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Garden State Diner

Friday, June 12th, 2009 by virginia

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Unfortunately for Josh, his Vegas business trip was scheduled after we had already booked our flights to Chicago. Rather than trying to change his flights to go directly from Vegas and having to deal with the red tape and all the rebooking fees, he opted to take a redeye into Newark from Vegas and meet me at the airport for our flight out to Chicago. Because his flight arrived at 5:30 am, and our flight out was at 10:15 am, it didn’t make sense for him to try and get home in between. I had him call me as soon as he landed and I headed to the airport immediately in an effort to cut down on the time he would have to wait by himself. We obviously had a lot of time until our flight so after we checked in and deposited our bag, we headed off to the Garden State Diner for a super early breakfast.

I’ve already waxed nostalgic about my love for Jersey diners, and the one in the airport was obviously a kitschy version – stainless steel chairs, red vinyl booths, neon lights, the whole bit. Still, it was more comfortable sitting in a booth than on those hard chairs by the gate, plus there was food involved.

Kitschy diner decor

We took our time deciding, and finally settled on Jersey eggs benedict for me (with Taylor ham instead of Canadian bacon), a bacon/egg/cheese sandwich for Josh, and a side order of fries to share. I asked the waitress if I could have the hollandaise on the side, and she seemed really confused, like she didn’t know eggs benedict comes with hollandaise. Regardless, my order showed up with the sauce on the side as requested but unfortunately, the eggs were way overcooked. One still had a tiny bit of runny yolk, while the other was almost completely hard-boiled. I generally hate sending things back, but a hard-boiled poached egg for eggs benedict is inexcusable.

Overcooked eggs on my Jersey eggs benedict

I flagged the waitress down, apologized first, and asked if I could new eggs since mine were overcooked. Again, she seemed really confused. I was trying to explain to her that the poached eggs should be runny, and she asked if I wanted them done “medium.” I don’t even know what that means! I’ve never been asked how I wanted my eggs done to a temperature, just whether I wanted them scrambled, or over easy, etc. So now I was also confused, because if I wanted runny eggs, do I order them rare? I didn’t want the whites to be runny though, because that’s not right either. So after some confused looks back and forth, I just restated that I would like the yolks to be still runny, not hard-boiled, handed my plate back, and hoped for the best. She returned with eggs that were better, but not perfect. I think the temperature of the water they were poaching the eggs in was too high because the yolk still had a layer of hard-boiling on the outside, but it was much runnier on the inside. The cheese on Josh’s sandwich was quickly congealing so I just sucked it up and went with it.

Better eggs, but not great

I’ve never really had Taylor ham before, even though it’s a NJ staple, but it tasted ok, kind of like a mix between mild bologna and mild salami, if that makes sense. Josh’s sandwich was fine and exactly what he expected it to be.

Bacon, egg, and cheese on a roll

The fries were standard as well.

The usual

To kill some more time, Josh ordered a vanilla milkshake, which was served in a classic tall glass with whipped cream and a cherry on top. This was the best thing we had – creamy, sweet, and just the right consistency.

Classic vanilla milkshake

To be fair, I wasn’t expecting much from this breakfast. We’re at an airport, after all. And just to warn you, Josh got a cup of coffee and said yes when asked if he wanted a refill. She took the mug away, filled it up, and brought back the same mug. In the end, we were charged for both coffees. I guess we should never assume that coffee refills are free, but usually at a diner they are. Our mistake. But the whole egg situation really threw me for a loop. Am I just crazy? Has anyone else been asked if they wanted their eggs cooked “medium” before?

Garden State Diner
At Newark Airport
Newark, NJ

Tags: Airport, Diner, Eggs Benedict, Newark, NJ
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Two Fat Bellies Hit the Road – Chi-Town!

Friday, June 12th, 2009 by virginia

Josh and I were off to Chicago for a wedding and did some serious food planning prior to our trip. We’ve been to Chicago once before, also for a wedding, and we really didn’t have much time to explore a lot of the city. We knew we wouldn’t have much free time on this trip either so we tried to make the most of it. Although we didn’t get to go to Hot Doug’s, which was on my list of places to try, we had some fabulous food in Chicago, including the most incredible meal of my life (so far!).

Tags: Chicago
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Quickie Recap: Fatburger

Thursday, June 11th, 2009 by virginia

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I was working in Jersey City for the day, one of the rare occasions that I was allowed out of the office. None of us were really familiar with the area but there was a Fatburger across the street so we decided to try it out. I got a “Fat Deal”, which is a 1/3 lb hamburger with fries and a soda. You have a choice between fat fries (steak fries) and skinny fries (regular), of which I chose skinny. Steak fries are probably my least favorite variety of french fries. You can choose the toppings that you want on your burger, but the choices aren’t as vast as Five Guys, for example. I asked for everything except mustard, which was lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, mayo, and relish.

Hamburger with the works, no mustard

The relish was a huge mistake. They really slathered it on, and the taste totally overpowered everything else. I have no idea what the patty tasted like, and texture wise it was all pretty mushy. The meat is coarsely ground and loosely packed so everything started falling apart as I was eating it.

Messy autopsy shot

The skinny fries were good though, as they were thin, hot, salty, and crispy.

Skinny fries

Overall I was a bit disappointed with my Fatburger experience, but I do think the relish was my fault. I didn’t notice it on the list and wouldn’t have put it on otherwise. I also made the mistake of not ordering a shake, as my coworkers all raved about theirs. I’ll have to give the place another shot, and be more careful in my ordering. Unfortunately I won’t be back in Jersey City any time soon, so who knows when I’ll come across a Fatburger again?

Fatburger (multiple locations)
286 Washington St
Jersey City, NJ

Tags: Burgers, Jersey City, NJ
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Afghan Kebab House #1

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 by virginia

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Before I moved into the city, my friend Shiraz and I spent many nights exploring different BYO restaurants in NJ, buying reasonably priced wine beforehand and trying out all different kinds of food. BYO dinners are such bargains, and in Bergen County, where we lived, there were so many options to choose from.

It’s harder for us to get together these days, but when we do I can always count on good food, lots of wine, and great conversation. Unfortunately, there aren’t too many BYO restaurants in NYC but all it takes is a little research on the internet to find the names of a few spots, several of which are in my new neighborhood. We both love middle eastern food and opted to meet up at Afghan Kebab House #1 on 9^th Ave., each armed with a bottle of red wine.

A sangiovese and a rioja

We sat at a small two-top, and after we placed our order, our waiter kindly suggested that we move to a bigger table so that we would be more comfortable. The restaurant wasn’t full, but I thought it was pretty nice of him to let us sit at a table for four even though there was just the two of us.

We ordered an appetizer of eggplant boorani to share. It was like a rich dip of sauteed eggplant and what appeared to be lentils, topped with a minty yogurt sauce.

Eggplant boorani

They gave us a few slices of afghan bread to sop it all up. The eggplant was mushy, but in a good way, and the lentils provided a nice textural contrast. Overall it was a really yummy dish, and we scraped up every last bit.

Afghan bread

For our entrees, we chose to split the combo kebab, which came with lamb tikka kebab, beef kafta kebab, and chicken kebab, and an order of the lamb korma, which is like a stew with vegetables and spices. The combo kebab was really delicious, and all the meats were well cooked. Both the lamb and chicken were very tender, and the beef kafta had a lot of nice seasoning to it.

Combo kebab with beef kafta, lamb tikka, and chicken

One of the highlights for me, however, was the container of white sauce on the table, the kind they use at halal streetcarts. I doused my kebabs liberally with it, and added some green sauce from the table that was a bit tangy and not too spicy.

White sauce, green sauce, and hot sauce

The lamb korma was very different from Indian korma, which is a creamy cashew based curry. This version was a bit more meaty tasting, and not creamy at all. I enjoyed the flavors but the lamb was way too dry, and had a mealy texture. I wouldn’t order this dish again, but the sauce was good on top of the accompanying rice.

Lamb korma

Overall I really like this restaurant. It’s a cozy space and the service is very friendly. The prices are very reasonable, and the byo policy makes it such a great value. I will definitely be back here again.

Afghan Kebab House #1
764 9th Ave. between 51st and 52nd St.
New York, NY

Tags: BYO, Kebabs, Midtown West
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Vegas Day 3 – Nobhill Tavern

Sunday, June 7th, 2009 by virginia

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I have to admit that I wasn’t fully recovered yet from our boozy brunch at the Bellagio, so my taste buds may have been a bit off during our dinner at Nobhill Tavern. I was surprised by the décor though, as I thought a tavern would be more casual, but this was definitely a more upscale restaurant. They were also offering a Summer Tasting Menu but we opted to order a la carte instead, even though I ended up picking an appetizer and entrée that were also on the special menu.

Josh started off with a glass of tempranillo wine, which he absolutely hated. His coworker who was dining with us tried to convince him that it was because he had drank too much earlier, but that didn’t really make sense to us since bad alcohol is usually easier to get down after you’ve already had a few drinks. I wasn’t feeling like I was in any condition to drink more, so I passed on having a taste, which Josh described as tequila-like, and definitely would not have agreed with my stomach.

The offending glass of tempranillo

The meal started off with slices of grilled bread and olive oil, which helped settle my stomach a bit and perked me up for the rest of the meal.

Grilled bread and olive oil

I started with an appetizer of gazpacho topped with blobs of delicious burrata cheese. The soup was a bit more acidic than I prefer in a gazpacho, but I concentrated mostly on the cheese.

Summer gazpacho with burrata

Josh started with steak tartare, which was one of the best versions that I’ve ever had to date. A lot of restaurants serve ground beef as their tartare, and the mushy texture makes me just think that I’m eating raw hamburger (which I guess is what I’m eating, but I don’t want to think that while I’m eating it). Nobhill’s steak tartare was high quality beef hand chopped into small cubes, lightly garnished so that you could still taste the meat, and not just an overpowering flavor of worcestershire sauce and mustard.

Delicious steak tartare with classic garnishes

For my main course, I had chicken and dumplings, which was a piece of chicken with crispy skin and little dumplings that were shaped like gnocchi and were pan fried to form a little crust on the outside.

Chicken and dumplings

It came with a little pot of corn and squash that was thick and rich like creamed corn, which was spooned over the dumplings. The chicken was a tad overseasoned and dry, and the dumplings were a bit dense, but the corn and squash helped make them more creamy and delicious. I could have just eaten that whole pot by itself and had been really happy.

Sweet corn and summer squash

Josh had the pork chop with three bean salad and roasted tomatoes. The pork was also a bit dry, and he wasn’t thrilled with the flavors overall. Again, our taste buds were probably still off, but usually things taste better after you’ve had a few drinks. And you can’t hide texture issues no matter what.

Pork chop with three bean salad

Overall I didn’t think Nobhill was that great, but I’d give it another shot just to be sure. I found the restaurant to be a bit confusing, as the menu has a mix of casual and upscale offerings, and while the décor is upscale, the music and the service were more casual. There were some good hits, like the fabulous steak tartare, but there were also some misses. I promise to be sober the next time I go, whenever that may be, and hopefully the kitchen will also be more consistent.

Nobhill Tavern
At the MGM Grand
Las Vegas, NV

Tags: Las Vegas, Michael Mina, Steak Tartare
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Vegas Day 3 – Bellagio Champagne Brunch

Sunday, June 7th, 2009 by virginia

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You can’t go to Vegas and not eat at a buffet, so I did some research beforehand and settled on the champagne brunch at the Bellagio. It was in the middle of the range in terms of price, not as expensive as the Sterling brunch at Ballys and not as cheap as some of the brunches at the less extravagant hotels, and the reviews all seemed pretty favorable.

We arrived at noon and there was a HUGE line to get inside. It turned out that there were only two cashiers working the line (you pre-pay before you go in), which is kind of stupid in my opinion since that was the hold-up; the dining area itself was pretty empty. So we ended up waiting in line for about an hour before we finally got in and were seated.

Fortunately our waitress stopped by right away to offer us drinks. We both got champagne, of course, as well as orange juice, which is all included if you opt for the champagne brunch (opting for no champagne is only a few dollars cheaper, so it doesn’t make sense not to get it, unless you’re underage!).

Pretty decent cava (Spanish sparking wine)

We did a quick walk through of the buffet area to see what was offered. Josh stuck with breakfast for his first plate, as the omelet line was very short. He took the omelet chef’s recommendation and went for a crab and shrimp omelet with veggies and cheese – it was pretty good!

Crab and shrimp omelet

I went for a more eclectic first plate, trying little bits of lots of things to figure out what I liked. I had a mini bagel with cream cheese, smoked salmon, onion, and tomato, which was pretty decent (though the bagel was kind of bad), pizza, mashed potatoes, beef tenderloin, leg of lamb, prime rib, and shrimp cocktail. The carved meats weren’t so great – I got an end piece of the lamb and it was horribly overcooked, and the beef tenderloin was pretty much bad hotel food. The prime rib was ok though, as the fattiness helped keep it rare and moist. The pizza was exactly what you would expect from buffet pizza, but since I took it knowing that, it actually wasn’t too bad. The shrimp cocktail was really good and tasted fresh. The shrimp were pretty large and cooked perfectly.

My eclectic first plate

For my second plate I went with all things Asian – chicken with black bean sauce, Singapore style noodles, duck curry, sushi, thai summer roll, and a spicy tuna hand roll.

My asian-themed second plate

Josh also tried the summer roll and the hand rolls, and added in the shrimp cocktail that I raved about, as well as a slice of pizza.

Josh's second plate

Josh moved on to dessert at this point, with soft serve ice cream and a collection of pastries.

Cream puffs, eclair, strawberry tart

I did something kind of gross and had a mixed plate, with cream puffs, a summer roll, a hand roll, and a piece of french toast topped with smoked salmon and syrup (remember my fun with leftovers?). What can I say, I do love mixing my sweet with savory.

Another eclectic plate

I also had a side dish of peach and raspberry yogurt, but these weren’t so great. They tasted very artificial and were a bit too icy.

Peach and raspberry yogurt

Since we got into the buffet an hour later than we intended, and we ended up eating and drinking a lot more than we intended, we actually overlapped from brunch into the early dinner service, and they started bringing out the dinner foods. We nabbed a plate of crab legs, which weren’t really that great. The snow crab legs were ok, but the king crab legs were tiny and obviously frozen, as they still had chunks of ice in them. Totally not worth it, so I’m glad we didn’t do the dinner buffet as it is more expensive.

Sad king crab and snow crab legs

Service was really great, especially for a buffet. Our plates were cleared quickly, and they were very free-pouring with the champagne. No one tried to rush us or kick us out as brunch was ending. In fact, our waitress told us she was off after the brunch shift and brought us a full bottle of champagne right before she left so we could continue pouring drinks for ourselves even after brunch was officially over. At this point, however, we had our fill so we shared our bottle with the table next to us. We stumbled out full and happy.

Overall the food wasn’t spectacular, but it’s a buffet and we weren’t expecting gourmet stuff. If you take it for what it is, there is a lot of great variety and you can just stick with the things you like. The champagne at this brunch is pretty decent, a spanish cava that isn’t too sweet and isn’t too dry. The champagne brunch costs $25, and is a nice way to spend a few hours eating and drinking until you hit your limit.

The Buffet
At the Bellagio
Las Vegas, NV

Tags: Buffet, Crabs, Las Vegas
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Vegas Day 2 – L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon

Saturday, June 6th, 2009 by virginia

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Prior to coming to Vegas, this was the meal that I was looking forward to the most. Maybe it was that sort of expectation that set the meal up for failure, but this is Joel Robuchon we’re talking about, the “Chef of the Century” (or so it says on the restaurant website). I was pleasantly surprised to see that L’Atelier was participating in the MGM Grand Summer Tasting Menu special, and a 5-course dinner was priced at just $75, half the price of their standard tasting menu. When we arrived, however, there was no mention of the Summer Tasting special. All the other participating restaurants posted a big sign by their doors that advertised the special and displayed the menu. We confirmed with the maitre’d that there was indeed a special, and proceeded inside to the beautifully decorated restaurant. The décor was truly stunning, with a black and red theme and jars and vases full of fresh fruits and sliced vegetables suspended in water – very simple, very elegant, and very cool.

Beautiful fruit and produce decorations

When Josh made the reservation, he made sure to request a seat at the counter that surrounds the kitchen, and it was wonderful to be able to watch the chefs hard at work preparing our food.

Counter service

First up was a beautifully presented amuse bouche of foie gras mousse, port wine reduction and parmesan foam, all layered in a shot glass. The flavors were rich and sweet and savory at the same time, and it melded together really well.

Amuse bouche of foie gras mousse, port wine reduction and parmesan foam

I was excited to see the beautiful baguettes in the bread basket, but was surprised that the bread was served cold. Nevertheless, it was one of the best baguettes I’ve had, with a crispy crust that shattered into a million crumbs and an airy, chewy center. Slathered in butter, I could have just eaten these baguettes all night and have been completely satisfied. Our waiter did not hesitate to replenish the basket often, which made me one very happy girl. Don’t worry, I can eat a lot of bread and not get full.

Super crispy and delicious baguettes

The first course was layered roasted vegetables and buffalo mozzarella, carefully stacked into a tower, with basil pesto decorating the sides of the plate. The presentation was visually stunning, and it tasted fresh and bright. The roasted vegetables still had a bit of a bite to them and complemented the creamy buffalo mozzarella perfectly.

Layered roasted vegetables and buffalo mozzarella

The second course was a langoustine fritter, but served with the same basil pesto as the previous dish (they even used the same leaf decoration motif), and there was a small mixed green salad on the side of the plate. The fritter, which was a langoustine wrapped in a spring roll wrapper with a basil leaf and deep fried, was crispy on the outside and plump and tender on the inside, but Josh was disappointed that they repeated the same sauce in the first two courses. The result was that the flavors overlapped too much, and so it made the second course seem underwhelming and unmemorable.

Langoustine fritter

For the main course, we had a choice between salmon and pork belly, so of course we chose one of each. The pork belly, served with a sweet onion confit, was melt-in-your mouth tender. Literally, the fat just melted in my mouth. The meat was tender and sweet, the outer crust crispy and salty. It was hands down the best pork belly that I’ve ever had.

Best pork belly ever

The salmon paled in comparison. It was a perfectly adequate piece of salmon, well cooked, not too overdone, with a caper and lemon sauce, but I couldn’t get over the deliciousness of the pork belly. I was sad to have to share half the pork belly with Josh!

Salmon with capers and lemon

The salmon did come with a little pot of pureed potatoes on the side that was sinfully buttery and well seasoned. I scooped out every last bit (I do love my carbs after all).

Creamy pommes puree

The next course was a cheese plate. I was apprehensive about this course because I’m not a cheese person. Growing up, I hated all kinds of cheese, and refused to drink milk. Now I’m slowly forcing myself to get used to eating cheeses. I will always taste a cheese, even if it’s just a little bite, no matter how stinky it is. There were three cheeses on this plate, but the only one that I remember the name of is Fourme D’Ambert, thanks to Top Chef season one where Miguel couldn’t remember the name. Now I’ll never forget it!

Selection of cheeses

The first cheese though was similar to brie, and I was able to eat most of it spread out on some slices of bread that accompanied the plate. It was creamy and buttery and mild enough for me to enjoy. The second cheese was a goats milk cheese rolled in dried herbs. Normally I love goat cheese, but this version was a bit too dry and chalky, and didn’t have that gamey tang to it that I’m used to. The dried herbs did nothing to help the flavor and only served to get caught in my throat. I was not a fan, but Josh seemed to enjoy it.

Breads to accompany the cheeses

Last on the plate was the Fourme D’Ambert. I hate bleu cheese with a passion. There’s a sour, spoiled quality to it that I just can’t get over. Still, I gave it a shot, spreading a small portion on a piece of bread. Ugh. Josh had the same reaction. Our waiter noticed how much we weren’t enjoying the cheese, and he very thoughtfully brought over a glass of ice wine, which he said would help make the flavor of the Fourme D’Ambert more mild and palatable. It was a really nice gesture, and he didn’t charge us for the wine in the end. However, the ice wine still didn’t help us get over the flavor of the cheese, and we left the slices of Fourme D’Ambert mostly untouched.

The final course was of course dessert, and lots of it. We had a choice between a selection of tarts or ice cream and sorbet, so we chose one of each. The tarts were were slivers of chocolate caramel, raspberry, cinnamon, lemon, chocolate ganache, and cheese, all presented on a long plate. Each one was more decadent than the next.

Selection of tarts - chocolate caramel, raspberry, cinnamon, lemon, chocolate ganache, and cheese

The ice creams and sorbets were also presented together on a long plate and included pistachio, blueberry, strawberry, exotic fruit, and tequila(!).

Selection of ice creams and sorbets - pistachio, blueberry, strawberry, exotic fruit, and tequila

They were appropriately creamy and refreshing, and the melted remains left a beautiful rainbow of colors.

Pretty colors

Overall the meal was really good, but not the best meal I’ve had recently. I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed after we left that it wasn’t more spectacular. Don’t get me wrong, everything tasted delicious, but aside from the pork belly, I’ve had comparable or better dishes elsewhere. The special summer tasting menu, while a good value at $75, really was quite limited so I might be tempted to come back and try a few dishes a la carte. It was a great total experience, as the service was top notch, and we really enjoyed sitting at the counter watching everything being made. We saw one chef stack and re-stack the roasted vegetable and mozzarella tower until it was absolutely perfect. It’s that kind of attention to detail that really makes a big difference. I’d really be interested to see what a meal at the Mansion, the fancier Joel Robuchon restaurant at MGM, would be like. Too bad it’s way too expensive, but maybe one day!

L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon
At the MGM Grand
Las Vegas, NV

Tags: Joel Robuchon, Las Vegas
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Vegas Day 2 – In N Out Burger

Saturday, June 6th, 2009 by virginia

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I’m going to share something with everyone that is probably kind of gross, but it might help paint a better picture of how food obsessed (or what a pig) I am. Whenever Josh goes to Vegas or Phoenix, which he typically does at least once a year, I make him bring me back an In N Out burger and fries. Even if that means it’s been sitting inside his bag, squished in the overhead compartment of the plane and un-refrigerated for however many hours, I will still eat it. A quick nuke in the microwave on a low setting for about 30 seconds just warms it through and doesn’t dry it out. Pathetic? Maybe. But it makes me happy, and Josh likes to make me happy, so despite being mocked by everyone who can’t understand why he bothers to carry around a burger and bring it on a plane, he still makes an effort to bring me one from his travels. I married a great guy, didn’t I?

But yes, I have tasted a fresh In N Out burger before, and that’s how I fell in love. The first time I had one of their burgers was on a family trip to California. I had read about it, of course, and loved how everything was so fresh, despite that they’re still fast food products. We made several visits to In N Out during that trip, and when we got back to NY, we searched the web to find the closest thing, visiting places such as Blue 9 Burger on the east side, but nothing came close. So before I even arrived in Vegas, I already told Josh that we had to go to In N Out, and of course we made room for it in our schedule.

The In N Out is a bit off the strip, right next to the freeway, but luckily it’s within walking distance of the MGM Grand. So we slept in, skipped breakfast, and headed off in search of my coveted burgers and fries. It’s a bit harrowing to be walking alongside the freeway, even with the sidewalk, but it’s totally worth the journey. The place was packed when we arrived around 12:30, but fortunately the line moves quickly. I got a double burger with the works, no cheese, and Josh got a double-double animal style.

Double-double animal style

I’ve tasted the animal style burger before and found the mustard to be a bit too overpowering for my taste, so I stick with the plain burger.

Double burger with the works

I did try something new this time though, animal style fries, which I’ve read about on other blogs. They’re fries covered in cheese, special sauce, and grilled onions. I had to eat them with a fork, and while they’d probably be awesome when you’re drunk, they were just ok. The toppings overwhelmed the potatoes, so I was missing that freshness that I love about In N Out.

Animal style fries

Luckily we also ordered plain fries, which I gobbled up more quickly than the animal style fries.

Plain freshly cut fries

The burger was perfection though, and even better than I remembered. If only they would open up a branch on the east coast!

In N Out (multiple locations)
4888 Dean Martin Dr.
Las Vegas, NV

Tags: Burgers, Fries, Las Vegas
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Vegas Day 1 – Craftsteak

Friday, June 5th, 2009 by virginia

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I had a really hard time deciding where I wanted to eat in Vegas, as the options are limitless. Not only do many well known chefs have restaurants there, but they have several different ones, and I only had time to fit in three dinners. Yes, I absolutely schedule my vacations around meals. Dinner reservations have to be made first, and then I plan my activities around those times. It’s sick, I know, but most of the fun I have on vacation comes from what I eat. I did some research and quickly discovered that sadly, fine dining in Vegas doesn’t come cheap. Not that I expected it to be cheap, but the nicer restaurants are sometimes pricier than those in NY.

Prices pretty much eliminated several restaurants from contention, like Guy Savoy, but then I found out that the MGM Grand was running a summer tasting menu special at most of its restaurants. Score! Not only were there great deals to be found, the Signature is connected to the Grand by tunnels, so I wouldn’t even have to walk outside in the heat (though it ended up being surprisingly cold in Vegas the weekend I was there).

We had made plans already to get dinner Friday night with a few of Josh’s coworkers and their respective visitors for the weekend, so we tried to find a place that would be pleasing to all. Craftsteak was an easy choice, since who doesn’t like meat and potatoes and vegetables? Luckily, there were no vegetarians in the group. The summer tasting menu, which was posted outside the door, looked fantastic. For just $60/person, it came with three courses and multiple dishes per course, served family style. We verified beforehand that we would get everything listed on the menu, no having to pick or choose an item from each category. How amazing is that?

Dinner started off with buttery rolls with a nice sprinkling of salt on top. We munched on these while we looked over the different menu options.

Buttery rolls

I almost had a heart attack when some people in our group wanted to order off the a la carte menu and the waiter said that everyone at the table had to participate in order to get the summer tasting menu. Luckily, since we were such a large group and half of us wanted to do the tasting, he checked with the manager who agreed to let those of us who wanted to have the special menu while the others chose a la carte. We had to shuffle seats at the table so that those participating would be seated near each other because of the family style serving, but that was not a problem. Josh and I also decided to get the additional $30 wine pairing, which was another bargain considering wines by the glass were mostly over $10 each.

The first courses were a shaved fennel salad, grilled quail, buffalo mozzarella and a Persian cucumber salad. The fennel salad had a nice lemony dressing but I’m not the hugest fan of licorice, so I only ate a little bit.

Shaved fennel salad

The buffalo mozzarella, however, was soft and milky and topped with red pepper caponata that complemented it perfectly. Not so complementary were the nuts scattered about over the top of the dish. I’m not sure why they were there, as the nut taste overpowered the delicate mozzarella. After my first bite, I ended up picking them out. Fortunately there weren’t so many of them.

Buffalo mozzarella

The Persian cucumber salad came with thinly sliced red onions, and I found the dish to be very light and refreshing.

Persian cucumber salad

The grilled quail was finger-licking good, literally. The tiny pieces were hot and juicy, and so tasty that we threw etiquette aside and picked them up to suck every morsel off the tiny bones.

A little taste of everything - persian cucumber salad, buffalo mozzarella, shaved fennel salad, grilled quail

The main courses were two different kinds of steak, prime flat iron and angus skirt steak, as well as seared diver scallops.

Prime flat iron steak

Angus skirt steak

Obviously they were the cheaper cuts of beef, but were cooked beautifully. The steaks were rare, but not tough or stringy, well seasoned (the skirt steak might have been a tad overseasoned, but only on some pieces), and still juicy. And there was a lot of it. They definitely did not skimp on the portions for this menu. The diver scallops were also cooked perfectly, with a nice outer crust and still tender in the middle.

Seared diver scallops

The side dishes were also delicious, with a buttery smooth Yukon gold potato puree, crunchy sugar snap peas, and earthy roasted shiitake mushrooms.

A little taste of everything - seared diver scallop, flat iron steak, skirt steak, potato puree, roasted shiitake mushrooms, sugar snap peas

Desserts were the chef’s selection, and there were lots of them! We had liquid chocolate cake with pistachio ice cream, a vanilla bean cheesecake with blueberries, a rhubarb crisp with tangerine creamsicle ice cream, and a peach pavlova. We were so stuffed from dinner that we barely got through half the desserts, but I made sure to have a little taste of each.

Vanilla bean cheesecake with blueberries, peach pavlova, rhubarb crisp with tangerine creamsicle ice cream, liquid chocolate cake with pistachio ice cream

The molten chocolate cake was my favorite, even though it’s a very clichéd dessert these days, but the pistachio ice cream was a nice twist and complemented the gooey chocolate perfectly.

Overall, it was a terrific meal. I was stuffed to the gills and completely satisfied. The wine pairings were a sauvignon blanc with the first courses, a malbec with the main courses, and a moscato for the dessert course. They were all quality wines, and definitely ones that I would order again. The pours were also very generous – full glasses, not just tastings. I had Josh take pictures of the labels with his iphone and I’m hoping to find them in a liquor store around here.

In the end, our share of the bill came out to about $230, after tax and a generous tip (we figured out what tax and tip would be and split that total evenly as a group, then everyone paid for whatever they ordered). Not cheap, but absolutely reasonable for the amount of food and wine we consumed. I know they had a spring tasting menu prior to the summer tasting menu, so hopefully they will continue to have these specials down the road. They are a good value and a great way to try many different things on the menu.

Craftsteak
At the MGM Grand
Las Vegas, NV

Tags: Las Vegas, Steak
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Vegas Day 1 – Cabana Grill

Friday, June 5th, 2009 by virginia

DSCN8494

While Josh was at work, I took a nap and then got ready to meet him and his coworkers by the pool for lunch. What a life, huh? We went to the Cabana Grill, which operates as a takeout snack bar for pool patrons, but there is also a sit down area with table service.

I opted for a grilled ham and cheese sandwich because it came on a pretzel roll, which I was intrigued by. Sadly, while the pretzel bread was good, the sandwich bore no resemblance to having been grilled. The bread was still puffy and cold, the cheese was not melted nor was there a lot of it, and the sandwich dripped a thin honey mustard sauce the whole time, until the bread completely soaked through and disintegrated. I left behind a sad cold blob of ham and congealed cheese on my plate.

: Supposedly grilled ham and cheese sandwich

Josh fared much better with his order of chicken tenders, which was listed under the appetizer section but came in a huge bucket with waffle fries. There were at least seven tenders, and an endless supply of fries, so it was definitely a great value. The tenders were the standard frozen kind, but came out hot and crispy. The waffle fries were my favorite part though, so once I finished the stack that came with my sandwich, I “helped” Josh get through most of his fries. I know these are also the frozen kind but I absolutely love the seasoning on them, and when cooked properly, the waffle shape helps them retain a lot of crunch.

: Big bucket of chicken tenders

Again, this is a good place to get a snack or a drink (they have lots of frozen alcoholic beverages) when you’re hanging out by the pool, but not somewhere you would go out of your way to get to. The seating area is nice though, and has a good vantage point for people watching. There are definitely some interesting characters in Vegas, even by the pool. We saw one guy in a t-shirt and shorts, wearing a full red cape around his neck and black dress socks pulled up to his knees. Like I said – interesting!

Cabana Grill
At the MGM Grand
Las Vegas, NV

Tags: Las Vegas
Posted in Restaurants, Travel | Comments Off on Vegas Day 1 – Cabana Grill