My co-pharmacist (a.k.a. Work Husband) is on vacation in Spain, so I had to deal drugs all by my lonesome last night after 2 am. I’m exhausted and hungry and sleepy, so rather than blathering on and on, I’m just going to post a bunch of photographs from our meal at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon when we were in Las Vegas last week for the 2013 Saveur Best Food Blog Awards. Geez. Was that really less than a week ago?
I’m going to let the pictures speak for themselves (mostly because I desperately need to pass out), but I’ll say two quick things about the experience:
Not surprisingly, the food and service were exceptional. This shouldn’t be a surprise; Chef Robuchon was named Chef of the Century by Gault Millau for good reason. Even though the kitchen is run by his Vegas team in his absence (I’m assuming the chef doesn’t spend much time out in the desert), the restaurant here (located in the MGM Grand) must make him proud.
It was a surprise, however, to see that the restaurant is situated right off the casino floor. The floor-to-ceiling windows at the front of the restaurant reveal row after row of flashing slot machines, and the wafting odor of cigarette smoke seeps into the restaurant unless the host is diligent about sliding the glass door shut. As a diner, if you happen to sit facing the back of the restaurant, your view is of a sleek, dark, high-end eatery punctuated with vibrant bursts of color. If, on the other hand, you’re seated near the front of the restaurant and facing the gaming floor, your view is of people losing their money at slot machines and shuffling past the restaurant in search of the restrooms.
We ordered the Seasonal Discovery Menu, nine small tastes of L’Atelier’s signature dishes. You’ll see 10 dishes below, but that’s because you have a choice of quail or steak and we got one of each. Almost everything was gluten-free, except for the desserts and the soy sauce in the quail dish. It was definitely a splurge meal and we savored every bite.
Okay, I’ve written enough. Here are the pics:
Foie gras parfait with port wine reduction and parmesan emulsion…
…Sea urchin on a delicate gelée and a cream of fresh peas and pennyroyal mint…
…Maine diver sea scallop, haricots verts and shimeji salad on a bed of sushi rice…
…White asparagus topped with prosciutto Parma Ham with a creamy butter sauce…
…Seared duck foie gras on a light spring onion coulis and Chardonnay vinegar…
…Amadaï cooked on the scales served with a tomato-saffron bouillon…
…Caramelized free range quail stuffed with foie gras, served with mashed potatoes…
…French style hanger steak with roasted shallot and shishito pepper…
…Mango mousse served with toasted coconut ice cream and almond cake…
…and Warm chocolate cake, crème de menthe sorbet and chocolate-mint crunch.
They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so by that measure, I’ve written over 12,000 this morning.
