saw a few people awkwardly trying to get to their seat on the banquette side. One couple asked to be moved because they were practically touching to the couple beside them. Overall our meal was not in the same category as others at this level and with equal recognition. Granted it was one meal and any restaurant can have an off-night...but this was unexpected and very disappointing for us. Though we didn't complain about anything we noticed the charge for wine was not on our bill and it was quietly explained that our waiter deducted it because he was aware of "problems with our meal". So...I guess we weren't imagining it..... I've eaten at plenty of great restaurants...Bishops is one that stands out in my mind on a previous Vancouver visit and in the states everything from French Laundry to Jean George. My experience at Lumiere was a let-down and I was definitely curious to know if others had similar experiences recently or if it was just an off -night.
  4. ***I can only say that I've been to Brasa three times (once was an organized Cooks/Books Dinner) and the other two times just regular full-on dinners. Great food/service on all visits.
  5. You are right lala, I was incorrectly assuming that Nancy might be upset by Rain's ad. I have no doubt that she will handle this with grace. I don't condone Rain's nasty ad. I was just thinking of writers, movie makers or restaurants (never me, of course) who have been panned and have considered retribution. Just for the sake of argument and because I am a trouble maker. ← ***Is the ad available online anywhere? I can't believe people could be so TACKY!!! Go Nancy! ....call 'em as you see 'em !
  6. I'm still trying to get the bad taste out of my mouth from dinner a few nights ago at LUMIERE. For years I'd heard/read nothing but raves...so it was a huge surprise to have a very mediocore dinner. We chose from the 3-course options as neither of the tasting menus "grabbed" us. The amuse was just OK....A "shot" of cold Clam Chowder/bite of sashimi/bite of halibut... Appetizers: Warm-Braised Veal Sweetbreads....probably the best of the night Pan-Seared Quebec Foie Gras in a (now here is where it gets weird) BBQ duck broth with enoki mushrooms. Now I happen to LOVE seared foie gras but when you put it in in a bowl of what amounted to SOUP it becomes...well, soft and loses the crispy crust. What a disaster! Mains: Pan-Seared Dorado...good but not great Salmon/just plain awful. Long strips sort of raw/sashimi-like on one side and barely cooked on the other side. Desserts: Strawberry Poached Rhubarb Financier....again..good but certainly not great and Roasted port and Orange Blossom Dates...with something I can't remember....boring. The place was packed and the service uneven to say the least. $300 and a real let-down. We had come from Whistler where we had one of the very best meals of our lives at ARAXI and also an excellent meal at BEARFOOD BISTRO. I am wondering if anyone as been to LUMIERE lately??
  7. ***Hey vegasreporter, thanks for the Tableau review. No, I'm not going to kill you over forgetting a sauce...LOL. When you're on a date the focus should be on your DATE not the food (-: But, when you're asked to report back to folks on eG or other websites it's nice to remember most of what you ate. I think that's part of the reason I go for the tasting menu approach...at least I can take a copy of the menu with me...LOL. OK....good comments on Tableau and I'm going to follow your lead and we'll probably spend the first day just walking around the hotel finding everything so we don't have a problem as Tableau seems to be hidden from what you said. I am curious as to your disappointment on Bellagio's restaurants...maybe we aren't on the same page as far as what we like in food. These are places I've been to and REALLY like at Bellagio: Circo, LeCirque, Picasso, Michael Mina, Olives and Prime. I finally stopped going to Prime only because it's just TOO much food no matter how you end up sharing. So, how did you feel about these restaurants?.....Just curious. Do you have plans for trying any of the other Wynn restaurants before June 19th? P.S. Glad your date went well!
  8. Attending a charity event is indeed a different experience than showing up for a regular dinner reservation. Or is it? I would hope to receive a high level of service no matter what the circumstance. Hope you have a chance to elaborate on some of the other venues. I'm especially interested ALEX, DANIEL BOULUD, TABLEAU AND BARTOLOTTA as we have reservations at all of them. Was the charity event a huge success?
  9. ***That' not good to hear especially as Steve Wynn as stated in interviews that a HIGH LEVEL OF SERVICE TO GUESTS was a top priority. I have reservations at several of the other restaurants and sure hope I doin't find THAT type of attitude....wowee!
  10. OK I LIKE the idea of dressing up once in a while and my husband has a special " restaurant jacket" that we always take along especially during warm-weather travel. It's light, comfortable and he can wear a short-sleeve shirt beneath it and get into any restaurant that "suggests" or requires a jacket. Geez, frankly I don't enjoy dining in a high-end restaurant where the servers are better dressed than half the customers. Yes, there are of "tons of other restaurants" but I would be hard put to come up with anything that comes close to French Laundry or a handful of others in the U.S.
  11. Vegasreporter...really looking forward to reading about your impressions. I've yet to come up with a few ideas for lunches. Asian food (unless very creative/contemporary isn't my favorite) so I'm hoping for a couple of suggestions. As you can see by my list...we eat BIG at dinnertime, so lunches tend to be on the light side. Thanks for your comments!
  12. Places I love include: Brasa Cascadia Lampreia Zoe I've experienced consistently great food, service and atmosphere at all of these. If money is no object you might want to consider Mistral or Rover's. Enjoy your trip!
  13. ***We have reservations at: ALEX along with a few others...anxious to hear a report from you friend as to what tasted best on the menu. Thanks Wendy...you're always on the cutting edge!! Foodie-Girl
  14. Scott Carsberg - Lampreia, Seattle ***I'll second that vote. I think his food is amazing and the service/atmosphere first class
  15. Yeah, sometimes I just don't get how people can have such different experiences. 3 trys at Union and all have been disappointing in one way or another. Yet, EVERYONE here loves it. Our $25 dinner at Zoe was great...service,food...all terrific. We're going back on Mon. Same with Cascadia...we love it...and no mention in Seattle Mag. 'tis a mystery.....
  16. I'm only sorry it took us three years to "discover" Zoe. It's a gem and we'll definitely make our next visit on a Monday night to take advantage of the 1/2 price wine!
  17. Thanks, vegasreporter. Gee, I'm a little surprised that ALEX isn't going to be a bit more "dressy". I had imagined it to be similar to LeCirque.
  18. Isn't "boycotted" a bit harsh? I hope my posts clearly conveyed MY opinion that the cost seemed excessive relative to what a diner would actually be receiving. For some, meeting Thomas Keller is well-worth the price of admission alone. I can understand that. But the whole package (venue/style of cuisine/meeting Chef Keller/cost) just didn't compute for me. That said, I hope you have a great evening and report back (-:
  19. ***OK vegasreporter, for starters: What do you think of my choices for the dinners? Do you have any thoughts for restaurants for lunches? Will any of the restaurants require coats/tie? (this is not a problem, just need to know if my husband will need to bring)
  20. Yes, very pretty website but some menu info. would be helpful. With what I've read I think our choices will be: Bertalotta Ristorante di Mare, Tableau, Alex and Daniel Baulud for dinners. I have no idea which, if any of the restaurants will be open for lunch so I guess I'll have to wait a bit..unless VEGASREPORTER has the scoop?
  21. ***Which is why we're going the latter part of June rather then the moment the doors open as we did with Bellagio.
  22. ***Tick, tick, tick...I'm patiently waiting for the Concierge line to open so we can start booking dinner reservations for our June visit. 5 nights...YUM can't wait to see if they post a menu or two on their website before too long.
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