Posted on Jan 15, 2009 under Food and Travel News, Las Vegas |
Dos Caminos at Palazzo
Dos Caminos at Palazzo has created a special menu for Valentine’s Day. The menu is inspired by the wedding meal of Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera in 1929.
The new menu includes Pomegranate Margaritas, Agua de Jamaica (hibiscus ice tea, lime and mint), Tamales de Huitlacoche (tamales filled with exotic corn mushrooms and Oazaca cheese with a smoked pasilla salsa), Dos Chiles Rellenos (poblano chiles with Mexican cheese and duck picadillo with a roasted tomato chipotle salsa), Slow Roasted Pork Posole (tomatillo and chile broth, hominy, chicharron) and Capirotada (Mexican bread pudding.
The menu will be available from February 9th to 15th. To make a reservation, call 702.577-9600
Posted on Dec 27, 2008 under Archives, Food and Travel News, Las Vegas |
Lavo Las Vegas
In recent years, Las Vegas has explored a new trend of combining fine dining and nightlife with openings such as Cathouse at Luxor, rumjungle at Mandalay Bay and TAO at the Venetian. The newest addition to the theme hybrid restaurant/lounge/nightclub movement on the strip is LAVO at Palazzo.
Created by the same team that brought TAO to the Venetian (Jason Strauss, Marc Paker, Richard Wolf, Noah Tepperberg and Louis Abin), LAVO has a Mediterranean bathhouse theme. Partner Wolf traveled to Morocco to personally choose the huge clay pots, antique copper bathtubs, glass tiles, Moroccan rugs, Turkish water basins and other furnishings featured in the restaurant and lounge.
Decor
The entryway introduces the bathhouse theme with worn tile walls and water stained plaster. To one side of the lounge is the restaurant area which seats 200 and to the other side is the patio which seats 100 and features a hookah lounge and panoramic views of the strip. Inside, the 200-foot ceilings made of weathered wooden beams house low-lying chandeliers above diners in leather booths and Moroccan tables.
Lavo bar
The restaurant follows suit serving Mediterranean cuisine. Burgudian Chef Ludo Lefebure serves up creations designed to encourage sharing. I took my friend Ernesto (say hi to him at Espressamente Illy at Palazzo – he is the manager there) on my last visit. We started the meal off with a deconstructed Bloody Mary – spicy tomato sorbet, pureed celery and a vodka gelee. Sounds strange but it is very good.
deconstructed bloody mary
We enjoyed appetizers including the caprese salad with buffalo mozzarella and honey marinated cherry tomatoes, a trio of hummus, baba ganoush, artichoke spread and warm pita, crispy artichokes with aged balsamic glaze and parmigiano cheese and kobe meatballs (our favorite).
caprese salad
trio of mediterranean spreads
Crispy artichokes
Kobe meatballs
We chose the oven baked whole dorade with red and yellow peppers, red onions, lemon and olives and the mediterranean sea bass with roasted olives, caperberries and lemon for our main courses.
oven baked dorade
Mediterranean sea bass
Dessert was bread pudding and yummy baked apple and ice cream.
bread pudding
baked apple and ice cream dessert
The menu also features Specialty cocktails feature fresh muddled fruit, top-shelf liquor and Mediterranean influences. Good bets are the Lavolini (Prosecco, passion fruit puree and St. Germain) and the Mademoiselle (Ketel Citron, peach puree, Lillet and St. Germain).
After dinner, guests can cross the glass and wood screened elevated bridge designed with Turkish water basins that leads to the 4,500 square foot second-floor nightclub. The entire dining room and lounge can be viewed from the catwalk. “It creates energy throughout the venue,” said Strauss. “The sightlines are dramatic. It is one of our wow factors.”
Lavo walkway to nightclub
The nightclub is modeled after the Parisian watering hole Les Bains Douches and features a bar/lounge area, dance floor, raised VIP stage and a mural of a lounging nude model. Cocktail tables are lit from below to create a glowing lantern effect.
Lavo nightclub
The dome above the dance floor projects alternating images of water, sunsets, forests and spaceships. The club also features 40 bottle service tables and the sounds of resident DJ’s Vice, Reach, Galleano and Berrie.
Lavo nightclub
Whether you seek a lounge for lingering on a cocktail, a restaurant for an evening of fine dining or a unique intimate place to dance the night away, LAVO has got you covered.
My friend Ernesto and I at LAVO
LAVO restaurant and nightclub
Palazzo
3325 South Las Vegas Boulevard
702/791-1800
Restaurant and Lounge: Sunday – Thursday, 6 pm – 12 am, Friday and Saturday, 5 pm – 1 am, Nightclub: Tuesday- Sunday, 10 pm – 5 am.
Posted on Oct 07, 2008 under Food and Travel News, Las Vegas |
Bouchon Las Vegas
I chose to start my blog’s first entry at the beginning of any foodie’s thoughts when they rise – what’s for breakfast? My favorite morning restaurant is Bouchon in Las Vegas for many reasons. Chef/Owner Thomas Keller gets extra points for being a chef’s chef –better known as a mild-mannered master cook than a celebrity on the Food Network, because I travel to Sin City monthly for story assignments and reservations for Keller’s “other” restaurant, the French Laundry, are booked months in advance, and finally because the food at Bouchon is fantastic.
Located in the Venezia Tower at the Venetian, Bouchon is a spinoff of Keller’s Yountville location of the same name. Designed by Adam D. Tihany, the light Parison bistro is relaxed, large and airy with tall mahogany columns running down the center, murals and floor to ceiling windows overlooking a flowering garden.
I always try to get a table outside and dine al fresco. I am still waiting to grab a glimpse of Keller walking around the dining room, but after a dozen visits for brunch with no luck I have stopped straining my neck from the garden tables to try to spot the illusive owner. Keller has been named the “bests chef in America” by Time magazine, but at Bouchon the food is the star.
Bouchon French Toast
The Bouchon French Toast is served in a bread pudding style with warm layers of brioche, custard and apples.
Bouchon Waffles
The sourdough waffles with warm bananas, Tahitian vanilla bean butter and maple syrup are also delicious.
Bouchon Croque Madame
The Croque Madame features toasted ham and cheese on a slice of brioche with fried egg on top, covered with mornay sauce and served with French fries.
Bouchon Donuts
Bouchon Croissants
Other great options are the donuts with strawberry and caramel sauce and any of the many available pastries.
Go for the perfectly brewed coffee, the flakiest croissants outside of Paris, or the French country fare, but don’t leave Las Vegas without a visit to Bouchon for breakfast.
