U.S. Adventures: Vegas, Baby! (Part 2)

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And...the first part of a post of which I have already posted the second part. Enjoy....

Some people go to Las Vegas for gambling, some go for the shows (and apparently some go for the very short skirts). Me, I go for the food.  And to meet up with a very dear friend who I met when I lived in San Francisco, and who remains one of my closest friends. She needed to get away, I was tired of everyone telling me about how great the food is in Vegas, so it seemed perfect.   She was happy to let me plan every meal and accompany me as my date.

Upon my arrival the first night, it was dinner time in Vegas (even though it was like 10:00 p.m. Indy time) and I was excited to start our marathon of food!  I quickly checked in to the room and went down to have dinner at Jaleo, one of the restaurants in our hotel, The Cosmopolitan.  Jaleo is a restaurant from Chef José Andrés, and is a Spanish tapas restaurant.  We caught up, drank (too much) and enjoyed some food.  Honestly, the food highlight was probably our simplest dish, which was toasted bread with a fresh, light tomato spread and white anchovies ($10) with some Jamon Iberico ($15) and Manchego ($9) alongside. I loved the tomato spread.  We also had the Ensaladilla rusa con atun en conserva (a salad type dish of conserved tuna, potatoes and egg ($9) and a Brussels sprouts salad with Serrano ($10).  But truly, the real highlight of this meal was the girl talk.  It is a fun lively restaurant, but nothing food-wise totally wowed me.

Jaleo

The Cosmopolitan

3708 Las Vegas Blvd., South

Las Vegas, NV 89109

http://www.jaleo.com/index.php/contact/las_vegas

Our lunch the next day we ended up at China Poblano, which is another venture of Chef Andrés, and also in the Cosmopolitan.  I really enjoyed this one.  I liked the seemingly completely incongruous menu of Chinese and Mexican small plates.  The flavors in the dishes were flashy and I really liked everything.  We had several tacos, my favorite probably being the carnitas taco ($4.50) with a little avocado and fried pork rinds on top, although the fried fish taco has an amazing, and quite hot, salsa verde hiding under the fish.  And there were chipotle pickled red onions across the top. We also had a lengua taco (tongue) ($4.00) and scallop ceviche ($12.00).  The ceviche was fun—little scallops stacked on top of a seasoned lime half which you popped in your mouth together to squeeze the juice out of with your teeth.  My favorite of the Chinese items was probably the “dancing eggplant” ($9.88) which was a lightly fried whole Chinese eggplant (you know, the ones that are more long and skinny) which was served in a teriyaki/soy thick smoky sauce with black garlic, and had wispy flakes of bonito laying all over the top, and any slight breeze (just from the airflow in the room) made them dance.  Not only was it visually beautiful, but it was delicious.  We also had some lovely pork belly/shrimp dumplings ($12.88). For dessert, there was a dish called “Giggling Buddha taking a bath” that involved blood orange sorbet and because of the name, I just had to try it.  It was really cute.  There was pomegranate gelee (fancy name for jello) shaped like a Buddha head, belly and feet swimming in a bowl of "tequila air" and bubbles and with scoops of blood orange sorbet.  It was fun, and refreshing (and I love blood orange).

China Poblano

The Cosmopolitan

3708 Las Vegas Blvd., South

Las Vegas, NV 89109

702/698-7900

http://www.chinapoblano.com/

Dinner that evening was Raku, which was a place my friend was really excited about.  This is a really interesting place—it is not a restaurant on the strip. It is a few miles off the strip in what is essentially Vegas’ Chinatown.  It was really cool just to experience another part of Vegas, a more local side.  Anyway, it is a Japanese robota (charcoal) grill restaurant and one of the first things you notice about it is the extreme soothing and well-thought out décor.  The walls and table are all warm woods, and even the containers of sauces on the table were beautiful.  Don’t even get me started on the bathroom, where there is grass with stepping stones and a tree with birds that are singing and rose petals artfully arranged on the floor.  I would go back just for this.  But the food was a piece of art in itself as well.  Again, it is a small plates shared style of eating, which suits me just fine.  One of the food highlights was the agedashi tofu ($10) which is their own housemade tofu that is somehow very lightly fried on the outside edge and served in a lovely broth with teeny little mushrooms.  When you break the tofu with your spoon, it is like the richest creamiest custard you can imagine.  There was salmon roe on top that popped in your mouth with each bite. My friend could not get over this dish. She said she would eat it every day for the rest of her life if she could. The charcoal grilled items we had were buttery scallops ($7.00 each) and Kobe beef skirt skewers ($7.50 each) with crispy garlic.  Both were good, but the Kobe beef was better.  Slightly chewy from the fat content, but still wonderfully seasoned and perfectly bite sized and the garlic was a nice crispy counterpoint. Crunchy asparagus spears were a good side dish to get a little bit of vegetables but with crunchy bread crumbs fried on the outside.  Yellowtail carpaccio ($12) was buttery and served with just the right, slightly spicy, thick soy based sauce and teeny dabs of wasabi and chili paste. Finally, one of the more interesting dishes was the crispy pig ear ($3).  Having had pigs’ ears before, but where the pieces were really thin and deeply fried and crunchy, these were different.  They were crisply fried on the outside, but left in thicker pieces (but still bite sized).  They were slightly chewy from the cartilage of the ear, but not so much that it was unpleasant.  The only downside about this place is that they serve bluefin tuna on their menu which is highly endangered.  I really wish they didn’t, but I thought I would put it out there for your information.  This place is quite small, and quite popular, so make a reservation if you go.

Aburiya Raku

5030 S. Spring Mountain Road, #2

Las Vegas, NV 89146

702/367-3511

http://www.raku-grill.com/

It was an amazing whirlwind trip to Vegas, and a perfect getaway.  You really can just plan a long weekend around food with a little bit of this and that in between. Can't wait to go again--so many more places to try! 

Room 4--Revisit

Recently, I had the opportunity to take advantage of Recess/Room 4’s special lunch hours during Super Bowl week.  Even though technically, by the time you read this, you won’t be able to take advantage of it yourself, since they were just offering their normal Room 4 fare, I figured it was game for a post (even though we were actually sitting in Recess) because you can always go to Room 4 and get some similar types of stuff. 

I was with the BFF and we both started with the “hangover chicken soup” ($11) which was perfect for me because I felt like I was getting just a touch of a cold, and the spicy rich broth was exactly what I needed.  The soup was loaded with pieces of seasoned, tender chicken and a ton of veggies—celery, carrots, onions, jalapenos, tomatoes and zucchini.  There was a nice little garnish of cilantro on top. The veggies were tender, but not tasteless mush, like so often happens in soup.  But seriously, the thing about this soup was the well-seasoned broth.  It had so much flavor, a nice amount of heat, tasted good, and seriously helped out the sinuses. I also liked the lime wedge alongside to add to the freshness from the cilantro.

The grilled fish tacos ($16) were great.  I think this was the first time I have had monkfish in a taco, and it was really nice. The fish was grilled, and very slightly charred on the edges, but the fish was really tender and I love the way monkfish has such a sweet taste.  But my favorite part about these tacos was all the flavor from all the toppings. There was mashed avocado, a tangy cabbage mix with lime and fresh sliced jalapeno.  They were topped with a seasoned crema, which had a little spice, but still gave you the creamy coolness that made the whole thing a perfect combo.  I had just a little taste of my friend’s carnitas as well, and it had a nice meaty taste (had cotija cheese and salsa on top) but if I were going back and had the same choice, pretty sure I’d be going with those fish tacos. They were bright and delicious.  There was also a black bean salad along with the tacos, and while it was good, I enjoyed the tacos (and soup) so much, I didn't have much room for it.

I was glad to hear that several of our Super Bowl celebrity guests got up to Recess to try the food here.  It was good to see a few of them venturing outside of the chain-zone downtown.  I am looking forward to a return visit soon for dinner.

Room 4

4907 North College Ave

Indy  46205

317/925-7529

www.recessindy.com

Eggshell Bistro

If you read my blog regularly, you know I have a thing for eggs. Put a runny egg on top of just about anything, and it gets better.  So of course I was instantly intrigued when I heard about Eggshell Bistro, where just about every item on the menu features eggs.  When I couldn’t get one of my male friends to meet me there because it was, ahem, “too girly,” I convinced my parents to join me. 

The interior is quite cute, and I have to say, possibly a little girly (think “shabby chic”).  Lots of antiques and cute little wrought iron tables (my one gripe being that in our particular case, the chairs seemed too short for the table and you felt like you needed a cushion to sit on).  The tables for two can also be quite small, but as it turns out, the dishes are on the petite side as well, so it probably all works out.

I ordered the truffled egg brioche  which was a fairly thick slice of brioche bread (a slightly more eggy, buttery bread) with a slice of Fontina cheese melted across the top, a very soft poached egg, sprinkles of asparagus and a bit of truffle salt I believe (could have been truffle oil).  It was a nice light lunch, not for someone looking for a large meal, but the type of midday meal that I quite enjoy.  The egg was certainly not overcooked, which I appreciated, although it actually may have been just a little undercooked even for me—the white was still just a wee bit too runny (not that I didn’t eat every bite, being a woman who will eat a raw egg without blinking an eye).  But still, when you want a poached egg, you have a certain expectation.  The flavor of the dish was very good though, all the flavors complimenting each other.  The asparagus gave it a little crunch and earthy flavor.

I also had a side of Smoking Goose applewood smoked bacon with my dish though, and I have to say, it really made my meal.  Alone the egg dish was nice, but with the bacon, I was very happy.  That bacon is superb, and they cooked it perfectly.  My Mom said something like, “how do they make this bacon taste like bacon used to taste?”  It was so good.  You must get some of this (or one of the other Smoking Goose meats—I have heard the lamb bacon is amazing too, although I have yet to have it) alongside whatever you order.  Just make sure you get enough, my parents kept trying to eat mine.

The menu is somewhat small—a few egg dishes, salads and sandwiches, but I have no problem with that.  They are focusing on what they want to do and doing it pretty well.  I also like that they are utilizing very fresh, and often local, ingredients.  My only other complaint is that it took quite awhile to get our food after we had ordered.  I would be a little worried if the place was really full that there might be quite a long delay. 

So is it a manly place?  Um, probably not.  Were there men in there? Yep, at just about every table.  If you want a giant, greasy, hangover-curing breakfast, this isn’t your place.  If you want a lighter, thoughtful breakfast or lunch with some wonderful ingredients, give it a try. And tell me what you think.

Eggshell Bistro

51 West Carmel City Drive

Carmel, IN  46032

317/660-1616

www.eggshellbistro.com

The Libertine-Revisit

So, if you have been following me lately, you know I am a fan of The Libertine.  I have been excited to see they have been pretty well fully booked with reservations a couple of times when I have tried to make a reservation lately (so happy they are taking reservations now). It makes me happy to see a place I really like be successful, even if it means I can’t go that night. 

But the other night, we did get a table reserved and went in to try out the latest menu.  We started with the artichoke fritters ($8) and the famer’s cheese and olive tapenade crostini ($10).  Both were good, but the artichoke fritters were our clear winner of the two.  There were 5 little crispy fried balls that were chock full of artichoke and artichoke flavor.  There was a distinct lemon flavor as well and a wonderful cilantro aioli to dip in.  We really liked these, to the point we had to cut the last one in half to make sure we were exactly even (often hubby eats more than I do).  This was something I don’t think you would want to split between more than 2 people.  If I only got one of them, I would have been very, very sad.

The crostini was also good, but is something that I actually could have handled a little less of—it would be a good thing to split with a larger group.  It was toasted bread slices with substantial dollops of olive tapenade and the cheese scattered around.  It was topped with blood orange oil and fried capers.  I enjoyed several pieces, but there was something sharp, almost bitter (the blood orange oil perhaps) that made me only want to eat a few, and not lick the plate clean.  I loved the fried capers though—that was a nice touch to add some crispness to all the soft toppings, as well as more saltiness.

For our main dishes, we shared the one-eyed jack ($8) and the chicken thigh confit ($16).  If you read my first review of the Libertine, you know I love the one-eyed jack, which is bread cooked in fat with an egg cooked into the middle of the bread.  There is roasted garlic on top (which we had to exactly evenly divvy up as well) and fig butter on the side.  This was once again, executed perfectly. I only use a teeny bit of the fig butter, because I think too much of the sweetness detracts a little, but I love this dish.

The chicken thigh confit was something I have wanted to try since I saw it on the menu.  It is nice pieces of dark meat chicken (no bones) served with celery root hash and a little bacon for flavor as well as a nice handful of fresh parsley on top.  I liked it quite a bit, but a few of the pieces of chicken had some tough edges—the celery root hash and the divine rich dark stock in the bowl were my favorite part of the dish actually.  And this is exactly why I like the Libertine so much, the dishes are thought out with several different ingredients but that work as a team. They aren’t putting a piece of chicken on your plate with a side of potatoes and some wilty veg. 

I also like that even though they  have changed the menu format somewhat from the opening to reflect a more traditional menu style (there are starters, small plates and large plates), you can still do what we did and mix it up and share what is basically a combination of smaller things. We did also get a dessert this time, which was their chocolate ricotta pie in a jar and was quite tasty—it was like a slightly lighter cheesecake .  There was a bit of a crust on the bottom and the chocolate layer and then a creamy top layer.  I liked it a lot.  It wasn’t overkill on the chocolate and it wasn’t ridiculously large, but still enough to share.

It’s obvious I like this place, and will continue to look forward to future meals there.

The Libertine

38 East Washington Street

Indy 46205

317/631-3333

www.libertineindy.com