LAS VEGAS

If gluttony is a mortal sin, then to dine in Sin City is to dine well. My first trip to Vegas might have been for work, but my true goal was to eat well, eat often, and eat a lot. I absolutely succeeded in that goal, and through the good, the bad, and the expensive I experienced some of the Vegas greats. I won't bore you with the details of how I got to each place, but prepare to experience a 5 day extravaganza of food and drink second to none.

Planet Dailies at Planet Hollywood Towers:
Upon arriving to the Las Vegas Hilton I stopped by the Sports Deli to grab a Cuban sandwich before heading to the trade show to set up (it was no Kuba Kuba, I can tell you that). I met up with some co-workers to begin the booth, but by around 10 we were famished and decided to try a late-night spot for drinks and nibbles. The VIP lounge attendant suggested Planet Dailies at PH Towers, so we headed over there where I promptly knocked back a few rum and cokes to soothe my caffeine cravings while also achieving the higher purpose of forgetting my problems. Michel decided that dessert was in order, and with reassurances that he would definitely not leave hungry he ordered the monstrosity you see below:

Part cookies, part brownies, 3 scoops vanilla, 2 scoops chocolate, 100% delicious. Between 3 of us we finished about half before our bellies were strongly protesting the sudden excess of lactose. Let's just say it was worth it. As you can see, Michel is obviously impressed.


Benihana at the Las Vegas Hilton:
The second night was an entire group event, and someone suggested Benihana despite my protests that you can eat Benihana anywhere! Let's eat somewhere classically VEGAS! I was outnumbered, however, and the convenience couldn't be argued since it happened to be in our hotel. The service was pretty mediocre-to-bad, but I'm still a sucker for the little show they put on. I like to be entertained while eating. Since it wasn't on my dime, I started with the Sashimi sampler, and soon followed with the 3 S's: Sapporo, Steak, and Shrimp. I didn't bother with pictures of the main course (yes, Benihana is always good, but everyone knows what their shrimp and steak look and taste like. Not too much innovation there). I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the sashimi- definitely a B+ grade. Not the best, but for a chain certainly nothing to sneeze on.


BLT Burgers at the Mirage:
First day of the show! Months of planning, lots of money spent, spilling blood, sweat, and tears- the efforts were finally realized once the show opened. What better way to celebrate a long-awaited kickoff then by getting hot, steaming piles of beef? Since the Mirage is right across the street from the Venetian (where the expo was held at the Sands expo center), we toddled across the street to enjoy some famous burgers at BLT Burger. Without calories in mind, I ordered an All-Nighter milkshake (Kahula, Bailey's, Espresso, and Coffee Ice Cream) with a BLT Burger + Vermont Cheddar and "fat fries" (from options of skinny, fat, waffle, or sweet potato- excellent!) Let me just tell you something. When you've had a long, hard day that you have worked towards for a LONG time, there is NOTHING like having the first sip of an alcoholic milkshake, followed by a bite of one of the best gourmet burgers in the country. The All-Nighter was one of the best things I've ever put in my mouth, and that's not even a sexual joke. The burger had only the best ingredients, was cooked to perfection, and the fries were not too salty, not too soggy, and had a great flavor. These guys obviously know what's up.








Tintoretto at the Palazzo:
Ashton arrived just in time to meet me for a late lunch, and we had Italian on the brain. Since we were at the Venetian, I wasn't surprised to hear they had at least 5 possible restaurants, so we figured we'd stroll by them all and wait for one to jump out at us. Tintoretto seemed to have it all, "patio" seating (the confusion of time and environment in Las Vegas is a constant sensation that I don't know if I would EVER get used to), good prices, fast service, and a tasty-looking menu. I started with a Caesar salad, which had a really great dressing. Halfway between a cream and vinaigrette, fresh croutons, crisp lettuce- I'll give it a B+ for deliciousness.


I didn't hesitate to order the calamari to start. I love squid and eat it almost every chance I can get. This was lightly fried, with a pretty normal marinara dipping sauce. It's not hard to make calamari (or anything fried) taste good, so I'll give it a B- for already being delicious, but Tintoretto not doing anything to make it more so.


There were a few pasta dishes I was deciding between (also the pizza, which looked incredible), but I ended up going with the ravioli in a vodka sauce. It was the perfect portion, and the fresh Parmesan brought was the best part of it. The sauce was nice, nothing spectacular, and there was more of a focus on the actual ravioli than what it contained. Granted, it was good pasta, but nothing you couldn't get from the grocery store.


Ashton got the Brie-Spinach-Tomato panini, which I can only praise. The Brie was second to none, the bread was crisp and perfectly flavored, the spinach was cooked wonderfully, and everything melted together for a marriage of flavors that were delicious to experience. I'm fairly certain that the man-statue standing directly across the piazza from us scaring children and winking at women made the meal even better, though.


Sushisamba at the Venetian:
I had been craving sushi for some weeks now (it's an expensive food to like!), and since the sashimi "sampler" at Benihana wasn't exactly a pile of fish, we decided to go to Sushisamba at (where else?) the Venetian. I'd heard seriously good things about the Japanese-Peruvian-Brazilian fusion, and since it was our last night in town we decided to throw caution to the wind and go balls out. I'll give it an A+ for atmosphere and service, an A for innovation, but overall a B for general taste. I had a few good, a few bad, and a few simply yummy dishes. However, what REALLY drew me in was the SUSHI BAR. It was tantalizing to be sitting only a few inches away from the piles of sashimi, and it took all of my strength to not break the glass, brandish a knife, and cut my way into heaven.






Our waiter was superb and offered lots of recommendations, including the Japanese "Sawagani" river crabs, which were fried whole and sprinkled with rock salt and served with lemon. The gimmick definitely outweighed the flavor, but the crunch outweighed it all. It wasn't terribly interesting to eat, but to look at was great!






Another recommendation was the Yellowtail sashimi app with jalapeno and lemongrass. The sauce was supposed to be the key part of it, and it was. The lemongrass was somewhat the overwhelming flavor, but the jalapeno ends the bite. Simple, fresh, three solid flavors melded into one. A great dish.


I LIKE sushi rolls, but if I'm really in the mood I tend to stay away from them in favor of just straight up fish. Why bother with all the rice and filler when all I REALLY want is sashimi? Still, the Capoeira roll caught my eye, so we snagged one of those as well. Softshell crab, avocado, boston lettuce, scallion, and chipotle sauce melded together for a very fresh and warm roll that was pretty okay. The chipotle and crema dipping sauce served on the side was so spicy that a minor amount completely dominated the entire roll, but with the warm unagi sauce as another option it flourished. The end pieces contained the fried limbs of the crab, and the fried taste was the entirety of the bite. All in all, this was good. Not great. A little bland, over-fried, and depends too much on the sauce for flavor (but I'll give that saucier an A for his efforts).


Next up was the Sea Bass and Miso skewers with Peruvian corn. If you've ever been curious about the differences between Peruvian corn and perfectly respectable American corn, just keep in mind that size DOESN'T matter! It was larger, starchier, and a little sweeter than American corn, but was an interesting, fresh new flavor to me. Apparently it's very difficult to get fresh in the United States, but the owner or chef's brother (conveniently!) has a produce farm in Peru so they've got the direct source.
Niiice.
They marinate the sea bass for 36 hours in red miso paste, and then grill with butterscotch ice cream topping to create a sweet shell that provides a little tang and locks in the miso flavor while keeping the freshness of the fish alive. Ingenious. A delectable dish.


The Kobe beef appetizer was something that I especially wanted to get. Lightly seared otoro kobe beef, with warm Japanese mushrooms, ponzu gelee, and a truffled tofu crema. It was a fantastic variety of temperatures- cool beef, warm mushrooms, and room temperature crema delicately flowing on top. The gelee was apparent without adding an overwhelming spice, and the dish seemed to get sweeter with every bite. It was the most complex of the dishes, with a lot going on in the palate without becoming confused. A lot of light flavors melded together perfectly for a great dish.


Since we were such excellent, enthusiastic patrons, our superb waiter brought us an after-dinner treat to keep us talking sweet. Our choices were banana or mango, and we selected banana and eagerly awaited what might follow. The presentation was the best of the night, and the dish was perfect in its own right. One "taco" provided 3 small bites, exactly enough to get a sweet taste without getting stuffed. A honey crust enveloped a candied banana drizzled with homemade chocolate and finished with a smattering of dulce de leche. Light flavors, light snack. Perfect end to a great meal.



Thomas Keller's Bouchon at the Venetian:
Thomas Keller is like a modern day Michaelangelo that cooks. A classic in his own realm, a god in the kitchen, known worldwide for his emphasis on FRESH. Going to his French Laundry in Napa is a dream unfulfilled for me, but this was a fantastic opportunity to sample his cuisine in a brasserie setting.


I've only recently become a bloody mary drinker, but I spied one on the bar that just looked great. I ordered it spicy, and it came in a glass of absolute deliciousness. Even with stirring pretty heavily, the bottom of the glass ended up pretty salty, but in its entirety it was solid.


A mussel fanatic, I almost never visit a French restaurant without getting some mussels. The only ones on the menu here were the standard white wine/garlic, so we ordered a dozen of them and this is what came:

Obviously not a dozen. Our waiter was, for lack of a better term, crappy. He was completely unsure of himself, took a VERY long time to do anything, and I get it. Brunch gets busy. Don't think I don't sympathize, but this was pretty bad. Anyway, once the runner dropped off the mussels and the waiter didn't come by for some time to see if they were all right, we just figured we needed to eat them ASAP. They were spectacular. Absolutely perfectly cooked, no empty or barely open shells, and the container was perfect for actually dipping the mussels into the sauce and sopping it up with the bread. I'd say they were in the top 3 of well-cooked mussels I've ever had, but they should definitely consider some innovation as far as the flavor goes. Classical French is understandable, but it IS 2009. Perhaps a red sauce? Just a thought.

Of course, what would an order of mussels be without their fries? They didn't come with aioli, or even ketchup, and either would have been welcomed. Lightly salted, but not fried enough. They tasted good, and I use that word as a generality. Anything fried with salt is going to taste good, but did it satisfy me? Eh.


The Bouchon French Toast came immaculately displayed, exactly the quality of simplicity and elegance that I had expected. Flaky, soft, perfect warmth and texture were melded in a tower of perfection. The first bite was pure ecstasy, nutty, with no overwhelming flavors- simply a harmonious union of textures and flavors. The thin sliced apples on the top provided the perfect crunch to match the brioche and custard layers which flaked beautifully the entire time. Top notch.




Ashton got the Tartine du Tuna, which looked great and tasted even better. This was no Chicken-of-the-Sea mayonnaise crap. This was wonderfully fresh tuna whipped into a spread and served open-face with chilled eggs, fresh lettuce, and kalamata olives on fresh baked levine bread with even more fries. If you are a tuna fan, I'd recommend it, but I prefer my tuna in steak or sashimi form, not the sandwich form. Just personal taste, but this was obviously a grade A catch.


All in all, I dined well, and came out exactly $1 ahead in slots. I'd say it was a win-win week.