Tagged: Las Vegas

Country Club, Las Vegas

-  

The Country Club in Las Vegas is a hidden oasis in the middle of the desert.  The outdoor seating looked over a beautiful golf course and a waterfall.  It was breathtaking.  The setting made it very easy to forget that we were in Vegas with the crowded streets and the shoulder bumping we had to dot to get here.  It felt secluded, quiet, and tranquil: all the opposites of what Vegas should feel like.  All we needed now was a perfect meal to complement the moment, and it did and deserves a compliment.

The table ordered:

Appetizer:
- Shrimp Cocktail, classic sauce, horseradish and lemon.
- Red Beet and Carrot “Carpaccio” Horseradish-Beet, Micro Arugula, Olive Oil
- Caesar Salad, Classic Dressing Parmesan Crisp, Parmesan Cracker. (This salad was not very good. Very classic. Lacked the little compliments that a Caesar should have: Garlic)
- Sea Scallop Ceviche, Citrus Juices, Zest, Jalapeno, Mint, Red Chile Threads

Main Course:
- Brown Sugar Brined Pork chops, Fire Roasted Corn Succotash, Black Mission Fig-Bourbon barbecue Sauce
- Sesame Crusted Hawaiian Tuna, Shiitake Mushrooms, Yuzu Caviar , Ginger “Froth” Sauce, Soy Glaze
- Roasted Rack of Lamb, Mint Gastrique, Lamb Demi-Glaze

Side:
Mashed Potato, with spicy sausage. (Very, very good)

The plating was beautiful…look at the colors on that beet salad!  Did the chef break open a highlighter to get those colors? Did the The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test squat in my mouth?   I will be visiting this place annually.  I just hope it’s consistent and my poop doesn’t glow in the dark, all radioactive like.

Total cost was under $500. This includes drinks. Hey, it’s Vegas baby.

Mesa Grill, Las Vegas

Bobby Flay is the owner of Mesa Grill in Las Vegas.  I have followed Flay and quickly became a fan.  His cooking was bold, spicy and has a Mexican flare.  What else would expect from a 4th generation Irishman?  I had my doubts too.  But this leprechaun knows how to throwdown some mexican flavor in the kitchen.  Flay asked for an easy bake oven at the age of 8.  Flay dropped out of high school at the age of 17.   Early in his career he seemed abrasive and rough around the edges.  On one episode of Iron Chef, he climbed on  counter and then stood on his cutting board when he thought he won  against Chef Morimoto.  I’m sure he felt a little stupid when he learned he was defeated.  Like a true New Yorker he was not held back by embarrassment and social graces.  He later defeated Chef Morimoto in a rematch and then threw his cutting board on the ground again and climbed up on the counter.  This time in victory.  With this much confidence it was enough reason to eat at his restaurant twice.
Below is what the table ordered, predominately asian we treated this almost buffet style.

Appetizers:
-  Baby romaine lettuce with roasted garlic dressing, warm hominy croutons and a parmesan crisp.
-  Rough cut tuna nachos with mango habanero sauce and avocado crema.
-  Sophies chopped salad, with her special dressing and crispy tortillas

Main Course:
-  Sixteen spice chicken with tamarind barbecue sauce, red cabbage and jicama slaw.
-  Cascabel chile crusted rabbit with toasted cous cous, oyster mushrooms smoked red pepper sauce and queso blanco
-  Grilled lamb porterhouse chops with preserved serrano chili vingar sauce and chorizo.  with a goat cheese tamale topped with cilantro butter.
- Side dish of creamed corn, with achiote manchego cheese with cilantro and lime.  Its not on the menu so be sure to ask for it.  It was the most memorable of our meal.

And now the break down.  We had reservations… and still had to wait 25 minutes to get seated.  Not a good start.  I was getting worried that my second experience at this restaurant was not going to equal my first experience.  Unfortunately I was right…mostly.  The food had good flavor but it wasn’t bold and spicy like before.  In fact our waiter overheard us and brought us a spicy habanero chipotle sauce to put the bite back in the food.

The menu has not changed for the last two years.  Like most, I think the name is selling the food.  I will give this place another chance if the menu is updated and Bobby Flay brings back the heat.  If he doesn’t, I will stand on the counter and demand it, and then patiently wait for security to escort me out.

Lavo, Las Vegas

It’s always hard for me to find the right words to describe food when it’s really good.  Most of the time it’s because my mouth is full.  I love coming to Las Vegas.  It’s loaded with celebrity chefs and fine dining.  My first stop was Lavo.  I have eaten here before with co-creator Matt Harwood. It’s places like this that inspire us to replicate what we ate.

I started with a Caesar salad.  When the plate was in front of me I could smell the fresh garlic and the parmesan that was baked into a flat crisp.  You may fine this strange, but it’s actually difficult to get a good Caesar salad.  I always wonder…how does a salad get messed up so often?  Either the lettuce is not fresh, or the water is not shaken from the romaine lettuce and then it dilutes the dressing.  Sometimes it lacks the garlic bite you expect.  And the worst: too many anchovies are added, which causes the salad to be salty and smell like Atlantic City.  Not a good combo, unless I were a seagull.

Next appetizer was the Kobe beef meatball.  It’s large enough to feed four.  I ordered my own.  I wasn’t sharing.  This was the day that I earned my reputation of how much I could actually eat.  It was disgusting to watch me devour a meatball the size of a mini meatloaf.  It was moist, full of flavor, and the sauce was plenty.

My main course was the Vodka Penne Pasta.  The pasta was done right. The sauce was rich, but not too thick either.  It had the perfect color that comes when tomato is mixed with cream.  It had just the right amount of texture from fresh herbs, just enough courseness enough in the sauce.  Every bite was perfect.

The only thing that went wrong with this place was my camera.  It failed to take pictures and I didn’t double check.