CraftSteak at MGM Grand Las Vegas

While in New York earlier this year we dined at Tom Colicchio's CraftSteak. My husband loved the meal and I thought it was very good as well, and when given the opportunity to dine at CraftSteak in Las Vegas we had to try out this "sibling restaurant".

The restaurant is located next door to Emeril's, Fiamma and other fine dining restaurants at the MGM Grand. The space is contemporary and has a sleek, clean look with dark wood, leather, stainless steel, warm colors at the walls, and a large bar at the entrance.

As a party of six we got seated promptly at arrival. We all started of by sharing some starters as the portions are huge and more than enough for two. I had the Roasted Baby Beets, red and pink beets slowly rated in the oven and served over a few micro greens. Simple, flavorful and delicious. I also tasted the Arugula Salad tossed in a simple vinaigrette. Fresh and light. The third couple had the Romaine Hearts "Caesar" and gave it thumbs up.

For entree I choose the Rack of Lamb and my husband and friend shared the Porterhouse for Two. When I ordered my lamb I was recommended to order it medium as it is two thick pieces of meat that will come out more like medium-rare, my usual preference. I ordered as suggested and to my disappointment, cutting into it upon arrival at the table, it actually came out as a true medium. Never the less a very nice cut of meat with great flavor. The Porterhouse came out as ordered and was juicy, tender and full of flavor as well.

We shared an array of side dishes at the table. Trio of Mushrooms, a blend of roasted chantarelles, hen of the woods, and baby shitake was my favorite, along with the Yukon Gold Puree, the most delicious, rich and creamy potato puree I have ever tasted (I do not even want to think about all the butter that went into that dish). The top pick at the table as it did not last long.
Other good side dishes were the Green Beans topped with almonds, and theFries that was perfectly seasoned and crisp.

Moving on to dessert we were all stuffed but me and my friend had to try a couple of them and we picked the Liquid Chocolate Cake with Persian Mint Chip Ice Cream, and the Pumpkin Cheesecake. Both wonderful although the chocolate cake disappeared of the plate very quickly.

When it comes to the wine selection I started by ordering the Brewer-Clifton 2005 Cargasacchi, Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir, which I have enjoyed before and turned out to be a great start for the meal.
For the entree I selected the Barnett Vineyards 2002 Spring Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon. Big and chewy with plenty of fruit and balanced tannins, this was a "crowd pleaser" at the table, and went perfect with our steaks.

Over all everybody in our party thought that the dinner was great, and I was very pleased to see that the quality in service and food that we experienced in New York also made it to the Las Vegas location, which is unfortunately not always the case when a restaurant branches out. If you are looking for a good steak house next time you are in Vegas this one should definitely be on your list.

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Vosges Chocolate Truffles

I just got back after a weekend in Las Vegas with to much good food and wine. Trust me, you will hear all about it later, but today I thought I would start with telling you about the truffles I got from Vosges Chocolate.

Vosges Chocolate is located in Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and has a very chic, modern decor, and beautiful display of their chocolates.

I picked out four of their truffles to enjoy later. They were put in a classy box that got a bow around it.

Balsamico is a dark chocolate truffle flavored with a 12 year old Modena balsamic vinegar. The notes of the vinegar is pleasantly intense and measures up really nice to the dark chocolate. It is topped with chopped hazelnuts for a nice crunch and contrast of texture.

Red Fire has a nice spicy kick from Ancho chili and subtle notes of cinnamon. The heat is perfectly balanced with the dark chocolate. Sprinkled with red chili powder it looks like it tastes.

Black Pearl is a dark chocolate truffle flavored with ginger, wasabi and topped with black sesame seeds. The ginger really dominated and my initial impresson was that it all reminded me a little bit to much about the pickled ginger in sushi restaurants. Very good, but not entirely my cup of tea.

Naga is a beautiful truffle with Indian curry and coconut in milk chocolate. Although I love spicy curry this sweeter, flavorful version is perfect for this truffle. The coconut lends a perfect tropical sweet touch to the palate. Very nice!

Vosges truffles really impressed me with its high quality chocolate, ingredients and great texture of the truffles. I wish I could have tried them all, but I guess I have all the more to enjoy at a later date. And I can't wait...

They make an array of additional products like caramels, chocolate bars, toffees, marshmallows, drinking chocolates, brownies, etc. Something for every taste as long as chocolate is your thing...

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Las Vegas Dining

We just spent 3 night in Las Vegas and aside from shopping, going to a show and a little gambling we had time for some fantastic food. Las Vegas is another one of those places where there is such an large selection of dining opportunities that it can be very hard to decide where to go this trip and what to save for the next... But at the end of the day you have to make a choice...
We started of the first night with BOA Steakhouse at Caesars in The Forum Shops. We have previously had dinner at the namesake sister restaurant at the Sunset strip in Hollywood and wanted to see if the Vegas restaurant stood up to the original in L.A. We started of with the BOA Chop Chop, a great little salad with artichoke, salami, olives, tomatoes, aged Provolone and chick peas. I continued with the 40 day dry aged New York Strip with Bluecheese Crust and a Cabernet Reduction. This could have been great except from the fact that I ordered it medium rare and it came out medium +. Not having the energy to return it and wait for a new steak I ate it and felt a little disappointed... My husband on the other hand had a succulent, flavorfull dish of Syrah Braised Short Ribs with Parsnip Puree, Baby Carrots and Asparagus. We ordered two side dishes as well, Horseradish Potatoe Gratin and Sauteed Wild Mushrooms. Both excellent. We fininshed with S'Mores "All grown up" constructed of Kahlua Chocolate Cake, Marshmallow Sauce, Dulce de Leche Icecream topped with a homemade Graham Cracker. We had a bottle of 2003 Fiddelhead Seven Twenty Eight, Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir. A great balanced Pinot showcasing dark fruit and plum with nice cool tannins. Overall a very good meal if it wasn't for my poor overdone steak...

Night #2: We decided to return to a restaurant we dined at a couple of trips ago, Emeril Lagasse's Delmonico Steakhouse at The Venetian. Our first dining experience at this Creole influenced Steakhouse was fantastic and we were hoping for a re run. My husband started with the Hearts of Romaine Salad with Creamy Bluecheese Dressing topped with Crisp Pancetta while I just had to try the Creamy Lobster Risotto on a Mirror of Lobster Sauce Reduction. For main course I had the Cajun Spice Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Creamed Spinach. This time made to perfection! I savored a great, super tender filet with tons of flavor. My husband opted for a Tagliatelle with Creamy Chicken, Artichoke and Sundried Tomato. Very rich and creamy indeed, almost to heavy... After this rich meal we had no room for dessert... Again overall a great meal with the filet as the stand out. Minus points for the overly heavy and creamy pasta dish which could have been made lighter. The Loster Risotto also suffered of this rich creaminess and would have been more enjoyable if less heavy...
Night #3: Tired after two late night in the city that never sleeps we decided to stay within our hotel, Bellagio, for dinner. We were curious to see what Sensi had to offer and made reservations. This casual restaurant offers Italian, Asian, grilled and seafood classics in a minimalist, contemporary environment where the kitchen is the center. Separated from the dining room with only floor to ceiling glass walls you can witness the creativity in the kitchen as you dine. I just have to start to talked about the wine we had which was an outstanding Pinot Noir from the Central Coast. The 2003 Bonaccorsi Fiddelstix Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir shows great dark cherries, plum and blueberry on the nose with a beautiful balanced palate of dark fruit and berrries and tannins to support a long highly enjoyable fininsh. What a great Pinot! One of the best that I have come across in a long time. Bonaccorsi is a favorite of mine since a couple of years and this one surely will not disappoint anybody... Find it at www.wine-searcher.com from $49.99.
Now to the food. We started of by sharing the appetizer size Italian Thin Crust Pizza with Home Made Italian Salami, Tomato and Asiago Cheese. Great little crisp pizza to share with true Italian simplicity showcasing the fresh ingredients. Crisp Skin Salmon with Braised Oxtail Ravioli on a bed of Braised Cabbage and Poached Red Beets was my main course and a what an enjoyable one. The perfectly cooked, moist salmon paired great with the flavor intense ravioli and tender beets.
Chicken in Creamy Butter Red Curry Sauce with Indian Naan Bread and Basmati Rise smelled wonderful on my husbands plate and sneeking myself a bite my taste buds confirmed what my nose had predicted. A wounderful spicy curry perfect for future cold winter days.
Chocolate was the choise for dessert and contained of a Warm Center Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Icecream. A perfect ending to the meal.
Two other places worth mentioning are Todd English's Olives at Bellagio, where we had lunch one of the days (they have a great Seared Tuna Salad).

The best Margarita (for this trip at least) in Las Vegas can be found at Bobby Flay's MESA at Caesars, made from El Tesoro Platinum Teqiula, fresh lime juice and a splash of Grand Marnier.
Can't wait for the next trip and new food adventures...