Las Vegas and Phoenix

[docsconz]

I recently had the opportunity to attend a business conference in Las Vegas and extended my trip to Phoenix for a couple of days to visit some friends.

I arrived in Las Vegas on Friday afternoon too late for a full lunch but too hungry to wait for my late dinner at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon to not have anything, especially after traveling all day from the East Coast. Staying at the Wynn, I was looking for something light and found it at Red 8 Bistro, a Chinese restaurant located in the hotel just off the casino. I satisfied my need by ordering two dim sum dishes.

Fried pork and shrimp dumplings were tasty.

Steamed shrimp dumplings were flavorful though the wrappers were somewhat thick and chewy.

That evening I was finally able to hit one of the restaurants in the US that I have been most interested in trying, L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon and better yet, I was able to do it in the company of Ronnie_Suburban and his lovely family who happened to be visiting Las Vegas at the same time as me.

We arrived for an 8PM reservation (11PM my time) and were seated at the bar per our request.

The Menu:

Our view into the open kitchen:

The Bread:

I hate bad bread, especially in French restaurants. This bread, warm and crisp was delicious. I had to really restrain myself from eating too much of it.

We opted for the Discovery Menu and chose a wine that we felt would be interesting and likely go well with the bulk of the meal.

I have had Joly's more famous wine, Coulee de Serrant, a number of times but never this less expensive brother. It worked nicely even if it is not likely to be mistaken for its more illustrious kin.

L'Amuse-Bouche Honeydew gelee, peppered yogurt and prosciutto ham. This was a pleasant way to start the meal even though I found the balance a little too slanted towards the sweet for my taste. I have noticed a trend with many amuses tending towards the sweet, the most pronounced example in my memory being the maple syrup shooter at Cinc Sentits in Barcelona.

Le Thon Rouge Bluefin tuna with tomato infused olive oil. Nice quality bluefin simply prepared with good ingredients, there is nothing to not like, yet I didn't enjoy this quite as rapturously as I expected to.

The kitchen in action.

Le Langoustine Crispy langoustine fritter with basil pesto, this dish is everything it was cracked up to be - delicious! Though clearly not the same dish, it reminded me of a similar dish that I loved at L'Astrance in 2005. We added this course to the menu.

La Saint-Jacques Fresh Scallop cooked in the shell with seaweed butter. Yhis dish was beautiful and tasty.

Le Homard Maine lobster custard with curry scent and fennel foam - luxurious and decadent.

L'Asperge Verte cappucino of green asparagus - this dish was the essence of asparagus - marvelous.

La Morille Crispy tart with fresh morels, onions and bacon. Surprisingly, this was my least favorite course of the evening and the only one that I felt was seriously imbalanced being very salty. The underlying flavors and textures were fine, but the salt really overpowered this example.

At this point our neighbors at the bar got this dessert that took our attention.

Pouring the sauce over the orb caused it to fracture and release the cream on the inside like a flower opening to expose its seeds.

La Caille Free range quail stuffed with foie gras and served with truffled mashed potatoes. This dish was a great combination of luxe ingredients, decadent mouthfeel and great flavor.

L'Ananas Pineapple sorbet, passionfruit sauce and caramel mousse. Delicious.

Le Chocolat Chocolate sensation "creme Araguani" , Oreo cookie crumbs. This was good, but truth be told I am not a huge Oreo fan. I would have preferred just the creme.

We lingered awhile over our meal and outlasted most of the customers in the restaurant with us. Here are some photos from around the restaurant:

The meal was excellent and worth the price. I was surprised, though that it wasn't busier for a Friday night. I would return either here or in NYC.

[hshiau]

Wow! We were there at 7:30pm the same night sitting all the way on the inside of the bar. My wife and I had the tasting menu and my 10 yr old daughter ordered a spaghetti with tomato/basil (supposedly the best she's ever had). Besides the spaghetti, the only things we had that you haven't already covered are L'oeof (the egg cocotte topped with a light spinach cream), le veau (veal picaatta served with arugula salad), and the souffle I had for dessert.

I did take some pictures but yours put me to shame! I need to learn how to take better food pictures.

[docsconz]

Wow!  We were there at 7:30pm the same night sitting all the way on the inside of the bar.  My wife and I had the tasting menu and my 10 yr old daughter ordered a spaghetti with tomato/basil (supposedly the best she's ever had).  Besides the spaghetti, the only things we had that you haven't already covered are L'oeof (the egg cocotte topped with a light spinach cream), le veau (veal picaatta served with arugula salad), and the souffle I had for dessert. 

I did take some pictures but yours put me to shame!  I need to learn how to take better food pictures.

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By all the way on the inside of the bar, do you mean the side opposite the entrance that I photographed above? I'm sorry that we missed you! The egg wasn't on our Discovery Menu. The veal was but it was a choice between that and the quail. We chose the quail. Did you have the Discovery? How was the souffle and what was it like?

[hshiau]

By all the way on the inside of the bar, do you mean the side opposite the entrance that I photographed above? I'm sorry that we missed you! The egg wasn't on our Discovery Menu. The veal was but it was a choice between that and the quail. We chose the quail. Did you have the Discovery? How was the souffle and what was it like?

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Yes, we were as far into the restaurant as you could go...maybe because we had a child with us.

My wife replaced the tuna with the egg. She actually didn't like it that much. It's steamed inside the glass and had a mushy consistency that she wasn't crazy about. Luckily, I was there to finish it for her!

I also had the quail but my wife chose the veal. It wasn't quite as tender as I would have thought and was slightly oversalted (I thought). I enjoyed the quail much more.

Since my daughter wanted the chocolate sensation, I traded the one I had from the tasting menu with her for the souffle. I can't quite remember but I think it was almond and some kind of liquor. Very light and fluffy. I thought it was great but then again, I'm a huge souffle fan. To me, there's no such thing as a bad souffle.

[docsconz]

By all the way on the inside of the bar, do you mean the side opposite the entrance that I photographed above? I'm sorry that we missed you! The egg wasn't on our Discovery Menu. The veal was but it was a choice between that and the quail. We chose the quail. Did you have the Discovery? How was the souffle and what was it like?

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Yes, we were as far into the restaurant as you could go...maybe because we had a child with us.

My wife replaced the tuna with the egg. She actually didn't like it that much. It's steamed inside the glass and had a mushy consistency that she wasn't crazy about. Luckily, I was there to finish it for her!

I also had the quail but my wife chose the veal. It wasn't quite as tender as I would have thought and was slightly oversalted (I thought). I enjoyed the quail much more.

Since my daughter wanted the chocolate sensation, I traded the one I had from the tasting menu with her for the souffle. I can't quite remember but I think it was almond and some kind of liquor. Very light and fluffy. I thought it was great but then again, I'm a huge souffle fan. To me, there's no such thing as a bad souffle.

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I'm glad wwe did what we did, although I think some of the better desserts may not have been on the Discovery menu. The souffle sounds great.

One thing I really liked about their format is that not everyone in a party had to order the tasting menu like in most restaurants. Ron and I each had the Discovery while his family ordered ala carte.

[hshiau]

I'm glad wwe did what we did, although I think some of the better desserts may not have been on the Discovery menu. The souffle sounds great.

One thing I really liked about their format is that not everyone in a party had to order the tasting menu like in most restaurants. Ron and I each had the Discovery while his family ordered ala carte.

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Agreed. They were great with substitutions and I've heard they'll even let you share a tasting. I wish more restaurants would be flexible. I would definitely order more tasting menus if the whole table didn't have to.

This was also our 10 yr old's first experience with what I consider fine dining so I was glad it was a bit more casual and fun. She had a great rapport with both our server and the general manager.

[docsconz]

I'm glad wwe did what we did, although I think some of the better desserts may not have been on the Discovery menu. The souffle sounds great.

One thing I really liked about their format is that not everyone in a party had to order the tasting menu like in most restaurants. Ron and I each had the Discovery while his family ordered ala carte.

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Agreed. They were great with substitutions and I've heard they'll even let you share a tasting. I wish more restaurants would be flexible. I would definitely order more tasting menus if the whole table didn't have to.

This was also our 10 yr old's first experience with what I consider fine dining so I was glad it was a bit more casual and fun. She had a great rapport with both our server and the general manager.

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I agree that this restaurant would be a great introduction for the culinarily adventurous child. It is relatively relaxed and not too far out of the experience of most children who are accustomed to dining at less lofty locations.

[Chris Amirault]

John, did that green asparagus cappucino include shavings of parmigiano reggiano? If not, what is that?

[hshiau]

I agree that this restaurant would be a great introduction for the culinarily adventurous child. It is relatively relaxed and not too far out of the experience of most children who are accustomed to dining at less lofty locations.

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Since my daughter had a spaghetti, I can't say that she was particularly adventurous but at least she didn't get ants in her pants during the 2 hrs we were there. I did have her "taste" just about everything.

John, did that green asparagus cappucino include shavings of parmigiano reggiano? If not, what is that?

That was indeed parmigian.

[Swicks]

Great report John.

They seem to have changed the Discovery menu almost completely from when I was there in Spetember, which is definately a good thing, that looks like a very interesting and of couse delicious menu.

[docsconz]

My purpose in going out to Las Vegas was to attend a Professional meeting, which happened to be quite good. The first day of the meeting was Saturday. After the full morning session we had a break for lunch. Given BryanZ's high praise, I took a cab over to Mandalay Bay to check out Border Grill to try one of my favorite cuisines - Mexican. I was seated outside overlooking the pool area on a beautiful day. The menu was extensive, but I was only one person so I had to take a stab at a very limited sample of what they had to offer.

The totopas were ok, but just standard. The salsas were somewhat thin and disappointing. One of them was basically tomatoe paste. The sad thing is that it was probably my favorite of the bunch, the others being chipotle and salsa verde.

I ordered soft tacos of carnitas for my lunch, but this proved to be fairly disappointing as well other than the creamy refried beans. The carnitas were surprisingly dry and lacking in flavor while the rices were very dry without having the bottom of the pan crispy goodness.

Clearly, this is way too small of a sampling for any real judgment on the quality of the restaurant, but the experience did not make me forget Topolobampo/Frontera Grill or The Red Iguana.

[Bu Pun Su]

Great pictures and review Docsconz.

If I'm not mistaken, the price in L'Atelier Vegas is at least USD 50 cheaper than the one in NY? Did you get the chance to ask or it's simply NY, and hence should be more expensive ...

I'm supposed the menu should be the same (or very similar) between L'Atelier NY and Vegas? Did you experience any differences when eating at Vegas vs the one in NY? Thanks

[docsconz]

Great pictures and review Docsconz.

If I'm not mistaken, the price in L'Atelier Vegas is at least USD 50 cheaper than the one in NY? Did you get the chance to ask or it's simply NY, and hence should be more expensive ... 

I'm supposed the menu should be the same (or very similar) between L'Atelier NY and Vegas? Did you experience any differences when eating at Vegas vs the one in NY? Thanks

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Thank you, Bu Pun Su. I haven't eaten at L'Atelier in NYC yet, so I can't specifically compare. I know that there are at least a few dishes including the langoustine that are on both menus. I suspect that there are more. It cost me around $200 for the Discovery Menu with a share of the wine, tax and tip. I'm not under the impression that dining in Las Vegas is less expensive than NYC though.

[Bu Pun Su]

Hi John,

The info from website below (eGullet NY discussion forum) shows that the tasting menu is USD 190. That's why I'm a bit confused with the price differences between LV vs NY

L'aterlier Robuchon NY

[docsconz]

Hi John,

The info from website below (eGullet NY discussion forum) shows that the tasting menu is USD 190. That's why I'm a bit confused with the price differences between LV vs NY

L'aterlier Robuchon NY

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Assuming that the food quality is the same, I would say that L'Atelier in Las Vegas is a relative bargain!

[docsconz]

By late Saturday afternoon my good friend molto e popped up from Phoenix to join me for a little dining. Our first stop would be dinner at Bouchon at the Venetian Hotel. To get to the restaurant one must follow directions to get to a separate elevator as if one was following a treasure map.

The lighting was less than ideal for intrepid food photgraphers, but we did our best!

The bistro meal started out well as excellent bread and butter were quickly brought to the table for the benefit of our hungry stomachs.

The oysters from the east and west coasts of Canada were so good that we ordered a second helping. The finest were from San Mateo Bay in B.C.

We split a terrine of duck foie gras - very tasty. The terrine was brought out quickly to warm up and soften a bit to make it easier to spread on the bread.

Another dish we had to try was the boudin noir with potato puree and sauteed apples. This was everything that we had hoped for.

I had the roasted chicken with French green lentils, pearl onions, bacon lardons and sauce Chasseur. By this time I was getting pretty full and this dish did not excite my taste buds sufficiently to re-arouse them. I would have liked the skin to be a bit crisper than it was.

I will let molto e describe his main course and the desserts....

[molto e]

This was my first dinner at Bouchon as I previously had enjoyed Breakfast on another trip. I enjoy my Bouchon cookbook so ordering was difficult because I wanted to see how the dishes that I love are prepared at the restaurant. Besides the menu items, there were a number of intriguing specials offered that evening. We started by ordering a dozen oysters that were a combination of a few different species. We both enjoyed one of the types so much even though we ordered three apps, another 6 of our favorite kind (I think St. Saimon out of New Brunswick) had to be enjoyed. The foie terrine was deftly prepared and served with the "soliders" and a little fleur de sel. The boudin noir with apples sauteed in duck fat, pommes puree and a drizzle of beurre noir is one of my bistro favs and I was not disappointed. The boudin noir had a little more zing than I have previous eaten but I enjoyed it. Up to this point in the meal, I was very satisfied and happy with the dishes that we were served. I choose the pork shoulder special for my entree after much deliberation as Doc ordered the chicken and I could have gone with either the lamb or monkfish cheeks but I was thinking some juicy swine was going to be delicious.

Pork Shoulder Special served with potatoes fried then roasted with duck fat(doc I stole your picture thanks)

The pork came out not quite to my liking, but after a wealth of appetizers this was not a big deal to me. I decided to leave much of the pork and to go after a number of desserts. I did not say anything to the waiter but after looking at me and the pork left on my plate he realized that I did not love it . He offered to get me something else or take it off the bill but that was not necessary.

Beignets

Chocolate Mousse (doc photo)

Profiteroles

I thought all the desserts were well done and we received the profiteroles as spiff because of the pork, which was very nice.

I would recommend Bouchon if you had the the bistro crave. I enjoyed the meal and would be happy to go back.

Edited April 12, 2007 by molto e (log)

[molto e]

I had room service at the Wynn for breakfast...the order came within the 30 minutes as promised, which at a casino hotel is not the norm. The breakfast was tasty so if in the Wynn then room service should be considered. I met Doc and "Teddy" at the Country Club at the Wynn for lunch, this was during the NCAA Tournament so I was "waiting" for Doc in front of the TV at the Country Club bar as he was seated outside on the patio overlooking the golf course and waterfall. Once I begrudginly found him outside the view and the weather made my desire to eat at the bar go away (well not actually but...). The menu at the Country Club for Breakfast looked great but I was on to Lunch so the choices are basic fare: salads, burgers, french dip, hot dog etc.

French Dip - prime rib, caramelized onions, mustard cream, gruyere, garlic bread, natural jus

I went with the french dip and their spin on it was tasty.

Black Angus Sirloin Burger with House-made Chips

Teddy went with the burger and the house-made chips.

Doc back to you...

[Mallet]

This was my first dinner at Bouchon as I previously had enjoyed Breakfast on another trip. I enjoy my Bouchon cookbook so ordering was difficult because I wanted to see how the dishes that I love are prepared at the restaurant. Besides the menu items, there were a number of intriguing specials offered that evening. We started by ordering a dozen oysters that were a combination of a few different species. We both enjoyed one of the types so much even though we ordered three apps, another 6 of our favorite kind (I think St. Saimon out of New Brunswick) had to be enjoyed. The foie terrine was deftly prepared and served with the "soliders" and a little fleur de sel. The boudin noir with apples sauteed in duck fat, pommes puree and a drizzle of beurre noir is one of my bistro favs and I was not disappointed. The boudin noir had a little more zing than I have previous eaten but I enjoyed it. Up to this point in the meal, I was very satisfied and happy with the dishes that we were served. I choose the pork shoulder special for my entree after much deliberation as Doc ordered the chicken and I could have gone with either the lamb or monkfish cheeks but I was thinking some juicy swine was going to be delicious.

[...]

Great report so far; I also cook from Bouchon fairly often and am looking forward to (eventually) tasting my favourite recipes at the restaurant. Could the oysters you enjoyed be the St.-Simon? My family actually makes those (website)!

[docsconz]

This was my first dinner at Bouchon as I previously had enjoyed Breakfast on another trip. I enjoy my Bouchon cookbook so ordering was difficult because I wanted to see how the dishes that I love are prepared at the restaurant. Besides the menu items, there were a number of intriguing specials offered that evening. We started by ordering a dozen oysters that were a combination of a few different species. We both enjoyed one of the types so much even though we ordered three apps, another 6 of our favorite kind (I think St. Saimon out of New Brunswick) had to be enjoyed. The foie terrine was deftly prepared and served with the "soliders" and a little fleur de sel. The boudin noir with apples sauteed in duck fat, pommes puree and a drizzle of beurre noir is one of my bistro favs and I was not disappointed. The boudin noir had a little more zing than I have previous eaten but I enjoyed it. Up to this point in the meal, I was very satisfied and happy with the dishes that we were served. I choose the pork shoulder special for my entree after much deliberation as Doc ordered the chicken and I could have gone with either the lamb or monkfish cheeks but I was thinking some juicy swine was going to be delicious.

[...]

Great report so far; I also cook from Bouchon fairly often and am looking forward to (eventually) tasting my favourite recipes at the restaurant. Could the oysters you enjoyed be the St.-Simon? My family actually makes those (website)!

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You are precisely right! Thank you as both Molto and I were scratching our heads to remember the specific variety. They were awesome and the best part of the meal!

[docsconz]

I had room service at the Wynn for breakfast...the order came within the 30 minutes as promised, which at a casino hotel is not the norm. The breakfast was tasty so if in the Wynn then room service should be considered. I met Doc and "Teddy" at the Country Club at the Wynn for lunch, this was during the NCAA Tournament so I was "waiting" for Doc in front of the TV at the Country Club bar as he was seated outside on the patio overlooking the golf course and waterfall. Once I begrudginly found him outside the view and the weather made my desire to eat at the bar go away (well not actually but...). The menu at the Country Club for Breakfast looked great but I was on to Lunch so the choices are basic fare: salads, burgers, french dip, hot dog etc.

French Dip - prime rib, caramelized onions, mustard cream, gruyere, garlic bread, natural jus

I went with the french dip and their spin on it was tasty.

Black Angus Sirloin Burger with House-made Chips

Teddy went with the burger and the house-made chips.

Doc back to you...

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The lunch options at the Wynn were fairly limited. Country Club was ok, but certainly not worth going out of one's way for. I had a seared tuna salad. I didn't want to eat too much as we were planning a big meal that evening at Wing Lei.

[molto e]

Great report so far; I also cook from Bouchon fairly often and am looking forward to (eventually) tasting my favourite recipes at the restaurant. Could the oysters you enjoyed be the St.-Simon? My family actually makes those (website)!

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Loved the oysters, in fact I do not remember enjoying any as much! The next time that I am in Napa, I definitely will try Bouchon and Ad Hoc for that matter.

[molto e]

Details from our Sunday Dinner at Wing Lei can be found here.