The Divine Dish

Dinner at Gordon Ramsay Steak, Paris Las Vegas

Posted on Jul 02, 2012 under Archives, Las Vegas | No Comment

Celeb chef Gordon Ramsay pays tribute to his home country of England both in menu items and atmosphere at his new steakhouse located in Paris.  Diners enter through a “chunnel” emulating the passageway from England to France and the two-story dining room’s main focus is a dangling neon art sculpture representing the chef’s movements while creating his signature Beef Wellington.

The restaurant accommodates 200 guests who can choose to dine at the bar, lounge, chef’s table or main room.  Drinks can be perused via an iPad digital menu provided for each table.

I visited a few weeks ago for an article for The Daily Meal and invited my good friend Joni to tag along.  I chose my standard dirty martini which came with a nice surprise of bacon at the end of my olive, Joni chose a strawberry cosmo.

Joni chose the traditional Caesar salad which came with a nice surprise – a Scottish egg, and I selected the market green salad with butter lettuce, crispy pancetta, blue cheese, tomato raisins and green goddess dressing.

For the main course, an array of raw beef in various cuts is presented tableside.  Each is dry aged for at least 28 days in a Himalayan salt room and hand selected by Pat LaFrieda.

We both chose the ribeye which was perfectly cooked.

Other menu offerings include seafood and Ramsay’s infamous Beef Wellington.  We chose fire roasted corn  with chile and lime and a huge baked potato for our sides, others menu sides include a mushroom tart, sautéed spinach, mac and cheese and other steakhouse standards.

Before our dessert course came out we were presented with three chocolate and liquor dipped spoons which paired well with our coffee.

The standout dessert is Ramsay’s Sticky Toffee Pudding, which Joni ordered, and consisted of a sweet pudding cake, brown sugar toffee and brown butter ice cream, delicious.

A dedicated chocoholic, I ordered the chocolate layers, a rich chocolate cake with passion fruit ganache  layers and coffee ice cream.

The next time you find yourself in Sin City hankering for a traditional steak, head over to Chef Ramsay’s new digs.   Located at 3655 South Las Vegas Boulevard, reservations at 702/946-7000.

The Weekly Dish – July 2, 2012

Posted on Jul 01, 2012 under Archives, The Weekly Dish | No Comment

Here is the dish on what is happening this week in Los Angeles and Las Vegas:

Los Angeles

Church and State – Chef Christophe Happillon, the Oyster Gourmet, will bring his famous oyster bar to Church and State every Tuesday and Thursday beginning this week from 6 to 10 pm.   $36 per dozen, 1850 Industrial Street, reservations at 213/405-1434.

Soleto Trattoria and Pizza bar debuts downtown this month, located in the financial district.  Chef Sascha Lyon will be overseeing the Southern Italian menu.   Located at 801 South Figueroa Street, 213/622-3255.

Las Vegas

Central Michel Richard at Caesars Palace- will be hosting a Great American Cookout this Saturday, July 7.  The all you can eat barbeque includes beer and patio seating to view fireworks beginning at 9pm, reservations at 702/650-5921.

Luxor – launches it’s “Race Through The Pyramid” contest now through July 23.   Submit a video showcasing why you and your favorite comrade should be chosen among four teams to compete for a luxury prize package.   The four selected teams of two will receive roundtrip airfare to Vegas and hotel stay and meals and participate in various challenges at the Luxor to win a VIP vacation package.   Enter at www.luxor.com/racethroughthepyramid/.

Minus5 Ice Bar, Mandalay Bay – Chill out at Minus5 Ice Bar and guests who wear a Minus5 t-shirt will receive $5 off any entry package on July 4.  Also, this week the bar launches it’s latest cocktail creation, the Frosty Mojito Cocktail, located at 3960 Las Vegas Boulevard South.

Lagasse’s Stadium at Palazzo – is hosting a UFC 148 viewing party with fighter Roy Nelson on Saturday, July 7.   The event begins at 7pm at 3325 Las Vegas Boulevard South, 702/607-2665 for reservations.

Earl of Sandwich – is opening its second Las Vegas location at the Palms on July 2.   Official sandwich cutting will begin at 5 pm, located at 4321 West Flamingo Road.

Dinner at Center Cut, Flamingo Las Vegas

Posted on Jun 26, 2012 under Archives, Las Vegas | No Comment

The Flamingo turned its old Burger Joint into Center Cut, an upscale modern steakhouse. Located across from the Flamingo Wildlife Habitat and adjacent to Tropical Breeze Café, the venue accommodates up to 172 guests including the bar, lounge, restaurant and private dining room. The black and white décor with pink accents provides a classic Vegas atmosphere while several plasma screens throughout the restaurant showcasing photo montages from the 1940’s to present day. These images pay homage to the 66 years Flamingo has been at the heart of the Las Vegas Strip.  Guests can choose to sit in the open dining room or opt for an intimate private curtained booth.  I recently visited Center Cut for a tasting menu provided by Chef Ian Delph, here is what I sampled:

I started off with a perfect dirty martini.  Next came one of Center Cuts appetizer favorites – a  trio bacon satay that includes cayenne peppered, blue cheese cured, and natural Applewood bacon served on top a pink Himalayan salt rock.

Anyone who loves bacon will appreciate this appetizer.  Very rich in flavor and a great way to start off a nice steak dinner.

Next, Chef Delph sent out a killer lobster bisque. Hands down the best lobster bisque I have ever tasted with creme fraiche, sherry and chive oil and big lobster chunks.  I could eat a vat of this bisque.

Meat entrees include a 20 ounce ribeye, 24 ounce porterhouse and 28 ounce Tomahawk, all sourced from Aspen Ridge Farms in Colorado.  I opted for the 8 ounce filet with shrimp.  It came with a nice caramelized onion and a delicious popover.

The filet was perfectly cooked and each bite melted in my mouth.  The popovers at Center Cut are addictive.

My steak also came with a number of sauces to choose from including red wine, bernaise, blue cheese, dijon peppercorn and cc steak sauce.

Center cut offers traditional steakhouse sides, I chose the pink mashed potatoes and jalapeno bacon creamed corn.  Both delicious.

Chef Delph came out to greet me and we had a nice conversation about food, the Las Vegas steakhouse scene, and his cooking philosophy.

Next came a lovely dessert course with a creme brulee tart and chocolate dipped biscotti.  Yum.

Center Cut is my new favorite steakhouse on the Strip and Chef Delph is one of the most talented new chefs in Vegas.  Next time you visit Sin City, make sure to stop by Center Cut for a traditional steakhouse experience.

Located at 3555 South Las Vegas Boulevard, reservations at 702/784-8821.

The Weekly Dish – June 24, 2012

Posted on Jun 24, 2012 under Archives, The Weekly Dish | No Comment

Here is the dish on what is happening this week in Las Vegas:

Hypnotist Anthony Cools temporarily moves to Bally’s while his showroom at Paris is remodeled.   Shows are dark Monday and Wednesday, all other nights shows start at 9 pm, tickets at 702/967-4567.

Rao’s restaurant launches a series of YouTube videos showcasing the Rao family’s traditions including tips on bocee ball, cooking and family.  The first video provides recipes for some of the restaurant’s signature dishes, check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbjJeUHA-BI&feature=youtu.be

Bradley Ogden at Caesar’s announced it will end its 10-year run on August 5, 2012.