We spent some time in Las Vegas recently. It wasn’t an eating trip, despite the proliferation of yikes-high-end restaurants. It was the site of the annual meeting of the American Theatre Critics Association. (Yes, theater in Las Vegas, and Joe will have more to say about that eventually.) That meant two theater performances many days, and not much time for eating. But we managed to have a couple of good meals and one excellent one.
We trooped into Corsa Cucina, in the Wynn Las Vegas, for a group dinner, a situation that never excites us much. (We didn’t bring a camera for just that reason.) But one bite into the first courses, we knew this was going to be different. The meal was served family style, with dishes from the regular menu. Focaccia and olive bread waited on the table, with a ricotta spread drizzled with oil, creamy and cool. Littleneck clams were steamed with a generous amount of garlic, the juice waiting for more of the bread. Excellent mozzarella was topped with a tomato tartare. And a batch of veal meatballs were so delicious, one of our tablemates cried, "These taste like my nonna’s!" (This is definitely going to be the year of the meatball!) Big-flavor stuff.
The waiters swept out with more platters. Roast chicken, hanger steak with a red wine reduction, eggplant Parmigiano, halibut in a leek sauce, and a truly fabulous lasagna, the meat sauce nubbly with bits of beef and using burrata cheese, a sort of mega-ricotta. All of it was beautifully cooked. Carving the chicken, we felt as though we had slipped through the rabbit hole into some mad Italian Thanksgiving meal. The noise level at our table of ten dropped a little, although critics, of course, are never silent for very long. At some point, an argument broke out over whether the lasagna or the eggplant parm was the superior dish. (He of the meat-ball-making grandmother wavered but finally went with the lasagna.) Joe cleaned up a few extra bits of halibut and all the remaining sauce.
But wait, there was more— two kinds of house-made ice cream, a chocolate tart, another of lemon crowned with a marshmallow-like mound of meringue, the lightest tiramisu we’ve ever found. And then the last item, crepes wrapped around some rice pudding, then deep-fried. About the size of an index finger, their deliciousness caused a huge stir at the table, some shrinking back in horror lest they be seduced by another bite, others debating who got the last one. The noise level finally brought an investigative visit from the distinguished-looking guy in whites who’d been superintending the whole thing.
Chef Stephen Kalt came from New York after a string of successes that left Gael Greene of New York Magazine grinning about his food. His credentials, via kitchens that foodies will immediately recognize, are impeccable. And unlike the chefs whose faces are known from TV and who have multiple locations, Kalt is right there in the house, not jetting from New York to Tokyo to Orlando. He was supervising, tasting, very hands-on, the whole time we were there. He has a lot to be proud of.
Corsa Cucina
Wynn Las Vegas
3131 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas
1-702-770-9966
Dinner nightly
Credit cards: All major
Wheelchair access: Good
Smoking: No
Entrees: $24-$46
We slipped out one evening looking for somewhere that was neither mega-ritzy nor just a step above a coffee shop, and ended up at Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill in the MGM Grand. Puck has three restaurants in Las Vegas; this seems to be the most casual. We did make a reservation, calling about an hour in advance via the concierge at the Mirage, where we were staying.(Clue: The concierge can often be helpful in finding a seat at busier restaurants, especially on weekends.)
And speaking of casual, we began with chicken wings and pizza. Puck was one of the earliest California chefs to do what’s now called designer pizzas, although one has to wonder about the David Slay influence from the time he was in California. Ours had mushrooms and goat cheese on a good chewy-crisp crust, about 10 inches in diameter. A lemon-and-roasted-garlic glaze coated the particularly moist wings, a great combination on a notable dish, with the lemon and garlic balanced just perfectly.
Bearnaise sauce is hollandaise with tarragon and shallots. Properly made, we could eat it by itself, it’s so good. Why no one until Puck et al ever thought to ladle some over a batch of steamed mussels is beyond us. The mussels were huge and perfect, not an empty shell nor a shriveled mussel in the batch. Our only complaints were that we could have used more bearnaise (licking it off the shells is embarrassing) and a nice slab of grilled bread at the bottom of the bowl to absorb more sauce would have been welcome. Salmon was roasted with a mustard glaze, nestled in a bed of peas, the classic summer pairing, and topped with a confit of bacon, a delightful combination of flavors.
We didn’t think we had room for dessert, but duty always calls. Thank goodness it did, too. We ended up with lemon semifreddo. Semifreddo is the Italian dessert that’s sort of a half-frozen mousse, icy and fluffy and smooth. Somehow, the kitchen had managed to have a crusting of crunchy broiled sugar atop it, sort of a semifreddo brulee to mix languages. Stunningly good, with or without the raspberry puree that was on the plate. A fabulous dessert; if you have time for only one dish, this should be it.
Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill,
MGM Grand Hotel
3799 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas
1-702-891-3000
www.mgmgrand.com/dining/wolfgang-grill-bar-restaurant
Lunch & Dinner daily
Credit cards: All major
Wheelchair access: Good
Smoking: No
Entrees: $14-$19
Anothr BNC (Big Name Chef) that’s come to Las Vegas, sort of, is Thomas Keller. he’s at the Venetian Hotel, in the form of Bouchon, a branch of his second Napa restaurant. It’s hard to find, on the tenth floor of the hotel’s Venezia Tower, even more of a hoff than usual in a Vegas hotel. The outdoor terrace overlooks the pool, a setting that would do justice to a Hollywood set. We succumbed to impulse and had a second breakfast, very light, sitting outside and luxuriating in the great service, freshly-squeezed orange juice and fine coffee. Bouchon runs its own bakery (the pastries are also sold at a to-go counter on the first floor) and the bread and pastries are excellent. Some cranberry-pecan toast topped things off for us.
Brunch here is a particular indulgence, but things like sourdough waffles and boudin blanc and scrambled eggs with browned butter are available daily. Not cheap but a relaxing indulgence.
Bouchon
Venezia Tower at the Venetian Hotel
3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas
1-702-414-6200
www.frenchlaundry.com/BouchonLV/bouchonLV.htm
Breakfast Mon.-Fri., Brunch & Lunch Sat.-Sun, Dinner nightly
Credit cards: All major
Wheelchair access: Good
Smoking: No
Entrees: $10-$22 (at breakfast)
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Mirage Hotel
The Lodge at Rancho Mirage closed on August 13, 2006, to begin an extensive. G