Las Vegas Restaurant Week Part II: Events & Side Spot Suggestions - Feature
Diversity, as speculated is the name of the game in any cultural, or for that matter, culinary mecca. With Las Vegas quickly becoming a cornerstone city for many chefs and foodies alike, the evolution is based in new gastronomical forays for both the old and the young.
Las Vegas Restaurant Week, with its structure and reach across multiple venues does this with fixed price menus at wildly diversified experiences from Martorano's at The Rio to Steakhouse 46 at The Flamingo but also has respective events that blend different ideas to appeal to a more diversified selection of participants while reflecting the city's nightlife tendencies.
Centrality is key and lifted by its recent co-starring appearance in "The Hangover", Caesars Palace still waxes triumphant as the center of all things Vegas, its lofty and intensive rooms offering easy access to everything Vegas has to offer, especially as the events range citywide during Restaurant Week.
The Opening Night Event of Restaurant Week at Wet Republic at MGM Grand brought the possibilities of many participating restaurants around the reflecting essence of the central pool as dancers and mermaids alike sipped the delicious enticement of the many culinary delicacies at play.
Fiamma Trattoria [at MGM Grand] began the proceedings with a light but riveting Semolina gnocchi mixed with braised duck and black truffles giving a flirtatous but not overarching taste while Sage [at Aria] with its grilled corn and saffron soup lifted by a dollop of crab racheted wistful.Jean Georges Steakhouse (also located at Aria) continued in essence with a one/two punch of wonderful flavor befitting the paradox of its thought. Their short rib melted in the mouth with a requisite bite while their Alien Ginger Margarita, optimizing Hornitos Tequila, and simply paired refreshed with a gliding sinfulness that encouraged more.
Fleur de Lys [located at Mandalay Bay] offered a tart but viscerally smooth taste of Hiramasa sashimi but it was the nearby inference of Burger Bar with their inclusion Nutella burger that intensified expectations simply because of its experimental nature.
Leaving the party with the tart wisp of La Pina Colada with yogurt sorbet and pinneapple gelee straight from the hands of Chef Joel Robuchon perfectly reflected the intention as the Opening Party drew to a close.The second event "Tease In The Kitchen", held at Robuchon's L'Atelier [inside MGM Grand] some nights later, featured a live band with burlesque dancers integrating through the bar kitchen area with a sense of frivolity.Much smaller than the Republic function, its intimacy was much more personable in a lounge stripped vernacular as a tenor sax led quartet waxed cool.
Beginning with tomato-topped crisp melded with proscuitto, the different tastes served varied through the structure with filet mignon slider wandering in the mix with a signature tenderness that, while flavorful, fell short of the mark.
As the lithe movements of the dancers twirled and teased with skill, the next presented artisan style inherent in a langoustine plate distracted with its unusual possibilities wrapping shrimp with a thin rice paper reflecting in a sauce leaf creation that dazzled in its technique.The final event "A Night Of High Spirits" at Craftsteak reflected a more cocktail relevant structure with a less culinary-based bent.
The cocktail idealization most adequately reflected within the Black Cherry Fizz mixing Cruzan rum, Cointreau, lime juice and club soda which created a light persistence without too tart a taste.In terms of prevalent scotch, the Oban 14 served had a smooth countenance but underwhelming aftertaste while the Glenmorange 12 hit with a harder bite but with a less oak-raised pliability. However finishing the texture with a Havana bred cigar of Cuban seed, hand rolled with care, showed the artisan level bred true.While in Vegas, even during an event such as Restaurant Week, there are always effective culinary side trips with intensity and great bites that simply must be savored.Within CityCenter which rises like a lioness above the rest of the city, Crystals functions as the high-placed shopping experience as security guards rustle through its bright interior.
Tucked away on its second floor, the sprawling restaurant texture of Beso blends Mexican intonations with an uber-fine dining experience very close to the heart of its namesake: Eva Longoria.While its attempt at fusion works in certain structures and in certain kinds of experimentation, its culinary follow-through functions congruently only to an adequate measure to say nothing of the quick service which satisfied quite well.
Beginning with a Raspberry Beso cocktail which stimulated with its blend of Belvedere Black Raspberry, Briottet Cassis and lemon with a Red Bull float, the requisite mango gazpacho despite its smooth countenance suffered from a lack of thickness and intensive shrimp.
In congruence though, the Taquiera Tasting Plate encompassing three mini tacos with distinctly different ingredients (chili rubbed skirt steak, creamy lobster salad and tuna tartare) surprised with its visceral taste, despite an over-onset of spice.Progressing off the Blvd. into The Palms Fantasy Tower, just below The Playboy Club, Nove Italiano takes the slick structure of a venue like Beso and ups the ante with its sprawling multi-tiered feeling blending the lustful coolness of the upstairs arena with a modern Scarface beauty resolute in the confidence of itself without being overtly aware directly reflecting in both its cocktails and culinary progression.
In terms of mixology, the intention of the rife martini, bold and stoic, in the form of the Italian Stallion, mirrors the briskness of its ingredients (using Ketel One, salami cured olive juice and pepperoni blue cheese olives). However, it was the sheer floridness of the Pimmp's Cup mixing varieties of fruit within a dark jungle of taste (including Hendricks Gin) that vividly set the tone while the Pink Pussycat for the lady with Perrier-Jouet Brut and blood orange ice cubes seem to undeniably hit the spot.
To begin the dinner structure, a form of antipasti is always of good regard with the initial plate mixing cured meats, olives, walnut pesto and ciabatta to get the blood flowing while a chunky beautiful polenta rounded the curve leading into buffalo mozzarella pizza that melted in the mouth.
However the true standout in terms of the appetizer texture revolved in the grilled octopus mixing lemon and rosemary into a tasty journey which was not unlike a similar preparation at Los Danzantes in Playa del Carmen on the Riviera Maya just minutes away from Cozumel.
Heading into the main course, the grilled scallops ensconced in butter and surrounded by asparagus led with gusto (despite a formulaic preparation) while a hefty portion of lamb chops, seasoned with dexterity, leapt off the plate with a texture of fava beans and sicilian olive relish.
Again a single dish (much like the sirloin at Steakhouse 46 at The Flamingo) took the lead in the form of the Nove Spaghetti integrating multi flavor linguini with lobster, shrimp, crab, scallop and calamari in a luscious red sauce with just a wisp of basil.
Ending with no less style than the inlay, the strawberry carpaccio, in accordance with trending over town, uses the Italian-based, mostly integrated with various seafood to great effect, using chocolate sauce and whipped cream to pop the eyes and the pallette.Off Strip residing in Town Square just south past the airport on Las Vegas Blvd., Nu Sanctuary, by comparison, offers an anti-thesis to much of the Strip cuisine mentality pushing its culinary stylings inherently more experimental simply as a matter of course in both design, cocktails and ingredient elements.
As spoken by Z, one of the owners who was mixing beats with intensive coolness on the DJ platform, the structure of the actual space is based within the concepts of Dante's Inferno mixed with elements of the Tree Of Life. The trunk forms the core of the bar with the roots and cracks straining outwards leading to the wells outside composing into the lounge. Z sees this metaphor as leading into infinity which acts as a basis for the hookah pipes available which themselves are made out of wood trunks. An exceptional amount of detail registers true.
Cocktails function resolutely within this environment with a bit of creativity with The Ra having the most impact with its mojito similarities mixing Dragonberry Bacardi and infused blackberries allowing for a darker, lithe structure with a sense of feeling.
After an integration of honey dipped buns peppered with salt, a luscious corn soup with a prepared spoon thick with heavy crab meat and shitake mushrooms ushered a "dip-then-stroll" moment where the spoon submerges completely in the bowl. The resulting flavor rush permeates with utter tranquility.
A quartet of small dishes sampling the interweaving structure of the chef initially permeates with the beginning texture of a pierogi injected with cheese and topped with a dollop of caviar while a seared scallop floating in foam swirled while resting on a tasty bed of risotto.
Balanced on the reverse side, a smooth chicken slice hollowed with leaves of spinach mirrored a tender fliet, thinly sliced with a wisp of horseradish sauce, hiding the potato au gratin that sits in waiting offering a beautiful conclusion to the meal.While Las Vegas Restaurant Week offers events permeating a style of differential structure in terms of chef-defining food, other avenues such as Nove Italiano, Beso and new style eatery Nu Sanctuary offer interesting alternate fusion techniques that will satisfy both foodies and adventurers alike.