The Divine Dish

New Menu at Citron Palm Springs Adds Zest to Desert Diningaol

Posted on Jan 22, 2009 under Archives, Food and Travel News | No Comment

The Viceroy Palm Springs is the perfect location for a weekend tryst.  Grecian urns, classical statues, marble covered surfaces and floors and a crisp white, black and vibrant yellow color scheme run throughout this 68-room boutique hotel.  The best rooms for getaways are the white-washed villas featuring brick fireplaces, abstract paintings, black and white gingham sofas,  bold geometric wallpaper and large extra-comfortable beds with Italian linens, situated around the stunning lawns and poolside cabanas.

The signature restaurant, Citron, is vibrant yellow and white with French windows opening to the main courtyard patio and pool.  I recently had the pleasure of staying at the Viceroy and dining (with my friend Paul) on a tasting menu from new Executive Chef James Bailey.  Here is the delicious menu that Chef Bailey prepared for us:

I started off with a Bellini and Paul chose the restaurant’s signature drink, Le Citron Blue, made with Hypnotic “Tiffany blue” liqeuor and Ketel One Citron, shaken and served in a sugar rimmed glass.  Both were tasty.

Chef Bailey then brought us a nice amuse buse of a single oyster with leeks and topped wit caviar.

Next we sampled a delicious roasted baby beet salad with arugula, pine nuts and a nice sherry vinegar.

Then came a small cup full of potato leek soup with truffle shavings on top.  We really loved this soup.

Next we sampled a seared scallop with squash puree and a brussel sprout salad.  Paul and I both aren’t fond of brussel sprouts, but we loved this dish.

This beautiful dish was almost too pretty to eat.  We marveled at the chef’s chopping skills, with each layer having uniform shaped pieces of each component.  The stack includes yellowtail tuna, red onion, hearts of palm and avocado.  It comes with some fresh potato chips.  This was also very good.

Next came this tasty seared bass with asparagus and hen of the wood mushrooms and bacon. yum.

Then we sampled this perfectly cooked New York strip steak, which came with blue cheese, Swiss chard and some tasty french fries.

Our favorite of the night was the veal cheek, which was similar to a short rib but more tender.  It came with a wonderful potato risotto, watercress salad and a truffle veal reduction.  At this point we were getting pretty full, but we ate every last bite of the plate.

Out came dessert, a homemade vanilla ice cream with berries.  Chef Bailey came out and poured balsamic vinegar over the dish as a sauce.

The waiter brought out Citron’s signature dessert, the Kit Kat, which features lots of chocolate and strawberries.  It was also delicious.  We thought we were finished, but one more surprise came out:

Out came this grand plate of beignets and a lovely strawberry soup.  I ate most of the soup and Paul tried to finish the beignets, but at this point we were stuffed.   The entire meal was the best I have eaten in the desert and the service was excellent.  I highly recommend visiting Citron and experiencing Chef Bailey’s delicious food and the new menu.

Viceroy Palm Springs (415 S. Belardo Road, 760.320.4117, www.viceroypalmsprings.com, rooms range from $289 – $569)

Cafe Amuse Provides A Bit of France in Palm Springs

Posted on Jan 15, 2009 under Archives, Food and Travel News | No Comment

The smell of fresh baked scones hits you before you enter the patio at Cafe Amuse.  This casual restaurant serves simple dishes with a French flair.  The decor and music also lend a Parisian ambiance, with indoor and outdoor seating.  I visited the restaurant last weekend while doing a story on the Palm Springs Film Festival.

Here are some pics:

I ordered the Pan Roasted Alaskan Halibut, with came with a saffron risotto, sauteed spinach, asparagus and a champagne beurre blanc.  Very tasty.

My dad had the Amuse Veggie Napoleon which featured portobella mushrooms, pequillo pepper, eggplant, herbs de provance, mozzarella and a port onion reduction.  Also yummy.

We ended with the carrot cake – Chef Wilker’s mom makes this fresh daily.  It is really good and it doesn’t last long, so if you visit Cafe Amuse make sure to request it early.  I didn’t include any family pics here because unfortunately we were all still under the weather with nasty colds.

The food was so good that I met my friends Chris and Paul (owners of Palm Spring’s The Green Guys) for breakfast the next day.  Here are some pics:

Chef Wilker gave us this lovely plate of house cured salmon with huge caperberries, tarragon cream cheese and regular size capers.  So good I had to also include a close up of the caperberries:

Chris ordered the French Scramble, three eggs with Borsin Cheese served with breakfast potatoes.

Paul ordered the poached eggs on toast which came with some nice heirloom tomatoes.

I ordered the Sunny Side Up-Town, a corn pancake with munster cheese, black forest ham, vermont maple syrup and two sunny side up eggs on top.  Delicious!

Yes, we ate all of that food and also had the beignets (we didn’t order these, Chef Wilken brought them over so we had to finish them off – they were yummy).  The beignets came with a cardamom creme anglaise and granny smith apples

Cafe Amuse is located at 241 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way and is open for lunch and dinner Wednesday to Friday from 11 am to 9 pm, Open Saturday for brunch, lunch and dinner, 9 am to 9 pm, and Sunday open for brunch and lunch, 9 am to 3 pm.  Reservations are recommended at 760/322-8880.

Dos Caminos Adds Spice to Valentine’s Day Dinner

Posted on Jan 15, 2009 under Food and Travel News, Las Vegas | No Comment

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

HOT LAVO New ultra-hip restaurant and nightclub features bathhouse theme

Posted on Dec 27, 2008 under Archives, Food and Travel News, Las Vegas | 1 Comment

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

Dessert was bread pudding and yummy baked apple and ice cream.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.