LVFY08 – 5.24.08 & 5.25.08 – Memorial Day in Vegas

I was wracking my brain about how I could introduce reviews for these three places on The Food Ledger. I mean, this blog is supposed to be for me to remember past meals but these are a year and a half old! I don’t even write Yelp reviews for places that old!

…Which got me thinking: I do write Yelp reviews for places this old, ’cause I write them WHEN THEY HAPPEN.

Most people link their blog on their Yelp reviews; I’m being lazy and going the other way around.

Mesa Grill – 5.24.08

 

(Read my original review on Yelp.)

(Pictures taken by PaTio Photography.)

Mesa Grill
3570 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89136

Bouchon – 5.25.08

 

(Read my original review on Yelp.)

(Pictures taken by PaTio Photography.)

Bouchon
3355 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Daniel Boulud Brasserie – 5.25.08

 

(Read my original review on Yelp.)

Daniel Boulud Brasserie
3131 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89136

(If only writing reviews could always be this easy.)

L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon – 11.14.2009 – A Homecoming

I love Las Vegas.

Las Vegas is like my second home. I enjoy every moment when I’m there and I miss it when I’m gone. Recently Vegas has become my escape – a place to forget about work and Corporate America, a place to pretend I’m someone I’m not and immerse myself in the little pleasures in life.

L’Atelier is one of those little pleasures. When Vegas calls me home, L’Atelier is there to meet me at the door.

I’ve been to L’Atelier twice now and I see no signs of stopping. My first time, I ordered the L’Unique menu (a three course meal that is brought out all at once) with an order of the foie gras ravioli a la carte. Surprisingly, it was not the ravioli but the chicken broth in which they were swimming in that blew my mind away. It was comforting and familiar, rich and exquisite…

I knew I had to return.

This time around, I splurged. I knew what L’Atelier was capable of and I wanted to try its best! I found myself ordering the Discovery Menu – a nine course degustation that I hoped would both exemplify its strengths and, at the same time, soothe my tired soul.

The menu started off strong – you can never go wrong when you start with foie. Our amuse bouche, a foie gras parfait with a port wine and parmesan foam, was a spoonful of bliss. Our next course, le crab royale, was delicate and fresh.

Soon after, the courses wavered a bit. The scallop, although perfectly cooked, only had that *wow* factor if you were greeted with the crunch of sea salt in that same bite. The white onion tart with bacon and mushrooms was good but with the time-tested combination of bacon, mushrooms and onions, how could it not?

The fifth course was another foie dish: buttery foie gras in an unadulterated form…Mmm. However, the richness of the foie overpowered the dover sole in the sixth course, smothering it with the taste of the past. By the time the seventh course arrived (yet another foie dish – a foie-stuffed free range quail), I was full.

(As a side note: You know you’ve spoiled yourself when you’re bored with the taste of foie.)

Luckily, L’Atelier had a trick up its sleeve to perk up my palate. The menu simply said “grapefruit infused with Prosecco with lychee sorbet” but what it failed to note were the Pop Rocks that lined the rim of the bowl and the Rice Krispies that lay hidden below the sorbet. The crackling of candy and cereal against the cold lychee sorbet sparked just enough appetite to finish the last course (a chocolate cake with espresso ice cream).

And thus the meal was complete. I sipped my cappuccino, gathered all my strength, then threw myself back into the world. Who knows if I’ll survive the next battle in life but if anything happens…well…at least I can always go home.

 

L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon
MGM Grand
3799 Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89109