Making Croissants at Bouchon in Las Vegas

2011 Follow Me Foodie Favourites & Yearblog

Happy New Year! Welcome to my Follow Me Foodie Favourites & Best of 2011! This is a recap and yearbook/yearblog of the BEST Follow Me Foodie (FMF) Food and FMF Foodie Moments in 2011.

I wrote a Follow Me Foodie Favourites & Best of 2010, so I decided to do another one this year. I don’t even know where to start. It’s been a crazy year, and I’m so grateful for everything that has happened with this blog. I’ve loved every minute of it (even the parts where it hurt to laugh because I was so full) and I’m so happy to have shared these delicious moments with you. Thank you for following me foodie and cheers to another year of gastronomic indulgence!

NOTE: IT’S NOT NECESSARILY “THE BEST“, BECAUSE FOOD IS PERSONAL AND I CAN ONLY DISCOVER SO MUCH IN A YEAR. THESE ARE JUST SOME WORTH MENTIONING IN MY BOOKS… OR BLOG? BLOG. IT’S MORE OF A 2011 RECAP/SUMMARY. ALL EXPERIENCES ARE FROM 2011 ONLY.

Top 25 Most Memorable/BEST Dishes Internationally:

At the 5th day of the opening for the first ever Ladurée in the United States in New York

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee on Blue Mountain, Jamaica

Food is undeniably a focus when I’m traveling. This year I was grateful to take Follow Me Foodie to Bowen Island, Seattle, Las Vegas, New York, Portland, Los Angeles, Montreal, Quebec City and Jamaica.  Here are some of my best international indulgences this year. So Follow Me Foodie to some of my favourite foods and restaurants abroad with just one click!

Listed in no particular order. Based on the menu item, not the restaurant.

1. Pine State Biscuits – The Reggie Deluxe Biscuit Sandwich – Portland, Oregon

2. Pambiche – Masitas – Portland, Oregon

3. Local 360 – Fried Chicken – Seattle, Washington

4. Beecher’s Handmade Cheese Cafe – World’s Best” Mac & Cheese – Seattle, Washington

5. Nove Italiano - Shrimp Francaise – Las Vegas, Nevada

6. Bouchon – Truite Grenobloise – Las Vegas, Nevada

7. Traif – Crispy Pork Belly – Brooklyn, New York

8. The Spotted Pig – Gnudi – Manhattan, New York

9. Katz Deli – Pastrami Sandwich on Rye – Manhattan, New York

10. Jean-Georges – Manhattan, New York

11. BonChon Chicken – BonChon Chicken Wings – Manhattan, New York

12. Peasant – Cannolichi, Suckling Pig (Porchetta) – Manhattan, New York

13. Boqueria – Croquetas Cremosas – Manhattan, New York

14. Blue Hill – Chilled Corn Soup, Berkshire Pig - Manhattan, New York

15. Scotchies – Jerk Chicken – Ocho Rios, Jamaica

16. Blue Mountain Coffee – Blue Mountain, Jamaica

17. Schwartz’s – Smoked Meat Sandwich – Montreal, Quebec

18. Le St-Urbain – Coffee Glazed Sweetbread – Montreal, Quebec

19. Van Horne – Melon Canari (Canary Melon) – Montreal, Quebec

20. Le Bremner – Kimchi Snow Crab, Lobster Toast Au Gratin – Montreal, Quebec

21. Café Clocher Penché – Duck Confit – Quebec City, Quebec

22. Laurie Raphaël – Apple Crumble, Carrot Cake – Quebec City, Quebec

23. La Traite – Wendake, Quebec

24. Au Goût d’Autrefois (Dining at the Duck Farm), Quebec

25. North End Caffe – Kahlua Pig Egg Rolls – Los Angeles, California

Special thanks to the crew: Justin, Mel at Threesixtyphoto.com and Steve from SteveTan.net
Please subscribe, comment, or rate my Follow Me Foodie YouTube channel here.

**Follow Me Foodie was also nominated as “Vancouver’s Best Food Blog” – please vote for me here. Thank you!! xo

Restaurant: STK
Cuisine: American/Steakhouse
Last visited: January 25, 2011
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada (Cosmopolitan Hotel)
Address: 3708 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Price Range: $50+

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: n/a
Service: n/a
Ambiance: n/a
Overall: n/a
Additional comments:

• Located inside Cosmopolitan
• Restaurant/Bar/Lounge
• Contemporary steakhouse
• Executive Chef Stephen Hopcraft
• Celebrity hot spot
• Sexy/hip atmosphere
• In house DJ
• Dress to impress
• Sun-Wed 5:00pm to 12:00am
• Thursday 5:00pm to 1:00am
• Fri-Sat 5:00pm to 2:00am

**Recommendations: Steaks. Signature dishes include: Shrimp Rice Crispies 2 large tiger prawns served with shrimp rice crispys, sriracha chili sauce, micro cilantro, shrimp bisque, fresh lime and micro cilantro, Lil BGR’s Two all wagyu beef patties, special sauce, cheese, house made Japanese pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun – can be “super sized” with black truffles, foie gras or both, and Foie Gras French Toast 2.5 oz. of foie gras served with poached apple and French toast. Garnished with powdered sugar, micro herbs and a sherry reduction.

“Poppin bottles in the ice, like a blizzard
When we drink we do it right gettin slizzard
Sippin sizzurp in my ride, like Three 6
Now I’m feelin so fly like a G6
Like a G6, Like a G6“
- Lyrics from “Like a G6″ by Far East Movement

Those are the lyrics that come to mind when I think about STK Steakhouse! Especially in Las Vegas!

STK has locations in New York City, Los Angeles and Miami and it’s notorious for being a hot spot for celebrities. I mean even the Executive Chef  at this Las Vegas location was a celebrity himself. Did you notice? Well if you’re a fan of Top Chef you may have recognized him as… well, himself! Executive Chef Stephen Hopcraft was one of the contestants on Top Chef and I was honoured to cook with him, or I guess watch him cook.

Since I was there during the day I can’t comment too much on the ambiance or the scene, but it’s not hard to imagine what it would look like. The design and feel of the restaurant is almost like a night club, and given that there’s a DJ booth in the centre, it does cater to a night club kind of crowd. It’s ultra sexy, flirtatious and very Las Vegas… and a bit Jersey Shore as well.

It’s definitely not your daddy’s steakhouse nor would I ever consider taking him here. On the other hand I wouldn’t be surprised if it attracted daddies of another nature. It definitely caters to a very distinct crowd as I observed the mini line up to get in during dinner time.

The menu offers traditional steakhouse items with innovative twists and they did sound quite appealing. I only tried one thing on the menu, and although enjoyable, I think it’s fair to say that it’s a place where you eat to be seen.

STK offers a party, or I mean a mushroom pie, served alongside your steak, and in Vegas that’s pretty much considered a one stop shop. So if you’re coming here for dinner, shine your shoes, pop your collar, and bring your posse of unique individuals that will all do the same.

For more Follow Me Foodie Quickies in Vegas see: Capital Grille and Munch Bar.

On the table:

Mushroom Pot Pie – 4.5/6

• Side $10
• Made with oyster mushrooms, golden chanterelles, button mushrooms, pearl onions, mushroom cream, parsley, thyme and truffle oil and baked with a pie crust.
• It was reminiscent of an intense cream of mushroom soup. I know it’s not supposed to be a soup, but for me it kind of was.
• It’s rich and creamy, savoury and sweet and bursting with tender juicy meaty mushrooms. I couldn’t taste much of the truffle oil though.
• The pie crust is just your traditional old fashioned pie crust. It’s not puffy or flaky or even very buttery, but it’s more of a thin, dry and chip like. It’s not crispy but it snaps.
• I was hoping for a puffy pastry crust so that it would absorb the sauce from the mushroom filling.
• I was expecting it to be heartier, but the rue was thinner due to the extra sweating of the mushrooms. If you ask me spoon or fork? I’d say spoon.
• It would work well as a mushroom gravy or poured over top mashed potatoes… or a steak! (As I said in the video).

Restaurant: Auntie Anne’s
Cuisine: Bakery/Desserts/Hot Dogs/American
Last visited: January 26, 2011
Location: Multiple – see here
Address: 2882 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5 (for the original), 4 overall
Service: 3
Ambiance: 3
Overall: 4
Additional comments:

• Franchise
• 22+ years
• Specializes in pretzels
• American favourite
• Baked daily
• Hand rolled
• Fast food
• Vegan friendly options

**Recommendations: Original Pretzel

Happy National Pretzel Day! Yup! I didn’t even really know National Pretzel Day existed until I saw the Auntie Anne’s tweets on Twitter. I must say that I’m pretty excited, except for the fact that we don’t even have an Auntie Anne’s in Metro Vancouver. I probably won’t even get a pretzel today, but this is the least I can do to celebrate!

I actually really like Auntie Anne’s and if I’m shopping in the States it’s a great reliable snack I can always count on. I mean it’s kind of hard to resist when you walk by them in the food court and smell the buttery baked goodness of pretzels coming out of the oven. The pretzels are soft, made from hand cut dough, hand rolled and baked fresh upon order.

I mean how can you really go wrong? It’s baked bread fresh from the oven and brushed with butter and sprinkled with coarse salt! Delicious! They may not be authentic German pretzels, which is understood, but when they’re good, they’re good. On the other hand these pretzels are pretty pricey for their size, but it doesn’t stop them from being addicting.

2 pretzels + drink + 2 dips =$10.55

Besides the pretzels, I must give a big shout out to Auntie Anne’s customer service and whoever handles their social media. I’m not referring to the service at each franchise, which I find quite normal, but I’m referring to the customer service outside of that. These guys are on it! Like really on it!

When I first started Twitter (barely any followers) I tweeted something about eating a pretzel from Auntie Anne’s and it looking a little smaller than I remembered. It was just a random comment and it really wasn’t a big deal, and I didn’t expect anything at all. But almost immediately after, a representative from Auntie Anne’s messaged me regarding the comment and followed up with 3 other e-mails from upper management. Mind you, this is when I first started so I really think this is their standard routine. Anyways long story short they insisted on giving me a free pretzel on my next visit, which was totally unnecessary, but very much appreciated. I still haven’t used it to this date since we don’t have one in Metro Vancouver, but I’ll never forget their professionalism and kind gesture. This type of personal and attentive customer service from such a big company, for something so minor, is nothing but commendable.

On the table:
**Original Pretzel – 5/6

• The pretzel that built an empire $3.19
• Served without butter the pretzel only has about 1g of fat… but who eats it without butter? It really is better with butter! (Although that’s +5g fat)
• I personally like the original the best with the crispy salt crystals.
• It’s not the best looking, authentic or gourmet, but it’s simply delicious.
• The dough is hand cut, hand rolled and the pretzels are baked upon order.
• It’s incredibly soft, buttery and tender with a fluffy and light inside and a slightly crispier bottom. It’s stretchy, chewy and moist with great savoury flavour.

Light Cream Cheese Dip + $.79

Almond Pretzel – 3/6

• Raise a toast to this pretzel coated with toasted almond toffee crunch $3.19
• This only has 2g of fat without butter, but again, who doesn’t love butter? (+5g of fat)
• The store menu says “almond” without a description so I was expecting savoury, until I realized it was a candied almond so it was more like dessert.
• I really wish I knew, but even with the “almond toffee crunch” I still wanted to see some actual slivers of almonds and not just toffee crumbs.
• It’s good, but it just doesn’t taste like almonds and it’s more toffee for sure.
• Considering it’s the same price as the original and only 1 extra gram of fat than the original pretzel, I think it’s fair to say that there isn’t much almond.
• The crunchiness of the “almond toffee crunch” comes off as being nutty because of the texture, but there’s not really any almond flavour.
• It’s very well coated and it creates a crunchy crust so I did like the contrast with the soft and tender pretzel.
• It’s often recommended to eat with caramel dip, so of course I had to try it!

Caramel Dip + $0.79 - It tastes like caramelized condensed milk or melted Weather’s Originals. It went well with the pretzel, although the pretzel was sweet enough alone too.

Special thanks to the crew: Justin, Mel at Threesixtyphoto.com and Steve from SteveTan.net

Restaurant: The Capital Grille
Cuisine: American/Steakhouse/Fine Dining
Last visited: January 25. 2011
Location: Multiple locations in US
Las Vegas, Nevada (The Fashion Show Mall)
Address: 3200 Las Vegas Blvd S Spc 3000
Price Range: $30-50, $50+

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4.5-5 (based on what I tried)
Service: n/a
Ambiance: 5
Overall: 5
Additional comments:

• Upscale Steakhouse chain restaurant
• Fine dining
• Famous for steaks
• Polished atmosphere/food
• Private dining rooms
• Award winning restaurant
• Award winning wine list
• Sophisticated/Elegant
• Complimentary valet parking
• Lunch Mon-Fri: 11:30am-4pm, Sat 12-4pm
• Dinner Mon-Sat: 4pm-10:30pm, Sun 4-10pm

**Recommendations: Wagyu Beef Carpaccio, French Onion Soup, Pan Fried Calamari with Hot Cherry Peppers, Lobster & Crab Cakes, The Grille’s Signature Cheeseburger and of course their steaks. For dessert: Trio of Handcrafted Ice Creams and Coconut Cream Pie

I never thought that I would be doing a “quickie” at a classy establishment such as The Capital Grill My first “quickie” was actually at Munchbar in the Caesar’s Palace – see here. Like I said in the quickie, I definitely ate more than steak and cake that day. It’s hard to get an idea of what a restaurant can really do based on 1-2 items, so I was invited to stay and try more things on the menu to get a better idea of what The Capital Grille can really do.

I know, I know. The Capital Grille is a very popular chain restaurant with 40+ locations all over the US, so what really makes it so special? Well that’s something I was determined to figure out as well!

It’s a fine dining sophisticated steakhouse and it doesn’t seem to have much of a “Follow Me Foodie” appeal, but to my surprise, I was surprised! The food was actually very good and even reasonably priced for a gourmet style lunch in Las Vegas. The dinner is pricier as expected but the quality of ingredients aren’t sacrificed, and not everything catered to old-fashioned “traditional steakhouse flavours”.

There’s only one location in Las Vegas and it’s located inside The Fashion Show Mall. My expectations weren’t high and I was expecting “chain” food, and to be honest I was more impressed with a few dishes I tried that weren’t on camera. To find out what they were let’s take a look at what was on the table…

On the table:
Complimentary Bread & Butter

• It’s served warm with whipped butter. 
• The buns had a nice crusty exterior and soft middle with poppy seeds and nutty sesame seeds sprinkled on top.

Fresh Oysters on the Half Shell – 5/6

• Blue Point Oysters 6 for $15
• One of my favourite appetizers.
• These were from Connecticut and they were so silky, smooth and light, but still had a natural salty brine to them.
• They’re not rich or meaty, but the natural saltiness just made them even lighter especially with the fluid texture they already have.
• The texture was incredible and it’s a perfect oyster shot.
• It only needed the squeeze of lemon that was so nicely wrapped in a bundle with yellow cheese cloth in the middle.
  

**Wagyu Beef Carpaccio – 5/6

• Premium Japanese Wagyu beef blended with seven spices, seared, chilled, and sliced razor thin. Garnished with fresh arugula and Lemon Vinaigrette $17
• I could eat this as a salad for lunch and for $17 it would be worth it.
• The slices of beef literally melted in my mouth and it barely required any chewing.
• The crust was seared with cardamom and perhaps a little cinnamon, star anise and spices found in Chinese 5 spice powder. It was very aromatic and almost a bit floral and it was just enough seasoning to not overwhelm the natural buttery Wagyu beef flavour.
• The sheets of shaved Parmesan gave it a bit of a salty bite and the freshness of the lightly lemon dressed arugula was a nice contrast to the aromatic beef.
• The whole dish was very bright, simple and elegant, and still very unique to the palate.

**French Onion Soup - 6/6

• Sweet onions are nestled in a delectable broth and covered by a blanket of melt-in-your-mouth cheeses. Cup $7 Crock $10
• The best French Onion soup I’ve had was from Absinthe Brasserie & Bar in San Fransisco (see here), and based on memory, I would put this one right up there with it!
• Just look at that picture! How can you deny that richness?! Delicious!
• This was a classic French Onion soup and had a nice veal flavour and was so rich with beef au jus.
• It was savoury and sweet with lots of stringy caramelized onions throughout.
• It was hot and chunky with a generous amount of baked cheese literally blanketing the cup of intensely flavoured beef stock.
• Considering it is a steak house, it is no doubt that this broth should be amazing and full of quality beef flavour.
• I also had a French Onion soup with a poached egg on it the night before at Nove Italiano at The Palms (see here).

**Pan Fried Calamari with Hot Cherry Peppers – 4/6

• Our signature calamari is sautéed in garlic butter until golden crisp. Then tossed with a house blend of peppers and scallions for a nice, fiery finish $14
• This is the appetizer I had actually tried in the video, but due to timing it got cut… sorry guys!
• This is their most popular and famous appetizer, and I found it very good, but also nothing too unique.
• It was a lightly battered and fried calamari and it was very crispy and well seasoned. I preferred the legs over the body because they were much more crispy.
• It was a very tangy calamari with pickled Mediterranean peppers that were sweet, tangy and juicy. They also carried some flavourful heat that followed when eaten with the calamari.
• It was very fresh and zesty with a lemon tang which also enhanced the pickled flavour from the peppers.
• It was a very bright calamari that was very flavourful, but it also doesn’t seem so hard to replicate.

**Lobster & Crab Cakes – 5/6

• Lumps of succulent lobster and crab with hints of dry mustard and red pepper are perfectly paired with fresh, sweet corn relish $19
• The cakes were so flavourful with the lobster and crab flavour really coming through and a very faint hint of mustard that was barely noticed.
• It didn’t require any sauces or even the corn relish it was served with, although the corn relish did add a nice tangyy sweetness to the cakes.
• It was also served with a tartar like sauce that tasted like a tangy potato salad dressing. The lobster and crab cakes were creamy enough on their own that they didn’t require this creamy dipping sauce.

• These cakes were pretty memorable and bursting with 99% lobster and crab and a little bit of minced sweet red bell pepper.
• It was so juicy, tender and incredibly flaky, rich and creamy, yet it still had large chunks of moist lobster pieces that added crunch and texture.
• The crust could have been crispier and they weren’t really battered, but maybe just lightly dusted with flour before being pan fried.

Sushi Grade Seared Sesame Tuna with Gingered Rice – 3.5/6

• A delicate flavor combination of sesame and ginger with a fresh, seared tuna steak on a bed of light ginger rice $39
• Being from Vancouver, I’m pretty spoiled with delicious choices for ahi tuna, however I can’t deny the size and quality of this tuna steak. It was pretty unreal.
• It was served with 3 dipping sauces that were more like oils, and it wasn’t anything really creative, but it is a steakhouse so the highlight is in the steaks and not the seafood.
• Ginger sauce: This was my favourite of the sauces. It was sweet like pickled ginger and it was almost like candy. It was a very well infused oil based sauce and it had a ton of sweet flavour with a faint ginger heat in the background.
• Wasabi oil: It was very light with a very faint wasabi kick. It was in the initial bites and at the end, but it was too light and didn’t do anything for the tuna.
• Soy vinaigrette: It was a sweet soy vinaigrette with perhaps some sugar and added mirin. It was tangy and sweet and the classic kind of sauce you would serve with ahi tuna.

• It was a huge piece of fresh high quality ahi tuna, but I just which it had more of a sesame seared crust because it lacked that nuttiness, crispiness, and smokiness I would expect from the description.
• The fish had a faint ginger flavour and it could have used more sesame oil.
• The ginger rice was regular Jasmine rice with a very faint ginger scent. There was no actual ginger in it and it was just infused into the water during the cooking process.
• Overall it was very good of course, but also nothing that memorable in terms of recipe and execution.
• The flavours were all quite mild and could have been much more bolder with the size of the steak.

Grilled Swordfish with Lemon Shallot Relish – 3/6

• Our swordfish steak is exactingly grilled to achieve the perfect texture and moistness. Served with a delicious mix of fresh lemon, fennel and herbs $37
• This was also pretty good, but nothing too memorable either. It’s a smoky, lemony and bright dish.
• It was a firm fish and the dish was very light and summery overall.
• The fish had a nice smoky char grilled flavour and it picked up flavour from ingredients quite well.
• It was served with pickled fennel on top which added a fresh tang that was also a bit sweet, so it brightened up the smokiness of the fish.
• The fennel salad had a very mild licorice flavour and it was also a bit like sauerkraut meets a shaved Japanese Oshinko carrot.
• It was served with a side of beans, corn and asparagus which was lightly dressed with a slightly sweet and tangy lemon and onion dressing, so it kept everything nice and light.

**The Grille’s Signature Cheeseburger – 6/6

• An “almost too big to wrap your hands around it” chopped sirloin burger blended with sweet onions, smoked bacon and Havarti cheese. A toasted onion roll completes the journey from All-American Classic to all new sensation $18
• This came highly recommended and I had my doubts at first, but with a strong push from the server I decided to give it a try.
• This was hands down the most memorable thing I tried. It was delicious!
• It blows me away that it was just a burger, but probably one of my top 5 burgers I’ve ever had. I don’t order burgers all the time, but for a gourmet burger this was a star.

• It was piled high with a buttery and crispy, yet soft tender onion brioche bun and it was the perfect ratio of meat to bread.
• The brioche had an onion flavour with some shallots baked on top and it was so light, buttery, fluffy and incredibly soft that it melted away with every bite of the burger and melted cheese.
• It was incredibly saucy with natural beef drippings coming through and just the right amount of bread to soak up all the flavours.

• I requested the patty to be cooked medium rare and it was perfect! It was super juicy, extremely tender, yet natural meaty in flavour.
• Every single bite I took would be a burst of beef au jus and it was so moist and incredibly juicy.
• There was literally liquid from the beef juice all over my plate yet it held into every crevice of the ground sirloin steak.
• I could taste the fresh crunch of vegetables, tang from crunchy pickles and perfect amount of melted rich Havarti cheese. I also got the caramelized sweet onions and smoky crispy bacon coming though.
• It was the perfect balance of everything with the patty still being the ultimate highlight. It’s juiciness was the sauce for this perfect burger.
• Truffle Fries – It was served with the most intense truffle fries and I could smell the intense truffle oil as it was approaching the table.
• It was creamy Kennebec potatoes and the oil was incredibly fresh so the flavour was so pure and crispy with the truffle oil really standing out. There was also garlic mayo and ketchup for dipping.

Bone-In Kona Crusted Dry Aged Sirloin with Caramelized Shallot Butter – 4/6

• A wonderful flavor combination with caramelized shallots, seasonings and coffee rub to create a first-class steak many guests claim as their favorite $45
• I’ve had Kona coffee steak before so it wasn’t that new to me, but I still liked it.
• It adds an earthiness to the steak and it was actually very faint. It’s not too bitter since it is Kona coffee, and I wouldn’t want it to overpower the natural high quality flavour of their steaks anyways. It added a nice crust, but at the same time if I’m ordering a Kona coffee steak I would want it to be more intense with coffee flavour.
• The steak itself was incredible and very juicy and tender. To be honest I would enjoy it more simply seared without the Kona because the flavour was so good on its own.
• The Kona was interesting, but mild, so that it just added a slight charcoal flavour.
• The sweet and savoury shallot butter did being out a slight sweetness in the Kona, and the touch of cream was perfect to round out the flavours.
• The steak was juicy, savoury and buttery enough and I think I would rather order their classic steaks.
• You could technically try the coffee idea at home yourself, but you can’t really dry age a steak at home.

Dessert

I really don’t expect great desserts at steakhouses. I usually find them very classic and simple and nothing too impressive. The usually have a cheesecake, chocolate cake, creme brulee and maybe a key lime pie and a house made ice cream sundae. I took a look at the dessert menu at The Capital Grille and just like I assumed they were all quite standard, but they sure didn’t taste standard.

I got to try a sampler platter of their desserts and all of them were actually done up with gourmet twists and they were all better than they sounded on the menu. They’re all made in house and very reasonably priced. I would even come back just for desserts. Did I mention the desserts are all $8-9 as well… I know! Go nuts!

**Trio of Handcrafted Ice Creams – 5/6

• Celebrate the season with three delicious flavors of ice cream we make ourselves, garnished with freshly baked double chocolate cookies and coconut cookies. $9
• The ice cream flavours are seasonal and they’re made in house and absolutely fantastic!
• Cinnamon Ice Cream – This was delicious and the cinnamon was light and not too strong. It was slightly warm, but not spicy and very creamy and well balanced.
• Lime Basil Sorbet – This was amazing! It was light, tangy and refreshing and would make a perfect palate cleanser. It wasn’t too sweet and just so aromatic and fresh.
• Mint Ice Cream – This was also very refreshing, creamy and very cooling. I feel like it had lime zest in it and I think it would be great with some fresh raspberries, or the finest quality chocolate chips!
• The cookies were perfect for making ice cream sandwiches, and especially with these flavours!
• The double chocolate cookie and mint ice cream was heavenly, and I’m not even a fan of mint and chocolate chip ice cream.

Cheesecake with Fresh Seasonal Berries – 4/6

• A lighter, fluffier version of its New York cousin. Our cheesecake is nestled in a vanilla wafer crust and garnished with fresh, sweet berries, a luscious strawberry sauce, and topped with a crisp sugar crust. $9
• I’m not a cheesecake fan, but this one was actually pretty good!
• It had a crispy brulee crunchy crust and then the cheesecake itself was ultra fluffy, creamy yet airy light.
• It was creamy and slightly tangy with a nice sweetness but I loved the contrasting textures with the brulee.
• I do wish it had more of a bottom crust because it came unnoticed and it was soft.
• It should have had a more intense brulee crust and it would be better all around the edges too.
• The ratio of cheesecake to creme brulee was off, and if the cake was half the height it would have been better.
• The fresh berries were a great addition adding natural tang and sweetness.

**Coconut Cream Pie - 4.5/6

• A delightful vanilla flavored crust is layered with luscious whipped and coconut pastry cream. A caramel rum sauce topping makes it even more irresistible. $9
• I love coconut, so I’m biased.
• The crust was a bit soft and it was a coconut cream and custard tart that was chewy, light and mousse like with some toasted fresh coconut on top and a caramel drizzle.
• It was quite light from the immense amount of whipped cream, but the custard gave it a richness and together it had a very moussey.
• It has great coconut flavour in the custard and cream, with a nice vanilla crust and it was also delicious with the mint ice cream. The mint just brightened up the coconut and made it taste more tropical and almost refreshing.

Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake - 3.5/6

• Chocolate lovers will rhapsodize over this rich, dense dream of a cake. A hint of espresso, fresh raspberries, whipped cream and Melba sauce make for an unforgettable finish to any meal $8
• It was heavy for a flourless cake, but light for a chocolate cake.
• It was creamy and paste like and not an overindulgent rich chocolate cake. I actually didn’t find it that rich or dense especially compared to a chocolate torte, truffle or ganache.
• It’s bitter sweet and the bitterness was enhanced by the espresso. It was chocolaty, but not too sweet and not even stick to your throat sweet.
• It was almost powdery and soft, yet creamy, and I wanted a crispy or crunchy texture for more contrast.
• It was quite good, but also not amazing for me, although I can see why a lot of people would love it.
• The tang of fresh raspberries and whipped cream added as much as it would to any chocolate dessert.

After all this deliciousness I head off to Bouchon at The Venetian for dinner #2 – see here!

Restaurant: Palio Cafe
Cuisine: Breakfast/Brunch/Cafe/Sandwiches/Bakery/Desserts
Last visited: January 26, 2011
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada (Bellagio)
Address: 3600 Las Vegas Blvd S
Price Range: $10 or less, $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4 (based on items I tried)
Service: n/a (pay at cashier)
Ambiance: 3.5
Overall: 3
Additional comments:

• Breakfast/Brunch
• French style cafe
• Coffee/pastries/sandwiches
• Quick eats
• Freshly baked goods
• Healthy options
• Desserts
• Award winning pastry shop
• Casual
• Pay at cashier service
• Pricey cafe
  
• Sun- Thurs. 6am – 6pm
• Fri & Sat. 6am – 10pm

**Recommendations: n/a… well maybe the salmon quiche.

It was my last meal in Vegas and it had to be something quick so we decided to head down to the Palio Cafe since it was in the convenience of the hotel we were staying at. There’s no other reason I would really make an effort to come here, and it’s not really a “foodie” stop, but I already had my dent of great restaurants this trip, such as Nove Italiano, Bouchon and even casual joints such as Munchbar and The Original Fulton Fish Frye. On the other hand Palio Cafe is an award winning pastry shop, and that’s when the foodie in me got excited!

The Pailo Cafe is a busy spot for breakfast, brunch and lunch. It’s quick and casual but certainly not affordable. I mean I kind of knew that going in, but still… thank goodness the exchange rate was good. It was early on in the day and surprisingly they has already started selling out of popular menu items. That’s when I started to get excited that I had maybe found a delicious French bakery.

It’s a casual display case of prepackaged food, but it is made in house and it is fresh, so they make small batches of it at a time. It’s kind of weird because I remember the prices as much as I do the flavour of the food. They were both memorable for very different reasons. It was actually a very good bakery, but just poor value and very “typical Vegas”. I don’t know how it takes me a place like this to realize that Vegas is expensive… nonetheless I don’t really have much to add… for once *chuckle*.

On the table:

Turkey & Grape Croissant – 3.5/6

• $9.95
• Yes, let’s all look at bullet point #1… $10 for a croissant sandwich… oh Vegas I love to hate you.
• Was it worth $10? Of course not. But was it good? I must say it was.
• It was a very flaky, crunchy and buttery croissant and it was pretty generously filled with turkey and grape salad.
• The turkey salad wasn’t anything special in particular, but it wasn’t bad either. It was very simple with some mayo and celery and it could have used many more grapes, but it was still good and the meat wasn’t dry to my surprise.

• See! Look! Now doesn’t that look absolutely delicious? And it was.
• The highlight was definitely in the croissant, although it’s not exactly a very authentic croissant. It’s a French-American croissant and the outside was crunchy with a fluffy, soft and incredibly buttery inside with nice puffy layers. It was almost stretchy like a kneaded dough, and it tasted as good as that picture looks.
• It was a great ratio of croissant to filling and I liked the savouriness of the turkey, sweet juicy bursts of grapes, buttery soft croissant with a crunchy exterior, and some fresh sprouts for an added freshness.
• Some added almonds would have been great, but that might have made it a $15 croissant sandwich, it which case I can do without the almonds.

**Salmon Quiche – 4.5/6

• $8
• I saw more value in this quiche than the sandwich.
• The quiche was actually made out of egg whites, but it didn’t take away from the richness, texture or flavour. It actually seemed like they added cream cheese in the egg whites and it had this light creaminess that was addicting. It wasn’t eggy in flavour, but still flavourful.
• The salmon seemed cured or preserved and it actually reminded me of the delicious Rillettes Aux Deux Saumons from Bouchon we had on the previous night.

• So I guess the value was kind of there because it was packed with tons of delicious, moist and flaky pieces of compacted and compressed salty cured salmon.
• It was very fluffy, light and moist with a thin buttery and tender pie crust.
• It wasn’t overly cheesy but there was cream cheese interwoven throughout the salmon filling. It could have used some onions and dill, but I think I’m getting fancy again.
• As much as it was an “egg white quiche” it was still quite rich and quite substantial for brunch… well, most people’s idea of brunch.
• I actually really enjoyed this and I would pay $8 for it again.

Kouign Amann - 4.5/6

• $3.95
• Amann? Or Amen? Well hey! Now that price doesn’t look too bad for such a giant baked good!
• It’s one of their most popular baked goods so I was actually looking forward to trying it.
• I’ve never tried a Kouign Amann, but it’s pretty much a dessert like pastry cake and bun in one.
• It’s an ancient butter cake and I have a feeling this one was a very good one. I don’t have anything to compare to really, but I don’t deny the goodness that was delivered despite its authenticity to the real deal.

• It was almost like a soft croissant meets a sugar doughnut and a sweet fluffy cake all in one.
• It had a very crunchy caramelized crust with an intense coating of sugary crystals that added another dimension of crunch.
• The inside was paper thin sheets of fluffy, soft, stretchy and moist butter cake dough and in between these sheets were thin layers of crispy crystallized sugar. It was actually quite unique and I did enjoy it.
• I know it looks really sweet, and I know my description will make it sound really sweet, but it’s not.
• It’s buttery and rich, but not a greasy cake, although it’s probably incredibly fattening. But hey, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas… including the calories!

So you just experienced the FIRST ever Follow Me Foodie Quickie!

How fitting that we shot the first “Quickie” series in LAS VEGAS! YES WE DID! I’ve been holding back on my Vegas posts because I was waiting to share this with you! The Follow Me Foodie Quickies are not part of the Follow Me Foodie webisodes (see a webisode here), instead they are shorter, briefer, snappier Follow Me Foodie moments. It’s my way of giving you a quick taste of what’s to come and settling your craving for the Follow Me Foodie webisodes. Good things come to those who wait

Restaurant: Munchbar
Cuisine: American/Modern American/Pub food/Bar/Late Night
Last visited: January 24, 2011
Location: Las Vegas, NV (Caesar’s Palace)
Address: 3570 Las Vegas Blvd S
Price Range: $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4
Service: n/a
Ambiance: 4
Overall: n/a
Additional comments:

• American comfort food with twist
• Some breakfast items
• Executive Chef Bryan Ogden
• Casual/fun
• Sports bar
• Voted “2010’s Best Late-Night Eats”
• Homemade/made in house sauces
• Late night munchies hot spot
• Affordable
• Great for drinks/cocktails
• Playful atmosphere
• Location in Bellevue
• Open Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. – 4 a.m.
• All other days 11 a.m. – 2 a.m

**Recommendations: Tiny Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with standard sauce as well as creamy Poblano sauce for dipping, Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos with Yam Fries, Burgers (I’d ask for the Munch Burger, but replace the “fancy sauce” with “creamy Poblano sauce” again, it’s worth the extra charge if any!)

To any new readers I may attract with this post – Welcome! I’m a food blogger from Vancouver, BC and I was invited to try out Munchbar in Las Vegas. It was my first visit, so everything is based on my first time experience and what I tried. As usual, I abide by my “honesty is the best policy” rule. Since there is a VIDEO (yay!), I can make my written portions a little shorter now… yeah right! Like that’s even possible! However, it takes a while for me to collect my thoughts which is hard to do in a “quickie”, so for more details with the food, it’s always best to follow up by reading my posts as well.

Munchbar is a casual yet contemporary sports bar and late night hot spot located in the Caesar’s Palace hotel in Las Vegas. The food is American comfort food with a twist, and I know the concept is quite popular nowadays, but not everyone does a good job with it. The food is basic, but playful and it takes your favourite foods growing up and makes it appeal to adult tastes. The ingredients at Munchbar are fresh, yet simple enough to attract a mass market, so I could see this place expanding quite rapidly. Surprisingly it’s very affordable considering it’s in a hotel, which makes it an easy place to come back to and I was pleasantly surprised with the whole experience.

I’m actually pretty excited about the Munchbar Bellevue location that just opened late January. It’s a 6300-square-foot restaurant and bar with the same sort of food and pop-art decor as their Las Vegas location. However next door is their sister property Piano Bash, which sounds like a “new age karaoke bar”. Piano Bash serves a different menu and they’re aiming for an interactive atmosphere featuring dueling piano shows as well as embarrassing singing. I’m very curious to check both out!

From my “foodie” perspective, I wouldn’t go out of my way with a 2.5 hour drive just to go to Munchbar for the food, but more for the overall atmosphere and experience. Although I’ll say Munchbar is not only a place that’s good for munchies, because there’s still care in the food and it would taste good even if you weren’t drunk… and I wasn’t.

Special thanks to the crew: Justin, Mel, Allen, Kevin at Threesixtyphoto.com and Steve from SteveTan.net – best there is.

On the table:

**Tiny Grilled Cheese Sandwiches – n/a

• Creamy tomato dipping sauce $10
• I’ll admit, it did sit a while before I got to eating one, so it’s not fair for me to “rate” it since the cheese had gotten a bit cold and it wasn’t as ooey gooey.
• The name is a bit deceiving because I was expecting mini grilled cheese sandwiches rather than 2 regular grilled cheese sandwiches cut into quarters.
• 2:1 ratio of cheese to bread. Awesome! The bread is nice and thin and likely buttered intensely before being fried to a perfect crisp.
• I’m guessing it was sharp white cheddar cheese. It was good, but nothing really gourmet or special. It’s similar to the one I had at Meat & Bread, but that was more gourmet.
• The tomato dipping sauce was the unique part, and what makes the dish “Follow Me Foodie Approved”. It’s nice and tangy so it contrasted the heaviness of the cheese. It was almost like a sour cream/yogurt based sauce with the flavours of ketchup. I loved it!
• If you liked grilled cheese sandwiches dipped in ketchup as a kid, you’ll like these, since it’s a “grown up” spin off.
• Follow Me Foodie Twist: I think these would taste great with the creamy Poblano sauce as well.

Naked Wings – 4/6

• Choose two styles: thai bbq, italian, three hot friends, plain $14
• I don’t normally hit the wings, but they came recommend. Also “Naked Wings” did catch my eye and I was curious to check out their sauces since they are all made in house.

• Naked Wings – Thai BBQ
  
  • Enjoyable! It wasn’t just the standard Sweet Chili Thai sauce, and I couldn’t see the chili flakes, although some of that sauce could have still been used.
  • They were a tad dry, but crispy and I picked up the BBQ sauce before the Sweet Thai Chili, however I could still taste both.
  • Initially it’s quite sweet, syrupy and sticky and it seems like a sweet honey based BBQ sauce, but then the kick comes afterward from what I think is Worcestershire sauce rather than the chili sauce. I really enjoyed the sauce as you can see from the video!

• Naked Wings – Thee Hot Friends
  • The menu is playful and how could I not check out his “Three Hot Friends”?
  • So was I turned on? It didn’t blow my mind, but they were good… it was one hot friend.
  • They were flavourful hot, and not just hot for the sake of being hot. They reminded me of buffalo wings with a thicker version of Frank’s Hot Sauce drizzled on top.
  • It wasn’t a sharp Tabasco hot sauce, but a well rounded spiciness that was a bit sweet and I liked it!
  • I like spicy and this one did linger a while, but it didn’t have me calling for water either.
  • Again, a little dry, but that might depend on who’s cooking. It’s still crispy and good though.

The Pizzadilla – 2.5/6

• Fresh flour tortilla, pepperoni, creamy tomato cheese sauce, basil $13 With chicken $15
• It’s a very popular item, but I didn’t really see why. It works as a quick appetizer while you’re deciding what else to order.
• It was something I could imagine making at home for a football game… if I watched football.
• It’s very basic, but it is exactly what it sounds like… pizza toppings and flavours, but served in quesadilla form. The Pizzadilla!
• It’s decently filled with cheddar and mozzarella cheese and some round slices of pepperoni. The peperoni may have had a little heat, but I wasn’t sure because I was still tasting the spice from his “hot friends”.
• I could see it as a munchie, reminded me more of a pizza, could have been crispier, and I probably would appreciate it more if I was a bit tipsy.

**The Munch Burger – 4/6

• Melted cheddar, “tomatoes, pickles, onions”, shredded romaine, “fancy sauce”$14.95
• 100% Certified Angus Beef  – all come with bucket of hand cut fries –
• The burgers are huge here, and they’re huge for everyone… I walked around and did my own observations.
• It was a very good burger and it was nice and smoky with charred flavours.

• It’s definitely a meaty burger with predominantly beef flavours coming through the most.
• The patty is substantial and it’s pretty moist, with a slightly pink middle and I would have requested medium rare if they do that here.
• I liked the soft thin bun, but the crispy fried onions and the rest of the ingredients get a bit overwhelmed by the amount of meat. It’s a very thick patty!
• The “fancy sauce” was just that In-N-Out Burger Thousand Island like sauce. I find this gets a bit overplayed and that’s why I suggested getting this sauce replaced with their creamy poblano sauce which was delicious! I’d pay the extra for it too.
• Fries – The fries are good here! They taste like gourmet McDonald’s fries, but crispier, with the skins on, and made with very fresh oil.

**Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos – 5/6

• Creamy poblano sauce, shredded cabbage $17
• All come with a bucket of hand fries
• This was my favourite of everything I tried. Very West Coast, very Californian, very San Diego and very delicious!
• This is something I would typically order on my own. It’s definitely a more “refined munchie”, but I’m pretty obsessed with finding good fish tacos especially after watching the movie I Love You Man.
• Yes, it is a bit pricier, but the high quality ingredients and large piece of mahi mahi is well worth it.

• The tortillas are the American style mini soft tortilla shells rather than the authentic Mexican version, but they’re still good and served warm. I think there’s 6 tortilla shells.
• The fish is big and it’s a firm, flaky, juicy, and tender white fish with smoky and charcoal flavours and a hint of lime.
• The fresh crunchy cabbage (no dressing),  fresh tomato salsa and creamy poblano sauce makes for a really refreshing fish taco, and the balance of smoky and tangy sauce is really well played.
• The poblano sauce is almost like a cooling tangy sour cream, but lighter and thinner in texture. It has tons of flavour and some smoky sweet notes and reminded me of smoky zesty avocado sour cream dressing. Remember to use it for your Tiny Grilled Cheese Sandwiches as well!
• I could have used a corn salsa too, but that’s another story.

**Sweet Potato French Fries – 4/6

• Roasted garlic mayo (Ordered alone, or substituted for additional charge)
• These are actually yam fries. They’re crispy, flat and thick cut, well seasoned and pretty delicious for what they were. I’d gladly pay the extra to get them substituted, but I generally do really like yam fries.

Munch Punch Bowl – n/a (The virgin version is 3.5/6)

• Shared table-side in a 48oz scorpion bowl, milagro añejo tequila, fresh lime, pomegranate, liqueur, pineapple, agave nectar $26
• I had this alcohol free since I was on the “job”, so it does come virgin as well.
• It’s almost like a sweet grapefruit juice, but tangier from the pomegranate and pineapple. I think there’s some Sprite in it because it is a bit carbonated.
• It’s very light and refreshing and not to sweet, sugary or syrupy, although I doubt it’s made from any fresh fruit purees.
• My friends did go back on 2 occasions to order it with alcohol and they did say it was a bit different both times. The amount of alcohol used is a bit inconsistent and sometimes it’s much more of a “man’s punch” rather than a fruitier “girl-friendly” drink.

Crunchy S’mores Sundae – 4/6

• Crushed graham cracker, charred marshmallows, chocolate ice cream, chocolate-nutella sauce $8
• Yummy!! I love ice cream so anything with ice cream starts off as good… unless the quality sucks.
• This is MASSIVE! Totally worth it.
• It tastes like McDonald’s soft serve ice cream, but much thicker, richer and creamier.
• I loved that it had finely ground graham cracker crumbs throughout the ice cream and not only as a topping because I liked the gritty crispy cookie crumb texture it brought.
• There ARE actually marshmallows at the bottom, but they’re big ones and I didn’t get to them in the video. I still think smaller charred marshmallows or a caramelized marshmallow cream topping/sauce would have worked better.
• The larger marshmallows just don’t melt and  instead the marshmallows harden from the coldness and get a bit chewy and almost like candy, so you lose that marshmallow “s’mores” quality.
• The chocolate nutella sauce tastes like equal parts chocolate melted with nutella, so no surprises there.
• My friends also went back for this and said that they didn’t get as much chocolate-nutella sauce… so again a bit inconsistent… however that’s only one example.
• It’s not like my version had tons of sauce either though, and it is layered and I actually prefer it with a bit less sauce since it’s sweet enough already. (I have Follow Me Foodie spies everywhere… lol j/k… well sort of)

• Follow Me Foodie Tasty Twist: I’ve been doing this at McDonald’s since Kindergarten, but if you’ve never dipped fries in soft serve ice cream, you’re missing out. It’s delicious. You get the savoury and salty contrast and warm and cold contrast.
• I actually think it works better with the McDonald’s fries though… and it has to be dippable soft serve ice cream.

Restaurant: The Original Fulton Fish Fry
Cuisine: Fast Food/American/Seafood
Last visited: January 23, 2011
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada (New York, New York)
Address: 3790 Las Vegas Blvd S
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4
Service: n/a (fast food/pay at cashier)
Ambiance: n/a (New York, New York food court)
Overall: n/a
Additional comments:

• Located in food court
• Fresh fish
• Lightly battered
• Popular for fish/chicken
• Cheap eats/budget friendly
• Big portions
• Made upon order
• Casual/quick
• Open late

**Recommendations: Fulton’s Fish & Chips, Chicken (Planks) & Chips

Despite my rather “ritzy” culinary adventures at Nove Italiano and Bouchon, my Vegas dining experience had actually started off at a rough start. Or so I thought! The Original Fulton Fish Frye was not on my original dining itinerary. It was actually a default choice and we were all starving and tired of walking around. The original plan was to find Serendipity, which we assumed would be located in New York, New York. But after making the trek down we realized it was back at Caesar’s Palace. At this point the majority of the group was ready to settle for just about anything.

There weren’t many exciting dining options at New York, New York, and Il Fornaio is a chain restaurant I had already tried in San Diego (see my post for it here), so we decided to split up and just hit the New York, New York food court. Initially I totally snubbed The Original Fulton Fish Frye. I actually headed across from it to Broadway Burger Bar & Grill for an actual restaurant style burger. Long story short, I ended up being disappointed by this overpriced $11 burger (with no side) and impressed with these bang for your buck fish & chips.

I’m actually really happy to write this post, because Vegas is not always a budget friendly choice when it comes to dining. At the same time cheap food is not always good food. It’s hard to find the best of both worlds without going off the strip, but I think I found it here. Not only was The Original Fulton Fish Frye a great find, but it was huge portions, filling, affordable and the majority of it was good quality. If you stick to ordering the right items you’ll be pleasantly surprised like I was.

I ordered the Family Meal Deal: Four Battered Cod, Four Chicken Planks, Pop Corn Shrimp, Hush Puppies, Seasoned Fries & Cole Slaw $16.95, and a New England clam chowder for 3 people. This order could have easily fed 4+ adults. The portions were huge, it wasn’t as greasy as I expected and the fish was fresh. If you’re looking for inexpensive options, kid-friendly food, or late night munchies, then I would recommend this place as a quick and casual find in New York, New York.

On the table:

Family Meal Deal

• Four Battered Cod, Four Chicken Planks, Pop Corn Shrimp, Hush Puppies, Seasoned Fries & Cole Slaw $16.95
• Add a large beverage and cole slaw $2.50

**Fulton’s Fish & Chips - 5/6

• Fresh Cod Fillets & Chips ($7.50 if ordered separately)
• For fish and chips, this place was great!
• It was huge strips of fresh fish and I was reminded of Moby Dick Seafood Restaurant in White Rock, BC.
• The cod and batter was well seasoned and the batter was light, thin and crispy.
• Despite what I’ve heard, mine was actually not greasy (for deep fried fish) and very juicy and well flavoured.
• Tartar sauce: The tartar sauce was almost like a creamy tangy salad dressing. It was heavy on the relish and lemon and it almost needed to be heavier on the mayo. I wasn’t a huge fan of it, but the fish was great.

**Chicken Planks - 5/6

• Beer battered chicken planks & seasoned fries ($6.75 if ordered separately)
• How unexpected that the chicken planks would be a hit at a fish n’ chips place! I was so impressed with them!
• The chicken was super tender and soft and I thought it was deep fried halibut at first. It wasn’t fishy tasting though.
• It was well seasoned white meat chicken breast, or fillets, and not dry at all, but just incredibly tenderized.
• These chicken “planks” or strips were also crispy with a light salty batter that was similar to the fish batter.

Hush Puppies – 3/6

• I’m indifferent because now I’m confused to what a real hush puppy should taste like. I’ve had them before, but not like this.
• The texture threw me off because I was expecting more of a corn bread flavour and texture, but this was more like a croquette.
• It was more like a ball of soft dough with a crispy breadcrumb and cornmeal batter on the outside.
• The inside was a somewhat of a creamy pureed mixture of onions, powdered Parmesan cheese, cornmeal, milk and white pepper (that’s my guess at least).
• It was savoury and slightly cheesy and I thought it was almost cream cheese and then there was a bit of heat, but they’re not spicy.
• The flavour was actually quite tasty and savoury, but the semi creamy soft centre was unexpected and I thought they didn’t cook them all the way through at first.

Seasoned Fries – 3/6

• The fries are rather thick and crinkle cut. They taste like a cross between Ruffles potato chips and fries.
• It was almost like a rustic homemade version of Ruffles chips made with starchy Russet potatos.
• They were very crispy, salted, quite tasty and not your standard fries.
• They’re the kind of fries that go well with tartar sauce, but not so much with malted vinegar.

Garlic Crusted Popcorn Shrimp – 1/6

• Cocktail & Tartar sauces ($6.50 if ordered separately)
• I wasn’t a fan of these. The shrimps were likely frozen and very heavily battered. It was almost all batter.
• I could definitely taste the garlic powder sprinkled on top and I didn’t know that was what they meant by “garlic crusted”.
• Cocktail sauce: It was way too heavy on the ketchup with very little jarred horseradish and a hint of lemon.

New England Clam Chowder - 2.5/6

• Served in a sourdough bowl $4.95
• I had some, but it was very standard New England Clam Chowder. For a fast food place it’s not bad, but I wouldn’t really crave it either.
• It was quite chunky with lots of chunks of potatoes, but barely any clams.
• The texture was very creamy, rich and thick and I did like that part.
• The sourdough bread was crusty and somewhat chewy, but nothing special in particular.
• For $4.95 it’s not a bad deal since it’s pretty big and good, but there’s just barely any clams.

Restaurant: Bouchon
Cuisine: French/Fine Dining/Breakfast/Brunch
Last visited: January 25, 2011
Location: Las Vegas, NV (Venetian)
Address: 3355 Las Vegas Blvd S
Price Range: $50+

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5
Service: n/a
Ambiance: 4.5
Overall: n/a
Additional comments:

• Fine dining French cuisine
• Executive chef/owner Thomas Keller
• 3 locations
• French bistro
• Innovative French dining
• Award winning restaurant
• One of the most popular in Vegas
• Local & tourist favourite
• Elegant, but approachable
• Seasonal menus
• Oyster bar
• On site bakery
• Seafood/meat
• Notable wine list
• Special occasions
• Private dining available
• Daily breakfast/brunch/lunch/dinner
• Reservations recommended

**Recommendations: Rillettes aux Deux Saumons, Truite Grenobloise, Poulet Rôti, Ile Flottante, Beignets (if it’s offered on their dessert menu)

Bouchon is tucked away on the 10^th floor of the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas and the anticipation was building as I walked through the corridors towards its grand entrance. I felt like Belle from Beauty and the Beast when she’s exploring the castle, but instead of discovering a rose, I discover Bouchon.

Bouchon. The second born child of owner and world renowned Chef Thomas Keller (Chef TK). His first restaurant is of course French Laundry in Napa Valley, which is an exclusive private dining restaurant with a year long wait list. Bouchon is the more casual version, but it’s still fine dining and it’s one of the most popular fine dining restaurants in Las Vegas, I’d say for good reason too. I had the pleasure of trying Chef Keller’s Bouchon Bakery in Napa Valley last year (see my post here), but I never tried his restaurants.

I write about it like I’ve been longing to go for ages, but the truth is it was on my radar, but was never a top priority. The fact that it was Chef Keller made it a very big deal to me, but since Bouchon has three locations it just always seemed like the obvious choice and almost too “readily available”, so I did tend to put it in the “will eventually get there” list. However after a few recommendations from close friends I decided to stop delaying the visit and finally give it a try.

The inside of the restaurant was rather understated, considering the secluded location and somewhat of a journey it takes to get there. However it’s still true to Parisian Bistros, besides the fact that it was spacious and completely no smoking. As much as it’s categorized as fine dining, I actually think it’s one of the more affordable fine dining options in Las Vegas and the ambiance isn’t pretentious for what you may expect.

Our server was curious by my picture taking and was a foodie herself so she did know I was a food blogger, but nonetheless dinner was dinner and I’ll still be honest. However she did invite me to take a tour of the kitchen which I gladly accepted with great enthusiasm.

I found this incredible. Chef has a satellite television set up in the kitchen which features a live stream of each of his 3 kitchens in Beverly Hills, Napa Valley and Las Vegas.

The baked goods getting ready for Bouchon Bakery located on the ground floor of the Venetian. Oh! Are those macarons I see?

Yes! Pistachio & Chocolate Macarons and they let me take them too! Note to self, the bigger macarons they sell at the Bouchon Bakery are more delicious – see here.

At the croissant making station.

All the croissants I ended up making… just kidding! Every single one was identical and so perfect looking that I couldn’t help but to pick one up!

I think I totally lost it at this point and started blabbing about how excited I get about anything sous vide and confit… it was fun! (They probably thought I was crazy… which I am when it comes to food!)

Despite being able to get a behind the scenes look at the incredibly clean and organized kitchen, I have to say that dinner did not disappoint. Some dishes were of course better than others, but I didn’t expect anything less than what was delivered. The value is there and the portions are decent with elegantly prepared food that is still approachable. It was authentic French cuisine with some inventive twists and obvious Chef TK touches, minus the large dining room which isn’t very ‘him’. At the same time the round table family style dining and refined French country cuisine was honest and overall the food and ambiance was rich without feeling rich.

On the table:

Complimentary Bread & butter

• Done right! And with warm salted pistachios!
• I wouldn’t expect anything less from Chef Thomas Keller when it comes to great bread.
• Each of his locations have an on site bakery so breads are baked fresh daily.
• It was served warm with an incredibly crunchy crust and a soft chewy middle and it was as perfect as a baguette could be.
• I loved the rustic family style “monkey bread” method of serving as well.

This Rillettes aux Deux Saumons was featured on Food Network by Tyler Florence on The Best Thing I Ever Ate. The method of jarring is an ancient French technique and the layer of lard seals in all the flavours. The capping of lard is removed at the table by the server.

**Rillettes aux Deux Saumons – 6/6

• Fresh & smoked salmon rillettes served with toasted croutons $17.50
• I saw the salmon, but being from Vancouver, BC I overlooked it. The description didn’t sound too exciting and it actually took our server to convince me it was worth it. Thank goodness I listened. This was definitely one of the highlights of dinner.
• The salmon was so creamy, rich and every flake was infused with flavour.
• It seemed like a mixture of savoury cured salmon and flaky cooked salmon and the texture was incredibly buttery and moist especially since it was preserved.
• It was tender chunks of flaky cured salmon coated with this rich lemon butter, that didn’t taste oily or greasy, and eaten together it just simply melted in your mouth!
• It had a beautiful texture and I didn’t even need the crunchy crostini although together it was still divine.
• The whole appetizer actually reminded me of “The Local Salmon in a Jar” available at Blue Canoe in Steveston Village in Richmond – see my post here.
• The method of jarring the salmon was the same, except Blue Canoe ‘ups’ the idea by serving it with almond biscotti! I was able to try it once see here, and I remember it being very good, but I also remember the almond being masked by the salmon. I don’t want to compare them or comment too much because it has been a while, but if you’re curious…

Confit de Canard – 3.5/6

• Crispy duck leg confit, honey-preserved huckleberries, wilted spinach with juniper berry & foie gras vinaigrette $15.50
• You had to guess it was coming. If duck confit is on the menu 99% of the time it will be on my table.
• It was good and rather simple, but I can’t say it was my favourite duck confit or even a very memorable one for that matter.
• The duck itself was incredibly crispy and the meat had great savoury flavour, but it really reminded me of crispy chicken they serve at Chinese banquets. I know that sounds weird but without communicating two of us at the table said “it reminds me of Chinese [in style]”.
• I have a feeling the duck is fried with peanut oil as well as its own fat. It had a wonderfully nutty flavour and it resembled characteristics of fried chicken.
• It was a tangy buttery duck fat gravy that was also quite sweet from the bites of juniper berries which were like wrinkly blueberries, but I couldn’t taste their flavour unless I ate them alone.
• I couldn’t taste the infusion of foie gras in the sauce, and either the berries were too mild of an ingredient or it was a poor crop, but regardless it didn’t play a strong enough role.
• I was glad I tried the duck confit because the curiosity would have killed me, but at the same time I wouldn’t care to really order it again.

Salade de Cresson et d’Endives au Roquefort et Noix – 4/6

• Watercress & endive salad with Roquefort, fuji apples, toasted walnuts & walnut vinaigrette $12.75
• Someone was being good after a very indulgent dinner at Nove Italiano the night before. You can guess, it wasn’t me.
• I have nothing against salads, but let’s just say they have to be quite fancy for me to order.
• It was fresh and well assembled despite the fallen leaves you see.
• It was actually a colour constructed salad and it was the best quality of ingredients listed so it was as good as it could have got.
• The blue cheese deserves a shout out because it was very creamy with a sharp salty bite and it could have been used as the dressing for the salad.
• Great quality and flavour with the lemony parsley and slight bitterness of endive, but a touch of honey would have been nice too.

Moules au Safran – 4.5/6

• Maine bouchot mussels steamed with white wine, mustard & saffron served with French fries $28.50
• The fries are great, hand cut, skins on and deep fried in peanut oil so they’re very crispy and well seasoned with sea salt. I do wish they came with aoili for dipping though.
• It came with an ample portion of mussels and probably due to the season and type, but the mussel meat was quite tiny, although still very fresh.

• The broth was almost like a buttery shallot bouillabaisse sauce with the accent of saffron to bring out a floral aroma.
• It was a salty and tangy and the quality of white wine they used is incredible. It’s not like I could really taste the white wine since it was cooked out, but you could still taste a hint of it and you could tell it was an important factor in building the flavours of this sauce base.
• It also used great fruity olive oil which worked really well with the aromatic saffron.
• There was an infusion of garlic, but it wasn’t too much and the hint of lemon brought out the tang in the white wine as well.
• There was some added butter for richness, but it wasn’t oily and I could taste a hint of mustard if I searched for it, and it added a slight thickness to the soup.
• It looks richer than it tastes and it was a nice and light sauce that didn’t overpower the flavour of the mussels. It was great as a dipping sauce with the fries and definitely drinkable with a spoon.

Gnocchi à la Parisienne – 3.5/6

• Sautéed gnocchi with a fricassée of vegetables & beurre noisette $26.50
• I do love gnocchi and I’ve had my fair share, but I’ve never had gnocchi that tasted like this one. It was very different and nontraditional.
• The gnocchi was missing fork ridges, and yes, details like that really do bother me especially when I’m at a fine dining restaurant.
• The gnocchi was fried crispy, which I like but at times it started tasting like tater tots. The texture and flavour of it was quite eggy and it didn’t taste bad, but it wasn’t that pillowy fluffy traditional gnocchi either.
• There’s a nice nuttiness from the brown butter sauce, sweetness from the red bell peppers and then richness from the chunks of goat’s feta, but it didn’t have a wow factor or particular uniqueness.
• I would enjoy this as a shared appetizer or as a side better because the flavours would get a bit tiresome for me.

Coquilles St. Jacques Poêlés – 4/6

• Sautéed scallops with abalone mushroom & salsify fricassée with lobster royale & black pepper gastrique $36.00
• This was my official main.
• It was enjoyable, but I was hoping for a rich and hearty Coquilles St. Jacques considering the description.
• I thought it would be more traditional French and I expected the serving of the scallops with the shells – see a great version of this dish I had at Le Gavroche here.
• Maybe I’m just a fatty girl who likes her guilty indulgence of rich food, but as meaty as the scallops and abalone mushrooms were in texture I just wanted more from it.
• The ingredients used were actually all quite light and I also wanted more contrast in terms of textures.
• The black pepper gastrique did give it an added richness and I know the lobster royale was supposed to be ultra rich, but it actually wasn’t.
• The lobster royale (sitting on top of the scallop)
  • This was very Chef TK, he hates wastage, but I don’t feel like it played the “royale” role it should have.
  • It actually tasted like a savoury creamy seafood custard and the texture was very soft and silky smooth like tofu or creme caramel.
  • It was definitely made from lobster tomalley (the livers/guts of a lobster), but the flavour was so mild and surprisingly not rich or even very buttery considering the ingredients. It did have a seafood flavour, but I found it underwhelming or underdeveloped.
  • It kind of blended in with the textures of everything else and seemed a bit random.
  • I think Chef TK tried to emulate similar characteristics to foie gras with the lobster royale, but foie gras is much stronger and meatier. This was very delicate and rich in texture more so than it was in flavour.
• The plate and lobster royale looks like it was garnished with tobiko, but it tasted like bits of jerky like lobster claws and it was a bit chewy. I think fresh tobiko would have been great to enhance the seafood and savoury flavours in the royale.

• The scallops were jumbo, great quality and they had a wonderful savoury seared crust and a great steak like texture.
• They were seared on both sides (my pet peeve when it’s not), but the other wide was barely seared and it was almost like it was done last minute right before it was about to overcook. Call me picky, but I think I can be a bit if I’m at Bouchon.

• Salsify fricassée
  • I had my first encounter and taste of Salsify a few weeks ago on my “Root Awakening” post at C Restaurant and I admit it was part of the reason I really wanted to try this dish.
  • Salsify was named one of the Top 5 ingredients of 2011 by Food Network and I didn’t really care for it the first time I had it – see here. However Chef TK prepared it in a manner that made me love it and now I really am ‘rooting’ for it
  • It was prepared in a simple way where the vegetable wasn’t far from its original state, so I really got an idea of its natural flavours.
  • It had the texture of tender and very soft asparagus stems and the flavour of turnip meets fennel root with a delicate hint of licorice, but very mild in flavour overall.
• The salsify and abalone mushroom side was executed like meat, in a fricassée style, but it was still very healthy tasting and didn’t resemble stewed meats, although the texture of the ingredients were firm and meaty.
• The black pepper gastique sauce is a very thick and syrupy sauce made with vinegar, wine and fruit and of course lots of peppercorn in this case.
• The gastrique was aromatic with black peppercorn, but the flavour was not spicy and it reminded me much more of the mild somewhat fruity use of pink peppercorns. It was very bold and tangy and quite sweet and I could actually taste the red wine and fruit. However one of the ingredients left a slight bitterness that I wasn’t keen on.
• I have the feeling the fruit used might have been juniper berries and it brought an earthy sweet flavour in combination with the peppercorn.
• I can’t say I appreciated the black pepper gastrique for this dish and the bitter peppercorn flavour wasn’t the best complement to the overall flavours.
• I’m curious how it would taste with a vanilla bean gastrique made with juniper berries, I can see it working!

**Poulet Rôti – 5/6

• Roasted chicken with glazed celery root, Jura wine-poached apples, herb quenelles, chestnut confit & chicken jus $29.50
• This was no ordinary chicken and it was actually excellent.
• The chicken was moist, tender and perfectly roasted with a crispy skin for the most part. It was cooked in duck fat and resembled a duck confit and I did like it better than the duck confit overall. It had more “wow” factor.
• It was a very sweet and syrupy rich chicken jus that was reduced very well and almost like a demi glace, but chicken in flavour throughout. I couldn’t taste the duck fat although it was used in the sauce to give it that richness.
• It’s a great winter entree and I loved the tender vegetable, fruit and nut mixture, but I did want more contrast in textures and flavours since they were all cut to the same size. I definitely could have used more chestnuts too.
• I couldn’t taste the fine details in the preparation of each vegetable or fruit and it was more natural in flavours and not as sweet as I expected. It tasted like it was simply sauteed in butter and parsley so I couldn’t taste the duck fat being used in this either. If anything the chicken jus made it sweeter.
• I did want a crisp or crunchy texture or/and a burst of sweet juicy fruit in the confit medley.
• I think raisins or prunes would have done it, they use duck and prunes in France all the time. It’s just nothing really stood out, so there was an accent missing to this medley of ingredients, which prevented it from reaching the next level.

**Truite Grenobloise – 6/6

• Pan-roasted trout with cauliflower florets, sultanas, toasted brioche & truffle cauliflower purée $28.50
• I really enjoyed this trout and it was my favourite main. I want to kiss it!
• The description called my name and the outcome did live up to what was promised.
• On the other hand it reminded me of a dish I had from Redd in Napa Valley (see The Caramelized Diver Scallops here) and Chef Reddington changed my palate so I couldn’t help but to compare aspects of the dishes and I have to say that Redd… you are a devil. However this one was still tres excellent!
• The textures, flavours, protein, choice and combination of ingredients were bang on.
• It was moist, flaky fish with a crispy skin underneath, and then a topping of tender cauliflower florets, sweet bursts of plump raisins, and crispy buttery lemony brioche croutons.
• It’s sweet and savoury flavours were paired with a lovely aroma and strong flavour of truffle in a creamy cauliflower puree sauce.
• It wasn’t too rich because it was cauliflower, but it was rich truffle flavour and just the perfect complement to the fish without being overpowering.
• The toppings were like a gourmet savoury and sweet trail mix and I loved the fruitiness of the raisins. It tasted great with the fish or alone.
• DROOL!! My mouth is watering just thinking about it again.
• I could have used crispier and more caramelized cauliflower florets, but I’m satisfied with what was given.
• The tangy bite of salty capers or pearl onions would have been nice as well, but overall it was perfectly seasoned and beautiful throughout. This is something I look forward to ordering again.

Croque Madame – n/a

• Toasted ham & cheese sandwich on brioche, fried egg & mornay sauce served with French fries $18.95
• I’m sorry Chef Keller!! I Croque MaDAMN the man who ordered this WITHOUT your fried egg & Mornay sauce!!! It pains me to even include this in my post. I’m as traumatized as you are! I can’t argue with personal tastes, but I CAN argue with people not willing to at least TASTE something NEW!!! Please!! I beg you to explore or you’ll miss out on a world of deliciousness!
• *SIGH* This was ordered by our “white bread and butter” American friend and yes that is his bottle of COKE behind the mound of fries. Oh I’m in pain… I want to cry :*(
• I can’t even comment on this because it’s not meant to be served this way.
• I still had a bite of the sandwich which was still good, but at the same time so meh without the complete order. Oh please lets move onto a better topic…

The Dessert

Profiteroles – 4/6

• Vanilla ice cream & chocolate sauce $9.50
• This was delicious and it was probably the most perfect profiteroles could get, but at the same time there were no surprises and anything is good with ice cream.
• They pour the chocolate sauce at the table and the chocolate is creamy and great quality, and it actually didn’t harden which surprised me.

• Personally, I prefer ice cream to cream, so I liked the switch up, but it would have been great to get the whipped cream or pastry cream served along side as well. Or all 3!
• The choux pastry was crispy, light and airy and nicely sweetened and almost like a biscuit or cookie, but still soft.
• The chocolate was a bittersweet chocolate sauce and it wasn’t oily or too sweet.
• The vanilla ice cream is made in house and it’s wonderfully rich and creamy with vanilla bean seeds throughout.
• Overall, well assembled and very good, but it was what it was.

**Ile Flottante – 5.5/6

• Meringue with vanilla crème anglaise, almond & salted caramel $9.00
• I’ve never had anything like this before and it was so unique and creative.
• The warm salted caramel sauce is poured at your table.
• The meringue was a very soft, airy, fluffy and light marshmallow cloud and it was almost bubbly like a marshmallow version of an Aero bar. It was almost creamy and foamy and it wasn’t stringy, sticky, crispy, or even that sweet for a meringue.
• It was surrounded by a pool of creme anglaise that was loaded with vanilla bean seeds and the salted caramel just intensified the vanilla bean flavour like crazy.
• All this was followed by the sweeter salted caramel sauce that was more like a candied caramel syrup that would go around a candy apple. The saltiness was perfectly balanced with the sweetness.
• The vanilla creme anglaise almost lightened up the sweetness and brought it back down a notch too. It was perfect!
• It would have been nice to have the almonds more incorporated, but it was still a great addition as a garnish.
• I was scared it was going to be overly sweet, but it wasn’t at all! It was very pleasant to eat as the last course and I would consider it a lighter dessert.
• Bouchon Bakery makes a salted caramel popcorn with peanuts and I think it would have been perfect as garnish for this dessert, but replace the peanuts with almonds.

Bouchons (Daily special) – 3/6

• With rocky Road Ice Cream $9.50
• I don’t get the hype for these chocolate Bouchons, which are essentially chocolate brownies.
• It’s one of the most famous items to come out of Bouchon Bakery and I tried them in Napa Valley last year and I found them very regular – see here. It’s a very dense brownie and it’s very rich and thick and more bittersweet than it is sweet. It’s more like cake and I find them overrated.
• The Rocky Road Ice Cream was good and the marshmallows were homemade, light and fluffy, but overall the Bouchons were supposed to be the highlight and I appreciated the other components more.

**Doughnuts or Beignets (Daily special) – 5.5/6

• With pistachio Ice Cream $9
• Unlike the Bouchon, aka brownie, this doughnut was no regular doughnut.
• This was perhaps the most perfect a doughnut could get and paired with one of my favourite flavours of ice cream, pistachio.
• I didn’t see or taste anything wrong. I only give it a 5.5/6 because I’ve had better desserts than this, but this was excellent.
• I should note that I do have a super soft spot for any dessert with warm and cold textures as well as ice cream. I scream for ice cream… literally.

• The doughnuts were the gourmet version of carnival doughnuts, but bigger and very fluffy. It’s soooo fluffy!!!
• They had a light dusting of sugar and were soft and fluffy like pillows. As you sink your teeth into them out oozes a thick and creamy warm vanilla bean custard that is melt in your mouth delicious. It was equal parts custard to doughnut and eaten alone these doughnuts were heavenly.
• The pistachio ice cream had crispy bits of real pistachios throughout and it was so flavourful and made in house.
• As creamy as all the textures were, nothing was overly sweet. It was simply a parade of wonderful!
• The beignets combined with the pistachio nut, pistachio ice cream, bittersweet chocolate dipping sauce and the accent of wamm vanilla bean custard in one bite… I almost fell off my chair.

Restaurant: Nove Italiano
Cuisine: Italian/Fine Dining
Last visited: January 24, 2011
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada (The Palms)
Address: 4321 W Flamingo Rd
Price Range: $50+

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: n/a
Service: n/a
Ambiance: 5
Overall: n/a
Additional comments:

• Fine dining Italian
• Contemporary Italian cuisine
• Executive Chef Geno Bernardo
• Fresh handmade pastas
• Fresh fish/seafood
• Famous for steaks
• Full wine bar
• Energetic/posh atmosphere
• Restaurant/Bar/Lounge
• Weekdays 5:30pm-10pm
• Weekends 5:30pm-11pm
• Lounge 5pm 7 nights a week

**Recommendations: Pesce Crudo, Raviolo, Shrimp Francaise, Death by Potatoes, Duck and The Veal Nove is excellent, but I don’t know if I would order it again. The Strawberry Carpaccio and Raspberry Granita for dessert.

This is perhaps the most food for the least amount of people I’ve ever experienced in my life – in non-buffet circumstances. I don’t know though because “The Fullest I’ve Ever Been Moments in 2010” were quite epic. Nonetheless I had a very memorable dining experience at Nove Italiano at The Palms in Las Vegas. I don’t think I would have easily discovered this fine dining Italian restaurant on my own, but I am very pleased to have been introduced to it. It’s not really a popular restaurant so it has been regarded as a “hidden gem”, it has pretty solid reviews and I was told it was one of “the best Italian restaurants”. The praise for it was high, so naturally so were my expectations.
It was hard to capture the ambiance of the restaurant and it was a lot nicer than what my photo shows. The chandeliers were made of Swarovski crystals, but I kind of felt like I was having dinner in Cher’s dining room, waiting for Purple Rain to come on and a guest appearance from Prince. It goes for that energetic and trendy atmosphere, but at times it can feel a bit dated, although the view from the restaurant is incredible.

A portion of the restaurant has these unique… okay I’m sorry, I can’t defend them. Edward Scissorhands could have done a better job at hedge sculpting, but I guess they certainly made a statement in not one… but 3 ways. I’ll give you a minute to think about that one.

Executive Chef Geno Bernardo & I

Now here comes my several biases. The occasion was special and we had a lot of “royal treatments” that were greatly appreciated throughout the night. Contrary to what you may be assuming, these “special favours” we’re NOT because of me (not to sound pretentious, but just taking into consideration the food blogger gig).

We were actually celebrating the birthday of a very special lady and I was honoured to be one of the guests. My friend, I’ll call him “Mr. Seeds”, had a personal connection, so Executive Chef Geno Bernardo went above and beyond to make the evening unforgettable. Wow, calling him “Mr. Seeds” makes him sound like a drug dealer, but he’s not… and if he was he’d be in prison after this post. Anyways the restaurant was aware that I was a food blogger as well. We were treated to lots of special off the menu appetizers, but I will try my best to approach Nove Italiano from a neutral perspective. After all, honesty is the best policy.

Nove Italiano is inventive Italian dining and for me it was more modern American-Italian in style and flavours rather than authentic Italian. Taking that into consideration I have to look at it from an angle of “does it taste good” and “was it worth it” rather than how close it comes to traditional Italian cuisine. Generally I did enjoy most of the food, although at times I felt it was a bit too salty or on the heavy side. Since I was able to make a massive dent in the menu I can say that a few of the flavours do get a bit repetitive, although still good. The dishes are rich and there’s not really a trick to ordering because even the light dishes are still quite rich. It’s a meal where I’d say to myself “I need a break after this”, but I never really mean it. I would still recommend the restaurant for certain dishes in particular, and I would come back to try other things with or without the special favours. So as the story goes… on to the food… or the table!

On the table:

Prosecco

Veal Calzone

• Off the menu special, compliments from the chef.
• Basic, but good. It was a very soft and buttery pie pastry with well seasoned ground veal filling and a simple tangy marinara topping as the sauce.
• It’s not a traditional pizza crust calzone, but the dough was more like a dessert pastry.

Fried Polenta

• Off the menu special, compliments from the chef.
• A very crispy panko crusted deep fried polenta (boiled cornmeal).
• The texture was great and the inside was a creamy soft polenta filling made of what I think was Parmesan cheese and perhaps Mascarpone. Again, very simple, but still good.
  

**Pesce Crudo – 5/6

• The Italian version of sashimi and this one was a salmon crudo. This is offered on the menu, but varies daily.
• I don’t know how I missed this on the Antipasti menu, but I would have ordered it if I saw it, luckily chef showcased it anyways.
• It was very fresh and I loved the salty juicy bites of creamy salmon roe with the hint of lemon zest and then crunch of a white caviar that looked like tobiko. It was my first time trying this white caviar, although it reminded me of cod roe, so it could have been that.
• It was very simple, but caviar doesn’t need much to shine anyways, so the hint of lemon was perfect.

Foie Gras Crostini

• Off the menu special, compliments from the chef.
• Very rich and buttery slices of chilled foie gras with a sweet onion jam topping on a very crunchy crostini.
  

Complimentary Bread and Butter

• I know I always comment on the bread and butter, but at this point I had to conserve stomach space so I barely touched it… but of course I still touched it!
• It was crunchy pretzel sticks and the Ciabatta was sesame crusted, super soft, but not chewy. It was nutty and almost a bit cheesy, but not really a Ciabatta as much as it was a regular soft and fluffy bread with a rubbery crust rather than crunchy one.

The focaccia could have used more love. It was soft and fluffy with some fresh Oregano leaves baked on. I have to say the complimentary focaccia at Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria & Cucina in City Centre, also in Vegas, is amazing.

Caprese – 5/6

• Oven roasted roma tomatoes, pesto, pine nuts, mozzarella di bufala $15
• If you like Caprese, this is an excellent one.
• The flavours are bold and the pesto is fresh, but lighter than usual and more fruity and herby than it is nutty and cheesy. The only thing is that I wish the pine nuts were pureed into the pesto sauce as well as being sprinkled on top. I’m assuming it was done for people with allergies… boo.
• The olive oil was noticeably fruity and rich in flavour intensifying the aromatic herbs, and the sweet tang of balsamic glaze gave the juicy tomatoes and pesto a nice contrast.

Onion Soup – 2.5/6

• Pancetta, poached farm egg, baccala $11
• I was a bit confused since this is a French soup, so I was hesitant on the order, but still curious to try it.
• This was a very chunky version of French Onion Soup and it was loaded with caramelized onions and a rich stock possibly made with veal.
• It was very intense in flavour but too salty, and I have a high tolerance for salt. It was also very sweet and it was just a bit too much of both that the natural flavours of the ingredients were overpowered.
• The pancetta was a nice Italian touch and so was the baccala (Italian salt cod), but both those items are so salty already that the flavour of them was lost and wasted in a salt battle.

• The egg was a brilliant idea, and if you like eggs, you’ll love Chef Bernardo.
• The egg was gorgeous and perfectly poached. It made the already rich soup so much richer but I still loved the concept.
• It added a creamy thickness to the soup and it made it less salty, but the soup base could have been lighter especially with the added egg.

**Raviolo – 5.5/6

• Egg yolk filled, truffle butter, pecorino pepata $14
• Alright, Chef Bernardo must have been Asian in his past life because he knows the secret of putting an egg on anything and making it taste good… not to say it wouldn’t have tasted good without the egg, but this dish was excellent!
• This is pretty much the most delicious version of bacon and eggs you can enjoy for dinner.

• Food porn right there! I don’t even know how he did this. Brilliant execution and concept and something I’ve never seen done before.
• The egg yolk acted as the sauce for this raviolo and it made for a very rich and indulgent appetizer. It did over power the truffle butter, although I could taste more butter than truffle in the first place.
• Along with the poached egg filling there was also a thick and creamy rich ricotta filling that was almost mousse like at the same time. It could have been a combination of Mascarpone and ricotta whipped up, and the silky texture of the poached egg white was an excellent complement in flavour and texture.
• The inside was nice and cheesy and it was topped with crispy pancetta and salty cheese which carried a bit of heat, but it’s not spicy.
• The raviolo skin was a tad overcooked, but the rest of it was so good I didn’t care. The only thing missing was that truffle oil flavour.

Burrata – 4/6

• Housemade bresola, roasted beets, local honey, flatbread $16
• The Burrata cheese is really making itself comfortable on every menu on the West Coast, however the quality will vary.
• It’s pretty much impossible to get authentic Burrata cheese unless you’re in Italy because the real stuff would expire before it arrives. It’s traditionally served in leaves, but it’s unlikely you’ll come across it being served this way in any North American restaurant.
• It’s very similar to Mozarella, but it’s made from Water Buffalo milk. The texture is much different and it’s stringy, and almost like an ultra creamy poached egg. The Burrata here was okay, but more spongy and less stringy and creamy.
• I’ve only tried 5 varieties of Burrata cheese and I still like the one from Trattoria the best – see here. See here for my recipe on how to replicate it at home.
• I did love the warm flat bread, honey, candied beets, and sweet thick and tangy balsamic onion syrup they served it with. It was a fun platter with well thought out ingredients that were new to an Italian meat and cheese platter.
• The housemade bresola is cured beef and it’s firm and jerky like. It was well aged and its natural meaty flavour really came through.

**Shrimp Francaise – 6/6

• The best you ever had $18
• If I’m going to have “the best [I've] ever had” for $18, you better bet it’ll be on my table!
• Do I have anything to compare to? No. This was my first time trying Shrimp Francaise, and if this is the standard that is now set on my palate, then any other Shrimp Francaise I order from now on will have a lot of work to do.
• I take it that it is a super simple dish from the flavours I got, but nonetheless I am waiting for it to be exposed and picked up by many more Italian restaurants because it’s delicious!
• It was butterflied prawns that were dipped into a lightly beaten egg batter and pan fried until crispy, so it tasted like fried eggs as well.
• The prawns are served in one of the best lemon garlic butter sauces I’ve had to date. It was rich and savoury and tangy with the hint of lemon and fresh from the chopped parsley. You can’t go wrong with lemon garlic butter sauce, and god knows how much of this sauce I’ve consumed, but this was one of the best versions of it I’ve had.
• The prawns were crunchy, tender and juicy with a crispy fried egg exterior and then the sauce was a “don’t waste it sauce,” where you call dibs on table bread just to soak it up and not see it go to waste.

Pastas

I’m really glad that they offer the pastas in half order portions because they are quite rich and I would rather order two different pastas than one big potion of the same thing.

Ravioli – 4.5/6

• Ricotta, walnut pesto, tomato sauce (Photo above is half order, full order $22)
• This was very rich and buttery, but very flavouful.
• There was a combination of fruity olive oil, very herby pesto sauce and then a tangy fresh tomato sauce with the richness of a salty creamy ricotta stuffing.
• The pesto sauce was the same one used on the Caprese and again I wish the walnuts were incorporated into the pesto sauce as well as being sprinkled on top.
• I could taste a nice balance of fresh parsley, oregano and basil used in the pesto, but no strong garlic flavours or even any Parmesan cheese, so it was a house version of Pesto sauce, just like in the Caprese.
• I loved the nutty crunch of the walnuts and I could taste every layer of ingredient.
• The quality of olive oil was not to be overlooked because it intensified the flavours of everything else and made them merry well together.

**Pansotti – 5/6

• Nana’s recipe, braised short rib, spinach, brown butter, hazelnuts (Photo above is half order, full order $22)
• It was still an excellent pasta and my favourite pasta dish of the night. Thank goodness, because it was my side.
• “Braised short rib” are magical words to me, but the filling didn’t seem like braised short rib.
• It was like the Italian version of the Shanghainese XLB aka xiao long bao or “juicy pork dumplings”.
• It came across as braised shredded pork shoulder mixed with coarsely ground pork. It was more like a meatball, but the textures were interesting and overall the pansotti does have a predominant pork flavour. It was delicious, but just not what I expect when I see “braised short rib”.
• Besides the nutty savoury brown butter sauce, most of the sauce actually came from the natural au jus of the pork filling.
• This pork filling was incredibly tender and juicy and I feel like it was braised in duck fat. It also had little bits of melt in your mouth fat throughout the mixture and you can taste the continuous flow of incredibly rich and meaty pork juice.
• Initially you’re hit with the nutty sweet aroma of hazelnuts first, followed by this juicy liquid of pork confit juice, and then the final flavours go back to the hazelnuts. The salty bite of brown butter sauce comes at the end and it enhanced the nuttiness of the overall dish as well.
• I could have used more hazelnuts and I think crispy sage would be a nice alternative to fresh parsley, which seemed a bit tiring at this point, but overall I’d still highly recommend this dish as a side.

Sunday Gravy – 3.5/6

• Braciole, sausage, meatballs, pork gravy (Photo above is half order, full order $25)
• YES! That is a HALF order! It was definitely the biggest half order for the pastas and more than enough for a main course.
• This was a very hearty Americanized version of Italian food. It was heavily sauce, very rich and meaty, but not in the way I was expecting. I didn’t feel like it suited the theme of the restaurant and it seemed a bit too “family style” for a fine dining place.
• The meats were good, but the sauce and pasta didn’t do much for me.
• It was a bit underwhelming for “Sunday Gravy” and I was expecting more of a traditional pork gravy made with pork au jus and a cream sauce rather than a thick housemade tomato sauce. I also thought the meats would be more incorporated into the dish rather than being served whole, as is, on top of the pasta.
• The highlight was the braciole which is a pan fried Italian beef but it’s as tender and flavourful as pulled pork. It’s cooked in its own juices, and it was a bit unfortunate it was covered by the house made pesto as well as the tangy tomato sauce because its natural flavour is something to look forward to.
• The meatball was one giant meatball (hiding behind the white cloud) and it was delicious, but more like a meatloaf. I think there was a mixture of carrots, onions and celery so it had a slight sweetness and very soft and tender texture.
• It was actually a spicy meatball so it was nice to have the large cloud of what I think was creme fraiche (perhaps mixed with Mascarpone) because the creamy tang helped cut the spiciness and it was almost a palate cleanser for the meats. It tasted like a whipped semi melted yogurt.
• The sausage was about a 1/4 of a link and it was quite substantial, and placed beside the meatball. It was a juicy thick sausage link that tasted similar to spicy salami and it was almost like an Italian bratwurst, but very meaty with fatty pork flavour.

Tortellini – n/a

• Prosciutto, black truffle cream sauce, arugula (Photo above is half order, full order $22)
• For one of the few cream based dishes of the night, and what I expected to be the richest, it was actually on the lighter side compared to everything else.
• This is surprising, but I actually felt it lacked flavour and I couldn’t taste the black truffle, although I didn’t have enough to say, so I’m not rating it.
• The filling was light pink and it looked salmon filled and the flavour wasn’t strong enough for me to pick out what it was. I just know that it wasn’t worth my stomach space so I moved on.

Saikou Salmon – n/a

• Shellbean risotto, gremolata butter $34
• The salmon was a huge portion and it had a beautiful crispy skin and the meat was falling apart juicy and tender. It was well seasoned and I could taste a nice infusion of fruity olive oil. I didn’t get to taste the gremolata butter though and it was used very sparingly, hence my reason for not rating it.
• The risotto was al dente with a firm bite but because it was made with beans it ended up building up a starchy texture rather than a creamy one. It was made with a tangy lemon cream sauce, crisp green beans and some freshly cracked black pepper that gave it a nice aromatic heat.
• I didn’t find it necessarily worth it and I think the execution could have been better. A nice drizzle of a well infused olive oil would have brought the silkiness back in the risotto and I feel like it was missing an ingredient. Maybe I was so addicted to the strong bolder flavours of all the dishes that this one just seemed a bit unfinished.

Chicken Parmigiana – n/a

• Oven roasted, tomato, mozzarella $29
• That is a 6 foot 4 giant holding that dish! That’s how big this chicken parmigiana was!
• I did have some, but not enough to rate it.
• The chicken was tender, super cheesy with tangy tomato sauce.  It was the most “what you would expect” dish.
• The ingredients were fresh, but it was what it was.

**Veal Nove – 5/6

• Thinly sliced scaloppine, prosciutto, arugula, lemon $42
• This is a house specialty and if you like the Shrimp Francaise appetizer, chances are you’ll enjoy this. It was almost the same, but just different proteins.
• The veal was delicious and it had this shallot, garlic and lemon butter with white wine sauce that was amazing.
• It’s so buttery and oily that it’s almost like a cream sauce and it’s incredibly rich and well worth the many many calories.
• I could taste the fruity olive oil and they must be using an excellent quality of wine to get that flavour in a butter sauce.
• The prosciutto was a bit weak and I though it was going to be wrapped around the veal or just presented better.
• It comes with 3 veal cutlets that are pounded flat and melt in your mouth tender. It’s a bit pricey, but very shareable.
• Arugula and lemon salad… I had no room for salad, so I passed.

**Duck – 5.5/6

• Pan seared breast, crispy leg, lentils, roasted grapes $32
• This reminded me of a duck confit. It was very contemporary and I wouldn’t have categorized it as “Italian” as I would contemporary French.
• This was a massive portion and well worth it!

• I know the menu said “pan seared breast” but I still expected that would mean crispy and it wasn’t. I was really disappointed because duck needs to be eaten with the fat, but when it’s all chewy the texture just doesn’t fly with me. It needs to be crispy and therefore I personally enjoyed the duck leg much more. The meat of the duck breast was very tender though and I did ask for it medium, which was perfect.
• This duck was quite sweet but it had a nice tangy balsamic drizzle and actually reminded me of the one from Redd in Napa Valley, but I prefer this version.
• The lentils were also sweet with perhaps some honey and they were rather firm and almost crunchy rather the creamy. It had a very nutty quality and there were also some sweet carrots, onions and celery to help build the flavours.
• I loved the several sweet and savoury combinations all throughout the dish and juicy bursts of sweet grapes to lighten everything up. The balsamic glaze was a great contrast and it was a sophisticated ensemble that I look forward to ordering again.

Filet Mignon – 5/6

• 8 oz $43 Il Forno style (garlic, parmigiano, ravioli) +$10
• Nove is owned by the N9ne Group who are famous for their steaks, so I was told that steaks were the hot item.
• The ravioli was a bit dry and nothing really special and I think it was just a simple ricotta cheese filling with baked Parmesan cheese on top.

;

• The steak was pretty perfect. I’m not sure how long they age them for, and it’s not the best steak in my life, although still excellent and well prepared.
• The topping was just a crispy garlic and melted Parmesan Cheese crust and it was very delicious, but the steak would have been good with or without it.
• I’m not so sure that the extra $10 for “Il Forno” style was worth it. I’d rather skip it and order this next item!

**Death by Potatoes – 6/6

• $11 (Side)
• Those are the hands of another 6 foot 3 giant holding that dish! It was a huge portion and I’d gladly order this as an incredibly indulgent main as well!
• It tastes like the best version of a delicious melted baked potato pie.
• The texture was so silky smooth and creamy that it seemed like a baked potato sauce! DE-LICIOUS!
• It’s creamy potatoes mashed with a whole lot of  butter, olive oil and truffle oil. There’s also melted Parmesan cheese, a Mascarpone cheese centre, crispy cubes of salty Pancetta, green onions and a crispy Parmesan gratin crust. This was heaven and if I could marry it I would. Til death do us part potatoes… you didn’t kill me, but you were close.

Chinese Broccoli with Grilled Baby Octopus

• Side
• I bet chef looked at our order and came to the smart conclusion that we needed some vegetables besides “Death by Potatoes”. So this side came unexpected, but much appreciated.
• It was sweet and savoury with smoky and spicy grilled octopus. The legs were jerky like and they reminded me of the delicious charred sweet and crispy bits of BBQ ribs.
• It did make me very curious to want to order the Grilled Baby Octopus from the appetizers. It’s on my list for next time!

Branzino Neck

• Our server came out and said “Chef wants to know if you’d be interested in trying fish neck?” My immediate answer – yes please! (Off the menu special, compliments from the chef) 
  
• I’m not sure if this was a Branzino fish and I’m not too familiar with its flavour, but I know the head looks like that.
• I ate the cheeks and part of the neck and called it quits… after returning to a bit more potatoes of course.
• I wish this was on the menu though because it was excellent.
• It was a very aromatic fish with that delicious fruity olive oil, an herb pesto and a wonderful lemon scent. It was almost like a fruity lemony perfume marinade and the grilling technique just intensified the strong aroma of ingredients.
• The sauce was made from lobster shells so it was so infused with shellfish flavour and he served it with pan fried lobster and cuttle fish. I felt like I was in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Dessert

Oh sweet lord! In the most literal sense. This was definitely the most grand entrance I’ve ever experienced with dessert. The desserts were okay, but the highlights were in the dinner. I question if Nove has their own in house pastry chef because I get the feeling that they might not. They’re fun desserts, but they bounce around from French to Italian, but nonetheless this was a special treat, so I’m biased.

**Strawberry Carpaccio – 4.5/6

• Sliced strawberries, aged balsamic vinegar reduction, candied Panko crumbs and creme fraiche ice cream
• I loved this dessert, and more so for its creativity, but the flavours were also excellent.
• It was thin slices of sweet and tart strawberries, with sweet and tart syrupy balsamic glaze, and then a refreshing tangy and creamy creme fraiche ice cream with crispy bits of candied Panko crumbs.
• The textures and flavours matched incredibly well and the Panko crumbs were such a smart idea! As much as I love nuts (insert joke here), this would be a great alternative to anyone with nut allergies.

Dessert Platter

• This was in honour of our special guest of the evening, so it was a special favour. They had 2-3 servers come out carrying this stone platter!
• I don’t even know where to start! Oh wait yes I do! Granitas – melts first and good palate cleansers!

Granitas – 4/6

• Shaved Italian ice: lemon and raspberry
• The lemon was much too tart and sweet, and I think it would be good to make it with Prosecco.
• The raspberry one was perfect! It was well balanced and it tasted like it was made from real raspberry puree, which is likely.

Cheesecake – 2.5/6

• I’m not a huge cheesecake fan, but I love Tiramisu… which is what I was crossing my fingers for. Tiramisu is a standard dessert I’d expect at any Italian restaurant so I was a bit bummed out.
• It was a very light, fluffy and mousse like cheese cake, but the graham cracker crust was a bit soggy.
• The cheesecake likers at the table thought it was good, but they weren’t fighting for another helping, although we were pretty full at this point.

Nutella Tower Chocolate Mousse – 3.5/6

• It was like a Kashi cocoa puff rice crispy cake on the bottom and then chocolate nutella mousse on top finished with whipped cream.
• The bottom wasn’t really a rice crispy, but it was similar. The rice cereal was a the puffy kind so it wasn’t as crispy but more airy like rice cakes. It was still molded together with a sticky sweet candy syrup.
• It was a bittersweet chocolate with equal parts nutella mousse and I could appreciate the idea, but I wasn’t floored by it.
• I think the incorporation of actual hazelnuts somewhere would have been great.

“Do-it-Yourself” Cannolis - 5/6 for idea, 2/6 for flavour

• I haven’t had enough cannolis in my lifetime to say if these were authentic, but I loved the idea behind it!
• The cannoli shells tasted like over fried tortilla shells so it was almost savoury and not sweet at all.

• It came with an assortment of toppings, so you got to pipe your own cannoli and I felt like I was at a kid’s birthday. Very fun and still suitable to the youthful atmosphere the restaurant tries to capture.
• The pastry cream was delicious and I loved that part! It was a bit grainy like frosting, but definitely not as sweet and therefore more like pastry cream.

Profiteroles – 3/6

• Pistachio custard with raspberry sauce, chocolate custard with chocolate sauce, vanilla custard with butterscotch sauce.
• Great concept and flavour combinations, but the flavour and technique in the pastry shell was a bit off. It was just slightly dry although light and airy.
• My favourite was the pistachio and raspberry sauce and I actually really loved the pistachio filling.

Cookies - 2.5/6

• The cookies were cute and random. The biscotti was great, but the pink macaron was very flat and a bit sad, despite the happy face.
• nonetheless it was a special occasion and everything was much appreciated on this dessert platter, so I’ll just stop here.

Geez, that was the longest post ever. Good night!

Restaurant: Wing Lei (Chinese Restaurant)
Cuisine: Chinese/Seafood/Contemporary
Last visited: August 17, 2010
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada (On the strip – inside The Wynn)
Address: 3131 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Price Range: $50USD +

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 3.5
Service: 4
Ambiance: 5
Overall: 3.5
Additional comments:

• Contemporary Chinese cuisine
• 1 Michelin Star restaurant
• AAA Four Diamond Award of Excellence
• “Best Chinese Restaurant” – Las Vegas Life Mag
• Executive Chef Ming Yu
• Blend of Cantonese, Shanghai, Szechuan cuisine
• Famous for Peking Duck
• Seasonal menus
• Chef’s specialty menu available upon request
• Good for groups
• Set menus available
• Full wine bar
• Reservations recommended
• Dinner only 5:30-10pm
• Casual business attire
  

**Recommendations: Come to Vancouver

Wing Lei is a fine dining Chinese restaurant located on the strip at The Wynn hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. “Wing” is a play on the hotel name “Wynn” and together “Wing Lei” means eternal prosperity. It serves a mix of Cantonese, Shanghainese and Szechuan cuisine and they pretty much took the classic favourites from each and put it on the menu. Wing Lee is modeled off of the best Chinese restaurants found in Hong Kong hotels and the food is finely executed for the most part. The atmosphere is gorgeous, the staff is in Armani uniforms, and the food is generally good, but overrated and overpriced.

Honestly, I can’t call Wing Lei authentic Chinese cuisine and I’m not sure if they claim to be as they do mention that their style has French influence. The authentic dishes are quite authentic, but there’s definitely some fusion going on with some of the dishes and I can confidently say that Chinese food is the best in Vancouver, BC. I am so lucky to live here… there… ? I would define it as contemporary Chinese and I was more impressed with the non-traditional dishes because I had nothing to compare them too.

I wasn’t necessarily disappointed and the food wasn’t horrible, but it was no different than good Chinese food I could get anywhere else in Vancouver. I could even get it better for 1/4 of the price… mind you, you are paying for the overall ambiance and experience of dining at Wing Lei – a “1 Michelin Star restaurant” that’s also “the best Chinese restaurant in Las Vegas” and a “AAA Four Diamond Award of Excellent for 2008, 2009, and 2010.” So did those titles make a difference for me? Not so much… I don’t know maybe it’s because I’m way too familiar with the culture and the food to know that there’s better. I also wasn’t in charge of ordering this meal, but was open to seeing how this “best Chinese restaurant in Las Vegas” would compare.

On the table:

**Lychee Blosson Martini – 5/6

• Grey Goose L’Orange Vodka, Soho Lychee Liqueur, Lychee Puree, Sweet & Sour $16USD
• This was delicious. It’s their signature drink, a classic martini that’s very strong, but also quite sweet and fruity so it’s very dangerous. It’s very floral and it probably would have been better if the lychee fruit was more in season, but still one of the best lychee martini’s I’ve had.

**Hibiscus Highball - 5/6

• Tanqueray Rangpur Gin, Grand Marnier, Sweet and Sour, Hisbiscus Syrup, Mint, Club Soda $14USD
• Minty, floral, sweet and tangy, slightly carbonated with orange and cranberry like notes served with a candied Hibiscus flower. Equally as delicious as the lychee martini and just as dangerous.

Peking Duck Salad – 4.5/6

• Mesclun lettuce, slivered almonds, mandarins, peanut-truffle vinaigrette $14USD
• This is not Chinese at all, it’s Chinese meets French, but it was still good and I really liked it. I could really taste the truffle oil which also had a nuttiness that I loved and it stood out most for me. It was a combination of flavours that I didn’t expect, or have I ever tried together, but thoroughly enjoyed. It was savoury, sweet with a juicy citrus tang from the orange, bitter greens and crunchy almonds. The cup it was served in which was a pastry tart shell was hard though and I would have preferred a flaky buttery shell instead.

Crab Salad with Golden Beet Root Carpaccio – 4.5/6

• Seasonal special – Sweet Chili Soy, Lemon fish dressing $16USD
• Again, this is not Chinese at all. Never in my life have I seen beets used at a Chinese restaurant, however in this case the Euro-Asian flavours worked here as well.
• I loved the sweet tender red and yellow beets, bitter frisee with the crunchy juicy lobster marinated with a sweet and sour, yet savoury dressing with a slight chili kick at the end. It was sweet chili sauce made into a vinaigrette with some savoury light soy, pungent fish sauce and splash of lemon juice, all the flavours went together perfectly.

Beef Tendon Slices – 2/6

• Star Anise Jus $20USD (On specialty menu available upon request)
• Traditionally this would be served on a cold appetizer platter like the one here at Shun Feng, or here at Kirin, or here at Sun Sui Wah.
• The beef tendon slices at Wing Lei were a bit more marinated and coated than I’m used to. It had a sweet chili sauce that had a slight licorice flavour, but it wasn’t that spicy. I’m not a fan of beef tendon though, I always find them a bit rubbery and dry and the clear tendon part is crunchy and comes out of nowhere, so I would usually pass.

Cold Jelly Fsh – 1/6

• Oyster chili vinigairette $18USD (On specialty menu available upon request)
• This was the most disappointing. This would traditionally be found on the cold appetizer platter as well along with the beef tendon slices.
• For sure I’ve had better jelly fish. It was bland and barely marinated and I couldn’t see or taste the vinaigrette at all. This was a twist on tradition because it’s usually supposed to be marinated in sugar, vinegar, salt, sesame oil and sometimes with a bit of chili flakes.

Imperial Peking Duck – 4/5

• Carved table side, steamed buns, cucumber, scallions, Hoisin sauce $78USD
• This is Wing Lei’s most popular dish and claim to fame. It’s a Peking duck that comes out on a cart and it’s carved right at your table. However this is the traditional way it’s served and if you go to any decent Chinese restaurant they will do the same. At Wing Lei they make the wraps for you before serving it and of all the times I’ve had this dish (a lot) I’ve never had it served this way. If you’re an “experienced” Peking duck diner than these were good, but you’ve probably had better.
• The duck was incredibly fatty and it was the fattiest duck I’ve had in an Imperial Peking Duck wrap. The skin was also not as crispy as I’ve had it and that’s the most important part to this dish. The duck itself was tender and juicy, but the fat wasn’t even that tender so I found it chewy and way too oily and greasy.
• The carving of the duck was also not traditional – see the Peking Duck wraps at Kirin or Empire Chinese cuisine to see how it’s usually served. I would prefer the Peking Duck wraps at Kirin, Rainflower, or Empire Chinese Cuisine, all in Vancouver, BC.
• The twist was the wrap – they used steamed buns instead of thin crepes. These steamed buns sure made these wraps more filling and they taste like thin sheets or rolled mantou (a super soft and chewy Shanghainese bread). These buns were excellent, but I would prefer the traditional crepes.

Peking Duck – 3.5/6

• This was the remaining duck that was served as is.
• I’m used to having the rest of the duck prepared for a lettuce wrap, and I think they still offer that as an option here.
• The duck was juicy, tender sweet and savoury, but I’ve had the skin crispier.

Wok Fried Maine Lobster & Noodles - 3.5/6

• Scallions, ginger, Sherry sauce, served in shell $68USD
• I think you have to request noodles and it’s probably an additional $15USD or so for that.
• This was good, but Chinese lobster is almost always good as long as it’s not overcooked. I’ve also had it better in Vancouver. The sauce was very simple and basic and the noodles were very mediocre. Overall I would have liked more lobster flavour in the sauce itself, the Sherry sauce just wasn’t obvious and some of the noodles were a bit dry. The lobster was tender and juicy and perfectly cooked though.

Steamed Chinese Egg Custard – 4/6

• Made with egg and preserved century egg about $28USD
• A recurring special, but not available on the regular menu.
• This dish has always been excellent, so it was not different here. It’s a 6/6 in general, but a 4/6 here.
• This is a super traditional dish that Chinese mom’s would make at home. It ‘s a typical Chinese comfort dish that is rarely served at Chinese restaurants because of it’s simplicity. It stems back from the olden days when people used to put eggs on the table as a filler because it was inexpensive and easy. It was almost the equivalent of ordering a tuna casserole. It’s good, mom usually makes it best, and it would be surprising to even see it on a fine dining menu.
• Egg custard is not a typical dish to foreigners, so it works in favour of the restaurant because it is delicious and they get credit for introducing a “new” Chinese dish.

• Despite the fact that it’s a simple dish, they actually did a decent job with it. The texture was silky smooth like tofu and I loved having the preserved century duck egg in there. The black coloured egg, a Chinese delicacy, tastes like a bland firm jelly on the outside with an extremely thick and creamy pungent egg yolk that’s slightly salty and hinders a slight vinegar aftertaste. If you’ve never tried it, you’re missing out, but I grew up with it so I’m biased. My mom would put salted egg in this dish as well and some cilantro and onions, but everyone has their own interpretation.
• This one also had a lot of soy sauce and usually it comes with the soy sauce on the side so that people can put it on themselves. It was a light soy sauce and it gave the steamed egg custard a savouriness that was all very light.
• It’s rare to see at a Chinese restaurant, but Negative Space Chinese Cuisine offers one and there are excellent Japanese versions at Seto Sushi and Koto Izakaya and Robata.

Salt and Pepper Crispy Prawns – 4.5/6

• Jalapeno, crispy garlic $32USD
• This was delicious as it always is and I was actually quite impressed because it was the last thing I ate and even though it was slightly cold by then, it was still very crispy.
• On the other hand, as long as the restaurant it using fresh prawns I could easily find it just as good or even better in Vancouver, BC. The salt and pepper garlic chili seasoning is a typical Chinese flavour used to prepare deep fried seafood (I’ve even had it prepared with worms, and I can honestly say it makes everything taste better – see here). Usually there is even more crispy garlic like the Deep Fried Black Cod with Special Garlic available at dim sum from Empire Chinese Cuisine.
• The best deep fried seafood like this I’ve had is the famous Under the Bridge chili crab in Hong Kong.

Garlic Beef Tenderloin – 5/6

• $38USD
• There’s no menu description, but it was scallions, bamboo shoots, snap peas and I’m pretty sure the standard garlic soy reduction.
• I have to give praise to the beef tenderloin which was very well flavoured and extremely tender.  However the sauce is just your standard Chinese stir fry sauce with perhaps some fermented soy bean paste. The execution was normal so there is nothing too special about the dish besides the beef. It was very good, but you could find this at any nice Chinese restaurant that uses a high quality beef.

Three Cup Chicken – 3/6

• Garlic, scallions, basil, sweet ginger soy reduction $28USD
• I barely remember this dish and that’s probably because it was nothing out of the ordinary. I know it was good, but also nothing that stood out. the sauce was just a typical good Asian sauce and the basil added an aromatic quality, but other than that it was as good as chicken with garlic, ginger and soy sauce. also the main ingredients in every single Asian dish…

Hunan Spicy Lamb - 4/6

• Scallions, chili, garlic soy reduction $32USD
• Sorry for the poor image – it was spinning around the lazy susan and last to come on the table so I didn’t want to cause a hold up.
• I’m not a huge fan of lamb, but this one wasn’t too gamey and it was really tender, soft and buttery pieces of lamb loin. It was the spiciest dish of the night and I’m sure you could find this in Vancouver although I’m not sure where yet.

Braised Eggplant – 5/6

• Bamboo shoots, wood ear mushrooms, chili soy sauce $12USD
• I actually thoroughly enjoyed this dish, but I also just really love eggplant and this dish is always good to me. The portion was small, but it was a side so it’s understandable.
• What made this dish stand out was how finely executed it was which each ingredient being cut to perfection. The eggplants were really tender, soft and creamy with a slight spice and I liked the crunchiness of the vegetables.
• However the braised eggplant with chili sauce from Shanghai River in Vancouver, BC  is just as good if not better. Chen’s Shanghai Kitchen and even Congee Noodle House does a good version and Tropika as well, although that’s Malaysian style.

Sichuan Green Beans – 2/6

• Garlic chili paste $12USD
• A typical dish you can find anywhere. It was just a mediocre Sichuan green bean dish and it wasn’t that spicy and could have used more garlic. I actually prefer when they sautee it with some dried shrimps. It gives it a nutty salty flavour that’s even better than this version.

Yang Chow Fried Rice – 3/6

• Shrimp, BBQ pork, chicken, eggs, asparagus, scallions $16USD
• This was done quite well with lots of shrimp and ingredients. The flavour was quite tasty, but no different from a regular Yang Chow Fried Rice from a good Chinese restaurant.

Steamed Jasmine Rice

• $5USD
• The most overpriced bowl of plain white rice ever.