Hello? Hello? Anyone there? *taps mic*
Can't just be me reporting on the Las Vegas food scene. @David Ross any more forays into our indulgent city? I'd hate for this thread to die.
A welcome change of life events for me, I eat out more often now, as a single-diner. Life is too short and this city offers to many edible delights, so I've been eating out at least once a week. The upside is I get to report on the restaurant scene, something I fell out of habit doing around two-years ago.
This week was Momofuku at the Cosmopolitan.
A few thoughts before my review, so you know where I'm coming from: Momofuku is an East Coast phenomenon. While New Yorkers were slurping up ramen and baos, we, on the West Coast, were chowing on Father's Office hamburgers and Koji tacos. The similarity being they were all created by Korean-American "celebrity" chefs. I've seen David Chang on social media and, more than once, screamed at the television at him. I don't really get his "schtick" but he seems to be the darling of the hipster food-scene in New York and beyond. I disagree with his love for Dominoes pizza and Taco Bell.
Well, Chang has no such rep here, it seems the "cool" thing to do is bash Momofuku and Chang and whatever he's doing out here. He once said Palace Station's Oyster Bar was his favorite place to eat in our norm-core city. That didn't win him any foodie creds with us but it did win John Curtas an article of the year.
So, I dutifully walked into this place, dutifully reporting that I hated it..... NOT. Momofuku blew my mind, I knew I should always trust my fellow eGulleteers, this place was awesome.
I don't eat a lot, so I can't post vast pictorials of elaborate meals, but what I had was amazing.
I started with a Spring Fling, cocktail made of vodka, stawberry, rhubarb, cinchona, $16. This was delicious, light (maybe a bit too light) and fruity. It was served in a wine glass, like a craft wine cooler, but in a good way. The rhubarb added an unusual tart note and the cinchona made it all interesting.
Next, I got the Shoyu Pork Ramen (pork belly & shoulder, slow poached egg), $17. This just blew my mind. Now this is ramen. Everything about it was good, the pork belly was delightfully unctuous, the pulled pork flavorful (put my pulled pork to shame), the broth smoky, and noodles were perfectly chewy. All this for $17! It was almost the same price as a slice of birthday cake! Anyone who says they had better ramen in our town needs to have their taste buds examined. And we have awesome ramen in our town, but they just don't compare. This was the best ramen I've ever had.
Lastly, I got the famous birthday cake to go. It was mediocre in every way except the price, $14 a slice. Skip. Wasn't a complete loss, I finally got to say something bad about Momofuku. Whew, do I gain membership in the jaded foodie crowd?
Overall, Momofuku is a winner in every way: food, price, service. I love it. Definitely made it into my rotation. Actually, I can't wait. What am I doing tomorrow?
