A long post, overloaded with pictures.
They are all of food that we ate when we were at Vegas.
We took 6 hours to drive to Vegas.
Normally it would have taken 3.
Don't ask me how did we double the time.
Probably because we kept stopping at stations to use the restrooms.
Ate McDonalds and stuff.
We went to catch The Phantom of the Opera after changing to formal attire.
Then we went over to B&B Ristorante by Mario Batali, one of the Iron Chef for our late dinner.
Our first appetizer:
Grilled Octopus with 'Borlotti Marinati' and Spicy Limoncello
It was cooked to perfection.It really opened my taste bud.
It's a different way to cook and eat octopus.
The plate was clean within minutes.
Our main courses:
Alyssa's
Veal Chop with Roasted Cippolini, Pancetta and Spinach
First time trying veal and it was pretty good!
Medium-rare would be a better choice though :)
Spaghettini with Spicy Budding Chives, Sweet Garlic and One-Pound Lobster
Chuang's
Black Spaghetti with 'Nduja and Sicilian Pesto
A little kick to the dish since there are spices added to it.
& lastly, mine
Duck with Cherry Agrodolce and Bitter Greens
Dark Chocolate Torta
The duck was so good.
I hesitated for a moment because it came in medium, medium-rare.
And that was my first time eating duck cooked that way.
But it was filled with flavor that you just fall for in instantly from that first bite onwards.
It was awesomely delicious.
Side dish:
Charred Sweet Corn Fregula with Habanero and Mint
Corn, something that I really love to eat.
With a bit of spice added to it, what could you ask for more?
Gelati & Sorbetti: Pistachio and Raspberry
Not that heavy with cream, full of flavor...
Yum.
Dark Chocolate Torta
Chocolate, it was a little too heavy for me.
But the berries were sweet and great.
Eating both in one bite, sensational.
Overall - excellent dinner with everything cooked to perfection. A choice to dine at after a show since it closes a little later, service was good too.
Lunch at The Buffet at Bellagio:
Overall, it was a great buffet even though we didn't eat that much.
The service wasn't very good.
But nothing's going to bother me when I'm on vacation!
Dinner at Shibuya:
Appetizers:
Shibuya - Soft Shell Crab, Jalapeño, Topped with Spicy Albacore, Ponz
Yum, healthy yet satisfying.
Sushi!
"We saw something online...."
Kani Salad - King, Snow and River Crab, Pickeled Cucumber, Seaweed, Dry Soy, Lotus Chips
Light and delicate.
A really cute and fascinating presentation that we saw online.
Hence the sentence I wrote above.
That was what we asked the waiter, believe it or not.
He laughed.
Main Courses:
Alyssa's
Braised Kobe Short Rib & Seared Foie Gras with White Asparagus, Spicy Sweet Soy
The short rib was tender.
It was good. Didn't try the foie gras though.
Mine
Salmon and Black Cod - Pineapple Miso Salmon, Shiro Miso Black Cod
I didn't really like the pineapple along with the salmon.
But the cod.
Amazing, I'm not even kidding you.
It literally melts in your mouth once you get a bite of it.
It disappears but the flavors will float around.
Delish.
Chuang's
Japanese A4 Wagyu Striploin with Black Truffle Ponzu, Roasted Shimeji, Maitake Mushrooms
Tender, strong black truffle smell that comes along with it though.
If you don't like black truffle, like myself, you wouldn't really like this that much.
But it's a really great dish to try.
& Eric's
Black Angus Tenderloin with Japanese Mushrooms, Whole-Grain Mustard Ponzu
Simple but yums.
Overall: Shibuya didn't disappoint me even though we made them cook our dish a little faster since we were rushing for time. The dishes were really ... *thumbs up!*
Lunch at Mesa Grill:
Appetizers:
Crispy Bacon and Hashbrown Quesadilla with Fried Egg and Spicy Tomato Salsa
Those of you who know me, you know I dislike bacon.
But this dish, I didn't mind.
Can you tell how good it is now?
Tiger Shrimp, Roasted Garlic Corn Tamale with Corn - Cilantro Sauce
The only thing that I didn't like about this dish was the tamale.
Other than that, I can only say positive stuff about this.
Entrees:
Mine
Pan Seared Halibut with New Mexico Red Chilie - Curry Sauce Corn, Cactus, Lime and Cotija
It's not that bad, but the curry gets to you in a while and I felt kinda sick of eating it after a while.
Halibut was nice though.
Consumed too much corn for the day.
Alyssa's
Eggs and Aged Striploin Tortilla with Grilled Red Onions, Roasted Peppers and Avocado Relish, served with Homemade Fries.
Wrap everything together, you'll get a small... wrap.
And bite a bite from it, your mouth bursting with all of the flavors...
Just, try it and you'll get what I mean.
Homemade fries, reminded me of Indo.
Yes, Indo.
It was so good that I wanted to go back to Indo that very second.
Eric's
Mesa Burger - Double Cheddar Cheese with Grilled Vidalia Onion and Horseradish Mustard, served with Southwestern Fries
I really like this burger, but Eric didn't really like it.
I thought it was really cooked nicely, the patty still a little red and the cheese melted..
Mmmm.
Chuang's
New Mexican Spiced Pork Tenderloin Sandwich with Grilled Red Onion, Arugula, Ancho Chile Mayonnaise and Southwestern Fries
This was pretty nice too!
Not kidding.
Dessert:
Crushed Blueberry-Lime Tart with Vanilla-Blueberry Marshmallow Swirl Ice Cream
I love the crust, because I love crunchy and crispy stuff.
The lime was really tangy though.
It was a bit too sour for my palette so I ended up eating more of the crust and the blueberry :)
Overall, it's the best lunch throughout the whole trip and of our 3 lunches. It's not that expensive compared to the other restaurants where we ate.
Dinner at Andre's:
Complimentary starter:
Small, light and good.
I can't really remember what this is though :/
The 3 different kind of butter to go along with our bread:
Black Olive butter, the normal butter and Tomato butter :)
I have no comments for this because I don't take butter with my bread.
But since the others ate them..
I believe it's quite good eh?
Starters:
Escargots de Bourgogne - imported french snails, garlic-butter and herbs
Yes, I tried escargot for the second time in my life.
I actually liked this one.
This wasn't bad like the first time I tried it.
It was really flavorful with the herbs.
Farm Raised Abalone Almondine with Celery Root Mousseline
Not a very big fan of this.
It was kinda new to me.
But I won't mind eating it again of course.
Another dish with black truffle.
Other than that, I love it.
I took the risotto that was on the bottom of the bowl so that I won't have the black truffle that was grated on the top of the dish.
Yummy!
Another complimentary small serving to cleanse our mouth before our main course came.
This was Pear Sorbet :)
Chuang's
Muscovy Duck Breast with Red Rice, Bok Choy and Ramarind Sauce
It was cut a little thick, but it was really awesome.
I think I just like duck so yeah.
:)
Mine
Veal Loin with Fava Beans, Angel Hair Pasta and Morel Mushroom Sauce
S is Steven (Chuang's), E is Eric's, C is mine and A is obviously for Alyssa!
The angel hair pasta was so-so, I have to say.
The veal loin was great but I didn't like the mushroom.
Because it had a hint of alcohol and I dislike alcohol.
But other than that, I cleaned the plate... but not the pasta.
Eric's
Prime Angus Ribeye with Macaroni Gratin, Asparagus, Roquefort Cheese and Pinot Noir Sauce
What kind of beef do you expect from a place like Andre's?
Super tender ones of course!
& Alyssa's
Rack of Colorado Lamb with Curried Risotto & Goat Cheese, Ratatouille and Lamb Jus
I tried lamb.
I didn't like it because of the smell that came along with it.
But the way Alyssa finished her plate of food, I assume it's going to be good for all of you lamb lovers.
Dessert:
2 Souffles, Chocolate and Pistachio flavored
I preferred the chocolate souffle to the pistachio one.
I think the chocolate one was great, the sides had a little crunch but the inside was soft, creamy and yummeh.
But Alyssa thought the pistachio was better.
I guess you'll have to try it to make your own decision!
Complimentary small-sized dessert:
Overall - what can you ask for from the Top French Restaurant in Las Vegas?
Nothing but the best and they certainly showed me why they are the best.
Everything was great, cooked to nothing but perfection, nothing had a single flaw and we had a really great time during dinner.
Lunch at Joe's Crab Shack:
Starters:
Colossal Lump Crab Cake
It was good, but you'll somehow feel very heaty after eating this.
Stone Crab Bisque
I was full after eating this even though it's only a cup.
It was too creamy for my taste.
And I'm not a huge fan of crab either.
So this wasn't a great choice to start off my meal with.
Crispy Onion Strings
Love.
It's crispy, yummy and fun to eat :)
I think I'm going to start to have a thing for onion strings.
Jumbo Alaskan King Crab Legs
Overall - crabs, crabs and more crabs. I personally don't know how to differentiate the tastes from this place to another by their crab legs. So I'm not going to comment about this restaurant because it's going to be unfair. It's good though!
While waiting for 6.15pm to arrive for our last and final dinner at Vegas..
We had Gelato.
This is Alyssa's Mint flavored Gelato.
I had the Coffee, Chuang had Vanilla and Eric had Strawberry.
Final stop at Tao, the restaurant that I've been waiting for all trip long.
Appetizers:
Lobster Wontons with Shiitake Ginger Broth
Preferred the other appetizer because this was a bit too creamy for me.
The sauce I mean.
The wanton was great though.
Pork Potstickers with a Chile Sesame Glaze
I loved this one.
It was just yum, spicy, a little crunch and not that heavy!
Alyssa's and Chuang's
Peking Duck for 2
The skins were a little oily, or rather oily.
But haven't had peking duck for a long time so this was great.
Mine
Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass with Wok Vegetables
The best and most well-known dish from Tao.
The delicate and melt-in-your-mouth Sea Bass.
I wanted all trip long to eat this.
And I want this right now.
No words can describe how awesome this dish is.
Eric's
Wasabi Crusted Filet Mignon with Tempura of Onion Rings
I thought this beef was really good.
The onion rings, the tempura fried onion rings were a little too big and thick for me.
I prefer onion rings to be small and snack-sized I guess :)
Chuang's
Black Pepper Sizzled Filet Mignon with Udon Noodles
I thought this was a little common.
The beef was great, the udon was great.
This dish was not that bad overall.
Desserts:
Mochi Tasting - I can't remember the flavors but there were Green Tea, Root Beer and Raspberry.
I liked this, nope, I loved it.
The mochi(s) were just beyond imagination.
The flavors were really coming out when you eat them.
I really loved the root beer flavor.
It was just yum-yum-yummy.
Giant Fortune Cookie filled with White and Dark Chocolate Mousse
Chocolate mousse with fortune cookie...
With a giant pile of fruits.
I can have this every other month or so.
It satisfied my every dessert need.
Chocolate + fruits + something with a crunch.
We picked our fortune randomly and Eric's fortune is hilarious.
At the end of our dinner, we received smaller fortune cookies.
And Eric's turned out to be something hilarious too.
So the one above said something about something thinking kinky thoughts of him.
The second one was on he'll receive a spanking soon.
How can you not find this funny!
Can you tell now why I said I'll gain weight in Vegas?
It's a bit crazy!
3 lunches and 4 dinners.
It's a bit crazy but all of the food that we ate was just unbelievably good.
Would definitely go back if I've the chance to!
Until later, xoxo!
