I just had an amazing meal at Bazaar Meat, @Jose Andres place at SLS hotel. I've been reading about Andrés for years, starting in LA with The Bazaar, then with the extremely successful é by José Andrés and I finally got to visit Bazaar Meat, his version of a steakhouse. Life changing is all I can say. Why did I wait so long? The food was sublime, I never want to eat at another restaurant again. I think I'll starve for five days, save enough money, then eat here every five days. That's how good it was. It really opened my eyes to how food can be an experience and not about satiation.
Being a single diner, I ate at Bar Centro, which is not as formal as their dining area. They have happy hour from 530 to 7 (530 on the dot) but the prices were almost the same, the only big discount were the cocktails. They usually range $16-20, but during happy hour they are $8. I got the La Invencible (bols Genever, Amontillado sherry, PX sherry, bitters). It was dry, not very good on its own, but perfect with what I ordered, which were fatty tapas. Next time, I'd go with their house red, $8, which gets good reviews. I'm sure it'll be a perfect match for the various meat dishes they offer.
On to the food....
The dish pictured above is the Cotton Candy Foie Gras with crispy amaranth ($8). There is a piece of foie gras in the center. There was nothing but squeals of delight as I bit through the airy cotton onto a buttery, fatty piece of foie. It made for the perfect bite, a perfect adult treat.
Next was Andres version of Bagels and Lox ($6), a dill cream cheese topped with salmon roe in a crispy shell. A delightful bite, oozing with unami.
Reuben (corned beef, sauerkraut, Thousand Island, Swiss crema) was my favorite dish of the night. It's served inside an air bread, which isn't like bread at all, it's like a pastry shell, so when you bite into, you just get this lovely cheese mixed with the salty beef and the tangy sauerkraut. You can hardly taste the bread. For me, it was the perfect appetizer, delicious and unctuous, but not too filling. It went great with the harsh cocktail.
Freshest oysters in Las Vegas, delicious.
I also got the Croquetas de Jamon, (creamy bechamel). This was the only dish of the night I didn't care for. The only reason I got it was to taste jamon de bellata. As I've stated in threads before, I love country ham, or any derivative of, and jamon de bellata is suppose to be the best in the world. I was so excited to see it on the menu and try it. But the croquetas were so creamy and cheesy, I couldn't make out the flavors of the ham. It tasted like a croqueta that I could have anywhere. I don't know why the chef would make these so cheesy to disguise the taste of the ham? Oh well, they do serve jamon de bellata in other dishes, which I'm excited to try next time.
Overall, it was a superb dining experience, I'm going to say the best meal of my life. I am so happy with this meal, I was walking on a cloud of air the rest of the night. Even the horrible almond croissant I got at the hotel didn't deter my mood (and yes, I got the croissant because I was still hungry, but it was worth every penny). I can't wait to come back and eat in the formal dining area and try their meat dishes. They also have an impressive wine selection.
One of the best restaurants in Las Vegas, if not one of the best in the world.
