Tag: restaurants

Las Vegas … in food!

Ed & I braved the crowds and headed out to Las Vegas this Memorial Day weekend. We have to say, a big motivation was all of the great food we’ve been hearing about, and we decided it was time to make the trek. We are pleased to report that it definitely lived up to the hype – we were very impressed. We felt like we barely made a dent in all there is to offer there! Guess that means we’ve got reasons to go back!

MESA GRILL – CAESAR’S


We got right down to business shortly after arriving by hitting up Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill at Caesar’s. Ed & I are big Iron Chef America fans, and we have watched – and salivated, over many dishes we’ve seen Bobby “throwdown” on TV. With his specialty southwestern style cooking, he creates a lot of what our Southern Californian palates crave … bold, spicy flavors and ingredients like chiles, avocados and beans. We were really excited about having lunch at Mesa Grill, and weren’t disappointed.

We began with the Tiger Shrimp + Roasted Garlic Corn Tamale with Corn-Cilantro Sauce. This appetizer tasted just as good as it sounds! We were so eager to gobble it up, that we forgot to take a photo first! Delightful in every way.

The menu all looked so good, that Ed and I opted for the Prix Fixe Lunch. We ordered opposite selections from each other so we could (literally) try it all! Here’s how it all went down:
First Course:
Green Pea + Green Chile Soup
Crispy Serrano Ham + Mint-Cumin Crema
OR
Blue Corn Pancake
Barbecued Duck + Habanero Chile-Star Anise Sauce


Ed chose the Pea Soup, and this was the highlight of his meal. Even I had to admit it was incredible, and I am not usually a fan of Pea soup! How it had so much flavor was beyond me … this dish was a 15 out of 10. Perfection.


I chose the Blue Corn Pancake with duck. It was very bold, and extremely flavorful … but ended up being a little rich for my tastes.

Second Course:
Pulled Pork Sandwich
Chipotle-Molasses BBQ Sauce, Cole Slaw + Bread and Butter Pickles
OR
Grilled Sea Scallops
Blue Corn Tortilla, Avocado Relish + Jalapeno Pesto


Ed chose the Pulled Pork. We’d have to say it was a little light on the chipotle, and a little heavy on the molasses … it was very sweet!

I chose the Scallops, and this was so delicious I don’t even have words! Actually, I do: JALAPENO PESTO. Yes, please!!!

The third course was an espresso flan … we spaced and didn’t get any pictures of that one! All in all, Bobby didn’t let us down. Our lunch was fantastic!

TAO – THE VENETIAN


On Friday night, we visited Tao at The Venetian for one of our favorite cuisines – Asian Fusion. The menu is very inticing, and the decor is incredible! It was extremely dark, and my pics didn’t quite turn out … so I “borrowed” a few from the web:
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As you walk in, the entryway is lined with bathtubs filled with rose petals and water … true rose water!
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We sat right in front of this super cool wall lined with backlit ancient opium pipes.
The food was amazing … we had a little of everything. Lobster wontons, Yakitori swordfish, asparagus tempura, kung pao chicken and a veggie roll. We’d say that the food was about a 8 out of 10 … but we enjoyed it immensely. The highlight was definitely the Lobster Wontons.

BEIJING NOODLE NO. 9 – CAESAR’S


The next day, we had an awesome lunch at Beijing No. 9, which is easily the highlight of our trip. It had it all … real, authentic chinese food that was fresh and not greasy! The noodles were hand made, the dumplings were hand rolled – it was casual, but stunning, all at the same time.


Hand made shrimp dumplings, and Ed’s chinese beer.

Okay … we went nuts over the decor of this place. We can’t help it, when it comes to a restaurant, the ambiance matters to us – and boy did this place have style. The entrance is lined with goldfish tanks … the walls and ceiling are covered in this lacquered white cutout pattern … and the hostess wears a 60s airline stewardess-type dress that’s orange. It’s AWESOME.


Needless to say, we fell in love with Beijing No. 9.

FIX – BELLAGIO

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Last but not least, our final hurrah was at Fix in The Bellagio. Fix is classic American food, done very, very well. We were drawn to look of this place of course, but once we peeked at the menu, we knew we had to dine there! We started off with Pineapple Mojitos, shared a delicious Rock Shrimp and Red Pepper appetizer with amazing chile sauce, and shared that evening’s special – a steak for two. It was awesome … the selection they gave us was cut so that half of it was porterhouse, the other half a filet mignon. With two sauces to choose from (a red wine reduction or white peppercorn), we had lots of options in how we wanted to enjoy our meat! But truth be told, it was prepared so deliciously, we didn’t even use the sauces. It was excellent. But there was absolutely no room for dessert after that one!

All in all, we’d say we are now completely satiated – this was hedonism at it finest, folks!

Hurley’s in Napa Valley

Ok…I’ll preface this by saying that this was easily the superior meal of the two dinners on this trip. Hurley’s ended up being directly across the street from Bardessono. I don’t know where to start…but wow!

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So the meal started off with the most awesome butternut squash and mushroom risotto. This was easily the best risotto I’ve ever had. And that’s saying something because I like risotto in general and I’ve certainly had some great ones. This one had a richness and slight saltiness to it that was very hearty, yet I never got the upset heavy food stomach that I usually get after eating a rich risotto. Bravo – this is a must-have for any risotto lovers who visit Napa.

The next course was equally memorable. The wilted spinach salad had sun dried tomatoes and a sherry bacon vinaigrette. Oh. My. God. I could have eaten two servings of this. I love spinach anyways, but the vinaigrette really did have this hint of bacony goodness that just made this salad come alive. Seriously, one of the best salads I’ve had in a very long time. That’s saying a lot considering our recent trips to Tender Greens.

And the third course? I chose the Oakwood Grilled Mid-Western Grilled Rib-Eye. It was truly a sorted steak, as the English might say. The meat literally seemed to dissolve on contact and was extraordinarily juicy. The creamy potatoes and leeks on the side were equally impressive. Creamy and rich, but not stomach-ache inducing. And the asparagus…perfectly cooked in what was obviously some very high quality EVOO. I wish I had a true foodie’s vocabulary to describe just how perfect this seemingly Plebeian dish was….its perfect execution made it sublime.

The dessert was a martini glass with pear and tangerine sorbets. Anyone who attended our wedding knows we’re a fan of yummy things served in martini glasses. The sorbets were a perfect palate cleanser…despite the heavy meal, I left Hurley’s in anything but a food coma.

I recommend Hurley’s to anyone visiting Napa. It just makes me know that Carrie and I are going to have to come back up here for a truly Epicurean weekend experience (hopefully with Wade and Brittany!). I just barely scratched the tip of the iceberg here!

Bardessono in Napa Valley

I got to travel to Napa Valley for the media launch of the new 2010 Toyota Prius. I can’t talk about the car yet as all photos and driving impressions are embargoed until next month, but I can definitely talk about the food! This review is the first of two – it’s the in-house restaurant at the Bardessono, an eco-chic hotel that just opened up earlier this month in Yountville, about 15 minutes north of Napa.

The hotel is fantastic. It’s modern, contemporary, and very, very green. It’s made of recycled and reclaimed materials, much of the power comes from photovoltaic panels on the roof, and there is all kinds of smart technology that keeps energy consumption at a bare minimum. Some of the power even comes from geothermal sources under the hotel!

Anyways, our press corps ate the first night at Bardessono’s restaurant. As you’d expect, almost everything in the menu is organic, and where possible, ingredients are locally sourced. I love this kind of stuff.

And what did we eat? Well, it was a set menu for us media. We started off with a Star Route Farm Salad. I forgot to take a picture because I was so hungry I forgot! Anyways, it was relatively simple with little gem lettuce, winter chicories, macadamia nuts, and a red wine vinaigrette, but the freshness was very apparent. I don’t know how else to describe it. It was truly refreshing and delicious.

So, the next course was my favorite: Hook and Line Atlantic Cod. It has a crispy skin, brandade (a puree of cod, milk, and olive oil), and was bathed in a lemon caper brown butter sauce. Oh yes. Melt in your mouth kind of delicious. Obviously not locally sourced, but who cares? It was the bomb. The skin added a nice crispiness without the sort of nasty fishiness that some fish skins impart. And that butter sauce was sublime.

The third course was Watson’s Napa Lamb. Regrettably, I ate most of it before I got around to taking the pic. It was braised in curry and coconut and had cocnut basmati rice on the side. I actually usually dislike lamb, and I would say this dish would have tasted great to the lamb lover. Again, the quality was apparent, but I just don’t like the gamey flavor. As you can see, I didn’t finish it. I lapped up everything else though!

Finally, dessert was a Chocalate Caramel Tart with a salted caramel ice cream. Wow. Caramel ice cream…. Not much I can say about it except that it truly was delicious. It really refreshed the palate after that lamb and finished off a great meal.

Tonight, we eat at Hurley’s Restaurant. Stay tuned!

Carrie’s Birthday Fun Day!

Today was Carrie’s actual birthday and we decided to celebrate in numerous and diverse ways. It was truly an action-packed day, starting off in Palm Springs and eventually ending up at Disneyland. All in all, it was a great way to ring another fantastic year in the life of Carrie Kim!

As you know, we stayed overnight at the Viceroy and relished its swankness. Our first stop this morning was the Parker Palm Springs to get the birthday girl (and her husband) all pampered up at the spa and for a crazy good brunch.

The Parker is an incredibly fun-loving homage to early ’70s style, designed by Jonathan Adler. The grounds themselves once belonged to Gene Autry, but after Adler’s revamp, it’s a pleasure palace that will make anyone who experienced the ’70s smile. Anyways, after getting rejuvenated in the spa, we walked over to Norma’s, the Parker’s in-house breakfast/lunch eatery.

As it was my wife’s birthday, I saw fit to wear a shirt showing my birthplace and year of birth!

We started off with these amazing crab cakes – some of the best we’ve ever had.

I had Norma’s Eggs Benedict, which had asparagus and pancakes instead of the usual English muffin. Carrie had Claw’s and Chip’s Gone Fishing, aka fried sea bass and lobster done fish & chips style. Wow.

But a birthday lunch wouldn’t be complete without a cake. So I had them bring out the big guns: Chocolate, Chocolate Ice Cream Cake. But I had no idea it would be THIS big! We barely made a dent in this giant thing! But it was unbelievably delicious.

What next? How about spending the rest of the day at Disneyland? So that we did. Since it was Carrie’s birthday, she got a button announcing the occasion…and since I was celebrating with her, I got one that said “I’m Celebrating!”

Here’s the birthday girl in front of It’s a Small World.

Carrie even got a picture with Mickey and Minnie!

What a fun day it was…I think we’ve decided that from here on out, we should always not work on our birthdays!

Happy Birthday, Carrie!!!

Pics from the whole birthday trip are here:

Palm Springs Weekend 2009

Dinner at Circa 59

So after we got fully settled into the Viceroy, we headed out to dinner at Circa 59, the restaurant in the newly remodeled Riviera. We pulled up to the Riviera, completely unprepared for what we were about to see!

In short, it was visually amazing, if ever so slightly slightly derivative. It’s a little bit Philippe Starck in its grandness and glamour, but no worse for it. It’s very impressive to look at, and very well thought out. It deserves to do well, and we hope it succeeds. Here’s the view as we pulled up:

Here’s me sitting on one of the fancy couches:

And here’s Carrie!

Some neat shots of the interior:

Our meals were OK…Carrie had salmon with a jalapeño pesto sauce, and I had red snapper with Spanish chorizo and shrimp. Both were pretty good, but not enough to knock your socks off.

In all, we’re glad we went as the Riviera re-opened in October and we love checking out the newest stuff, but we’d probably rate the food as a 3 out of 5. Definitely not bad, but lacking the sort of bang and innovation you’d expect from the sheer looks of the surroundings.

Still, we were plenty happy, as you can see here!

See the rest of the pics here.