Posts Tagged ‘todd english’
Okay, back to the fourth and final installment of our 10th anniversary trip to Las Vegas in early September. (Read Part I; Part II; Part III) The last two places we ate at were Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill at Caesar’s Palace and Yellowtail at the Bellagio where we were staying. Mesa Grill was on the list before we left home, and we were both really looking forward to eating at one of our favorite celebrity chef’s restaurants. So was it good? Yes, the food was excellent as we thought it would be. We started with the Squash Blossom appetizer. They were very good and disappeared quickly. (We love these and always get them at any restaurant that has them.) For dinner I ordered the Fire Roasted Veal Chop with horseradish maple glaze and a wild rice tamale with sage butter. The veal chop was perfectly cooked and so tender; and the horseradish maple glaze was really good, a little heat and a little sweet – just right and not overpowering on the veal. It was wonderful. The wild rice tamale however was really dry, I did not finish it. Pete’s entrée was the Southwestern Spiced Duck Breast with carrot habanero sauce and a chorizo & goat cheese tamale with thyme butter. He said the duck was very flavorful and good, but it was a tiny bit dry and could have used more sauce. The chorizo & goat cheese tamale was much better than mine; he said he could have eaten another one. We enjoyed the food but there was something missing from the overall experience; the ambiance felt like that of a chain restaurant and frankly we felt a tad rushed through the dinner by the servers. Who, by the way, were very nice but a bit cold at the same time. Would I eat at Mesa Grill again? Probably not.
Our final meal in Las Vegas was at Yellowtail in the Bellagio hotel where we were staying. I have to say that this restaurant and Olives, both in the Bellagio, were our favorites of the entire trip. We started with the Big Eye Tuna Pizza, a thin almost cracker like “pizza” drizzled with truffle oil and topped with big eye tuna and micro shiso – it was fantastic! Pete also ordered Akira’s “Shooter” – a Kumamoto Oyster in Blueberry Infused Vodka with Wasabi. I didn’t order one because I don’t like oysters, but the blueberry vodka in that shooter smelled so amazing I doubt I’d even taste the oyster. Pete said Akira’s “Shooter” is probably the best oyster dish he’s ever had! Next we ordered a Strawberry specialty roll (spicy tuna & cucumber), a Soft Shell Crab roll (a must have for me at any sushi restaurant!), an Unagi roll (another must have, we both love eel!), and a Yellowtail Kampachi sashimi plate with cilantro and yuzu-soy sauce. Every dish was gorgeous, as well as being a wonderfully balanced harmony of flavors and textures, and the restaurant itself had a great ambiance. The lighting was very nice, dim but not too dark. The decor is modern and yet traditional Japanese; minimal and artistic. The wait staff was very attentive and pleasant. Oh, and I almost forgot the piece de la resistance of the entire meal was this fabulous custom cocktail they have called a Shiso Sunset – Absolut Mandarin vodka, pink grapefruit juice, and blood orange juice with a shiso leaf garnish. (Shiso is the Japanese word for Perilla, an annual herb in the mint family whose taste is similar to that of mint or fennel.) Let me tell you this is one great cocktail; it’s my new favorite drink. A few days after we returned home our server, Carol, sent us a thank you card – how sweet! Yellowtail was a great dining experience and we would eat there again in a heartbeat. It was a terrific way to spend our last evening in Las Vegas!
Our first dinner was at Todd English’s Olives inside the Bellagio hotel where we were staying. The restaurant had a great ambiance, and perfectly dim dinner lighting. (I think lighting plays a huge part in a dining experience, and good lighting is always a treat that I appreciate.) This was where Pete had a fabulous Salmon BLT (pictured at left) and I had the Sea Scallops with wild mushroom risotto and spinach. The Salmon BLT was so pretty, and Pete said the fish was perfectly cooked. He also really enjoyed the flavorful heirloom tomato, much different than the unripe tomatoes we get in B.F.C., and the apple wood bacon was the perfect topper. My scallops were also perfectly cooked, tender and moist, and the wild mushroom risotto was delicious. I have not had a good risotto since I worked in West Hollywood and was eating at all the wonderful restaurants in the area. It made me remember how much I like risotto, when it is made correctly, and mushroom has always been my favorite. The spinach was slightly wilted and tossed in champagne vinaigrette; it was wonderfully light and fresh tasting.
The next day we took a drive through Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, about 20 miles northwest of the Strip. It’s a 13 mile scenic loop, and costs $5 to enter but it is well worth it if you have never been there before. Of all the rocks I have seen and taken photos of I have never seen rocks like these before. We stopped at the first view point where the sign was to find out what these rocks were all about. It turns out that about 180 million years ago the area was one of the largest sand dunes that has ever existed on earth, and covered almost the entire Southwest. Over time underground water washed away the red color and left calcium carbonate, turning the sand into rock. The plant life was also very interesting; desert plants that look like they lived under water at one time and even pine trees in one area of the park. Pete and I both really enjoyed the time we spent at Red Rock Canyon, where I took lots of photos of rocks that you can see here, but we were getting hungry so we headed back into town and had lunch at a local sushi restaurant called Yama Sushi. It was really good; we especially enjoyed their house special Harry Potter roll. There were other great names like Hand Job, Who’s Your Daddy, Happy Ending, and Strip Tease! (I’m not kidding, just take a look at their menu.) They also had a yummy spider roll (soft shell crab), and an excellent unagi roll (barbequed eel). Mmm, makes my mouth water just writing about it. Okay, I have to stop now. Next up: Mesa Grill and Yellowtail.
