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Raos
Mesa Grill (2011)

Mesa Grill (2010)

Carnevino
Palazzo
3325 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Serendipity 3

March 3, 2011 by Jennifer Che

It was sooooo cold outside. Frrrrreezing!

In fact, it technically was freezing that crazy week in January when it briefly snowed in Las Vegas! It was so cold, area stores completely sold out of the season's winter coats to unsuspecting visitors who had shown up in the city assuming they wouldn't need jackets.

So why "frrrozen hot chocolate"? On one of the coldest days on record?

Hey, I'm from Boston. Bostonians love their iced desserts and will eat at anytime. Heck, our ice cream shops open all winter long and they are always crowded, regardless of how high the snow piles are or how cold it is outside. I am always happy to make and eat ice cream no matter what season it is!

So of course I was totally game. Plus, one of our friends had never been to Serendipity before and really really wanted to try it.

Serendipity 3, a restaurant that originates from New York, holds the world record for the most expensive ice cream sundae. This insanely opulent sundae must be ordered 48 hours in advance (probably so they can obtain all its exotic ingredients!). It contains five scoops of Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream (infused with Madagascar vanilla), rare Amedei Porcelana and Chuao chocolate, American Golden caviar, passion fruit, orange, Armagnac, candied fruits from Paris, and marzipan cherries. On top of that, there's real gold everywhere, from real gold dragées to the 23-carat edible gold leaf.
You even get to enjoy your sundae with an 18-karat gold spoon.

Absolutely nuts. Supposedly they sell about one per month. I wonder who gets these? I wonder if it even tastes that amazing . . .

Anyway, we didn't find out. Instead, we ordered their most famous dessert, the frrrozen hot chocolate. I got the Oreo one, which I loved. I have always loved Oreos, especially in ice cream, so it's no surprise that I would love the Oreo frrrozen hot chocolate. It had the characteristic dark bitterness of Oreos. The best part, it wasn't too creamy nor too sweet. I shared one with my friend, which was just about right.

Bryan got a peanut butter one, which was quite good too. In the end, I still preferred mine, thinking his was too sweet and rich. His was also an alcoholic version, though it was so huge and rich he had trouble finishing the whole thing,

Serendipity is located right outside Caesars Palace. Except for that crazy sundae, it's actually a reasonably priced restaurant. The menu has a variety of sandwiches, hamburgers, salads, and some main entrees as well. Of course, there is an extensive dessert section which includes various ice cream sundaes, cakes, and tarts. As for ambiance, the funky retro decor is fun, although the music's a bit loud for conversation and the service can be average. Nevertheless, it's not a bad place to stop by late at night for a little sweet tooth craving.

Serendipity 3
3570 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109

This post is part of a larger Las Vegas series. Posts in this series:

Raos

Mesa Grill (2010 trip)

Giveaway Winner!
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Rao's (Caesar's Palace)

February 23, 2011 by Jennifer Che

Update: I have updated this post (originally posted January 2010) with some additional comments and photos from my second visit in January 2011.

This post is part III of the larger series: Celebrity Chef Dining in Las Vegas. Other posts in this series include Part I: Mario Batali's B&B Ristorante and Part II: Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill.

Is it worth the hype? Does it really have the same menu as the New York establishment? What’s the food like?

These were all questions running through my mind as I considered what our meal at Rao’s would be like.

Just a bit of background. The original Rao’s is a tiny Italian restaurant in New York City and has been there for decades. It is soooo popular at this point that it almost seems like you have to know someone to get a reservation. The tiny restaurant, which only has ten seats, only seats one reservation per evening. Worse yet, seven of the ten seats are already reserved for regulars, many who have been coming for decades. This leaves exactly three seats a night. No wonder it's virtually impossible to get a reservation.

Two years ago, Frank Pellegrino, co-owner of Rao's, decided to open a new outpost in Las Vegas at Caesar’s Palace. This second location is run by Frank Pellegrino Jr., the owner’s son and his wife Carla, who is the executive chef. Update: Carla Pellegrino left Rao's in November 2010 and will be starting her own new Naples themed Italian restaurant called Bratalian in Henderson, NV sometime in March.

Supposedly the menu is very similar, with many of the most popular dishes from the NYC establishment also available in Las Vegas.

I was very, very curious.

When you first enter, you see a copy of the original NYC façade. You feel like you are in a fake “outside” walking up to the entrance of the restaurant.

We were seated in the back “patio” section, which was actually surprisingly pleasant. It really felt like we were sitting in the outside patio, oddly enough. You could see the brick outside of the “restaurant” and above us vines hung throughout.

We enjoyed a very good 2006 Tuscan Tignaloto (sp?) wine highly recommended by the sommelier ($195). It was a delicious (albeit expensive!) wine. No complaints there.

The service was a bit spotty in the beginning. It took us FOREVER to receive our drink menus and even longer for the waiter to come by. The timing of things was a bit weird. The bread came super early, and then the sommelier tried to serve the wine at the same time the waiter was describing dishes to us. A bit weird, but our waiter was so nice (after he eventually came) that we decided we could forgive the hiccupy service at the beginning of our meal.

And the food? Oh man, the food is really really good.

We ordered two starters. The Frutti di Mare is classic, and one of their most famous dishes in the NYC restaurant. This was really delicious. First off, the seafood used was very fresh and cooked perfectly. The shrimp was juicy, succulent, and “popped” the way properly cooked shrimp should. The calamari was soft and tender, and the lobster was absolutely divine. The seafood salad was tossed in a very light dressing of oil and mixed with some chopped celery, kalamata olives, and parsley and finished with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Even though it sounds so simple, the combination works perfectly and the final product is addictively good. The portions are surprisingly generous, and I was half full after our appetizers.

We also ordered the deep fried mozzarella with tomato sauce, which was very good. Bryan thought the mozzarella was very high quality, and it was perfectly fried. Although it was solid, it was less of a “WOW” dish compared to the frutti di mare.

Fore our entrées, Bryan ordered the veal chop with cherry peppers, which was recommended by our waiter. He also got a side of the special, which was pasta with proscuitto and peas in a light cream sauce.

The veal chops were AMAZING!!!!! Oh my goodness, it was definitely one of the best meat dishes we have ever had at an Italian restaurant, and that unfortunately includes all the restaurants we have tried in the North End in Boston. The combination of the juicy grilled veal chops with the tangy and spicy cherry peppers just worked incredibly well. I don't know how else describe it except that you have to try this one. A must-try.

The pasta with proscuitto and peas was good, although I thought they over-cooked the fresh pasta. A far cry from the super chewy amazing pasta at B&B Ristorante the other night, the pasta here was a tad soggy, not unlike the texture of the pasta of the lobster fra diavlo at Prezza. Neverthless, the flavors of this dish were solid, though nothing particularly exciting.

I ordered the marinara pasta because I really wanted to taste the quality of their tomato sauce. WOW. San Marzano tomatoes really do make a difference! I have had Rao’s jarred tomato sauce and their version of marinara is the best commercial jarred tomato sauce I have had.

This was many times better than the jarred version. Slightly spicy, this sauce had a deep rich tomato flavor that was sweet from the tomatoes themselves, not from the addition of sugar. I loved it - I felt like I could eat it forever. Unfortunately, the fresh pasta, again, was slightly overcooked. Still, the sauce was so incredibly beautiful that I didn’t care and ate the soft pasta regardless.

We tried the following two dishes on a return trip to Vegas in 2011

The lemon chicken is one of the famous dishes at the restaurant, so we ordered it on our return visit in 2011. The chicken is nicely broiled, the meat is tender, and the lemon flavor is quite pronounced. After all the hype though, I think we were slightly disappointed. I mean, it was good, but part of me doesn't see what makes it so incredibly famous.

The smoked salmon with cream sauce tubular pasta that we ordered had much better texture than our previous pasta experiences at Rao's. This pasta was beautifully chewy, had a wonderful creamy flavor, and was overall quite enjoyable.

For dessert we split a ricotta cheesecake. I was curious how it would compare to the ricotta pies we have ordered at Mike’s Pastry in the North End.

Well, it was good, although I prefer the ricotta pies from Mike’s Pastry.

Over all, it was an excellent meal. There’s something to be said about a restaurant when everything is either good or amazing. Really, except for the slightly spotty service and the overcooked pasta, everything else was great.

If you go, definitely order the frutti di mare appetizer and the veal chops. I absolutely loved the tomato sauce as well, although maybe it’s not worth ordering the fresh pasta since they seem to over-cook it. Or, maybe order thicker, more tubular shapes, which can stay chewy longer.

Yum . . wish I could try the one in New York. Oh well, at least we "Plebs" get a chance to try many of the dishes in Las Vegas.

This post is part of a larger Las Vegas series. Posts in this series:

2011

2010

Mesa Grill

Note: originally published 1/27/10 at 2:04 AM

Caesar's Palace
3570 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 731-7110

Mesa Grill (Bobby Flay)

February 22, 2011 by Jennifer Che

Ancho Chili Duck

There is one place that Bryan always visits without fail whenever he travels to Las Vegas for business.

Yep, it's absolutely no surprise that this million mile world traveler, who loves hot chilies and Mexican food in general, gravitates towards Bobby Flay's bold flavors at Mesa Grill.

Mesa Grill earned a coveted Michelin Star in 2008, only to lose it by the 2009 edition. Michelin did not publish a Las Vegas Guide in 2010, so we won't know until 2011 whether Bobby Flay will get that star back.

This doesn't appear to have affected business at all. Mesa Grill is still one of the most popular destinations inside Caesars Palace. Its combination of excellent food, casual atmosphere, and reasonable prices (by Vegas standards), seems to continue bringing people back for more.

Blue Corn Pancake
Barbecued Duck + Habanero Chile-Star Anise Sauce 15

If it's your first time here, you must get some of his signature dishes, which are all excellent. The blue corn pancakes are a must-get appetizer. It's sort of like Bobby Flay's spicy interpretation of the traditional Peking duck wrap. I love it and I tend to order it pretty often (sometimes even as my entree!).

Tiger Shrimp and Roasted Garlic Corn Tamale: Corn - Cilantro Sauce 16

The shrimp tamale is also incredibly good. It's rich, for sure, but the sweet corn works beautifully with the plump and juicy shrimp. This is another classic that we order over and over again.

New Mexican Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin
Bourbon - Ancho Chile Sauce, Sweet Potato Tamale, Crushed Pecan Butter 36

We tried this dish our first time at Mesa Grill and absolutely loved it. The medium-cooked pork (yes! it's still quite pink!!) is succulent, juicy, and covered with a deliciously spicy and flavorful Bourbon-Ancho Chili rub that is out of this world. If you can only order one entree, I would definitely recommend this one!

Rough Cut Tuna "Nachos"
Mango - Habanero Hot Sauce + Avocado Crema 18

I should have learned the first time around that I don't love Bobby Flay's interpretations of raw fish. I guess my standard is kind of high when it comes to raw fish in general, and I don't think they use very high quality tuna in this dish. For some reason, I think the strong sweet and spicy flavors overwhelm the tuna. This dish was only so-so and I would not order it again.

Pan Seared Squid
New Mexico Chile, Toasted Garlic, Tangerine 15

Lamb Shank Posole
Red Wine - Red Chile Broth, Cabbage, Hominy, Cotija 36
Bryan got the lamb shank and thought that it was pretty good, though probably not something he would order again. In the end, it did not stand out and wow him the way other dishes have done so in the past.

Green Chile Cioppino
Jumbo Prawn, Scallop, Grouper, Mussels, served with Blue Corn Stick, Scallion Butter 40

Sixteen Spice Chicken
Mango-Garlic Sauce, Mango - Green Onion Salsa, Cilantro Pesto Mashed Potatoes 30
The chicken cane with a wonderful mix of sauces that gave the fried chicken a complex yet delicious kick. The dish tasted the best when your bite included a bit of each sauce (mango garlic and mango-green onion).

General Thoughts
Alas, I dined here with a large party and did not have a chance to sample everyone's dish, so I cannot give as detailed comments on each dish as I normally do! Nevertheless, I've come here enough times to say that I highly recommend this restaurant. If you like interesting, bold, and spicy flavors, you will love Mesa Grill. Sometimes the wait can be long if you show up without a reservation, so I would definitely recommend calling ahead!

Bryan has already told me that he plans on going to Mesa Grill again during his business trip to Las Vegas next month. What is he going try this time?

The famous burger! Can't wait to hear what THAT tastes like!

Cinnamon and Anise Churros with Chocolate dipping sauce

This post is part of a larger Las Vegas series. Posts in this series:

Raos

Mesa Grill (2010 trip)