The Divine Dish

Dinner at The Falls Prime Steakhouse

Ribeye from the Falls Prime Steakhouse

A few weeks ago my friend Paul and I took my friend (and Paul’s boyfriend) Chris to The Falls Prime Steakhouse for a birthday dinner.

We started with a few of their signature flavored martinis chilled with cubes of dry ice, sending a smoky plume out of each of our glasses.

dirty martini

Paul had a cosmo

We ordered starters of bacon wrapped California mission figs stuffed with manchego cheese and chorizo, one of the faves of the evening.  We also got a Caesar salad for three prepared tableside.

bacon wrapped figs, yum.

Our waitress, serving up our Caesar salad

Caesar salad

The menu features a long list of steaks, chops, fish and delicious sides to choose from.  I got a ribeye steak, cooked perfectly and huge, and Paul and Chris ordered halibut and lamb, all were tasty.

ribeye

Lamb

halibut

We also ordered some sides including grilled vegetables, organic cremini mushrooms and bermuda onions, and mashed potatoes.

Veggies

mashed potatoes

cremini mushrooms and bermuda onions

We ended the evening with an order of flaming bananas foster.

bananas foster

Paul, the birthday boy and me

If you get a craving for a smokin’ cocktail or a good steak the next time you are in the desert, head to The Falls, 155 South Palm Canyon Drive, reservations at 760/416-8664.

Dinner at Burger Bar Las Vegas

Kobe burger

My friend Sheila and I visited Hubert Keller’s Burger Bar when we recently stayed at Mandalay Bay.  The 140 seat restaurant offers guests the ability to make their own burger with dozens of choices of toppings, cheeses and different types of protein.  Diners can choose from Kobe beef, Colorado lamb, turkey, Black Angus beef and vegetarian among other choices.    Toppings can include bacon, fried egg, prosciutto, ham, foie gras, grilled lobster and other offerings.

We started by splitting this yummy espresso shake.  Yum.

espresso shake

I ordered the Kobe burger with onions, avocado and bacon and Sheila got the American Classic with the basics.  Here are our burgers.

Shiela's american classic

My Kobe burger

We also got buttermilk onion rings and fries.  Both were really crispy and good.

onion rings

Fries

Here we are in our booth:

Sheila and me at burger bar

Any burger lover will enjoy a stop at Keller’s Burgar Bar, which also has locations in San Francisco and St. Louis.  If you are in Vegas, head to Mandalay Bay.

Interview with Valentino Executive Chef Luciano Pellegrini

Valentino Dining Room, Las Vegas

My friend Sheila and I recently visiting Valentino restaurant at the Venetian.  Valentino is the sister restaurant to the world-renowned Valentino located in Santa Monica.  The stylish main dining room has warm wood paneled walls and vaulted ceilings with furnishings and artifacts from Italy including the terrazzo floor and Venetian glass found in the lighting decor.

The menu is extensive, offering a seven-course Chef’s Extravaganza which is a good choice if you want a bit of everything on the menu, or you can order a la carte items.  Choose from over 24,000 wines to go with your meal.

Wine room

Here are some pics of the entrees, lobster with black pasta and brick pressed chicken with spinach risotto.

lobster with black pasta

brick pressed chicken with spinach risotto

We interviewed Chef Pellegrini before we started eating, the interview and a bit about his philosophy and background in cooking follow.

Executive Chef Luciano Pellegrini

James Beard Award-winning chef Luciano Pellegrini was born in Bergamo, Italy and began his culinary experience in his mother’s kitchen.  At age 13, he enrolled at San Pellegrino, one of Italy’s most prestigious hotel schools. He spent his teenage years attending school and gaining experience at various restaurants throughout Italy. After graduation, Pellegrini was exposed to dining at its finest when working at Locanda dell’Angelo in Bergamo.

At the age of 18, after completing his required one-year of military service as a parachutist, Pellegrini started his culinary career and gained valuable experience and working inside the kitchen’s of some of Italy’s top restaurants.  In 1985, Pellegrini took what would be his career-changing step by moving to the United States to work with restaurateur Piero Selvaggio, who had achieved a solid reputation for bringing genuine Italian cuisine to California.

By 1987, Pellegrini was quickly developing both his cooking and kitchen leadership skills as a pasta chef at Selvaggio’s restaurant, Primi.  In 1991, Pellegrini was promoted to executive chef at Posto restaurant in the San Fernando Valley.

Looking to take his culinary skills to the next level, Pellegrini returned to Italy, and while there learned the art of grilling on the “fogolar,” a traditional, flavorful way of cooking on a wood-burning open hearth. He also spent a great deal of time with Bruno Libralon, a renowned Italian Chef and head of the Italian Chef Association, who is often referred to as the “King of Fish.” Pellegrini also spent time with a local sausage expert in order to perfect the art of sausage-making, something very important in Italian cooking. During different stages in his travels, Pellegrini has worked with some of the most creative and respected Italian chefs in the world including Gianfranco Vissani, Fulvio Pierangelini, Paola DiMauro and Nadia Santini.

Pellegrini returned to California to showcase his honed craft and it paid off as the James Beard Foundation listed him among the Top 10 chefs in Los Angeles. He maintained this position for six consecutive years.

In May of 1999, Pellegrini  moved to Las Vegas to become executive chef and partner of Valentino Las Vegas (Venetian Hotel & Casino), the sister restaurant to Selvaggio’s iconic Santa Monica location. Over the past decade, Pellegrini’s dedication and passion in the kitchen has solidified Valentino as one of the leading Italian restaurants in the southwest. Valentino Las Vegas has received numerous awards including the esteemed DiRoNA (Distinguished Restaurants of North America) Award of Excellence, six Las Vegas Life Epicurean Awards for Best Italian Restaurant in Las Vegas and a 2007 Epicurean Award for the city’s best wine list. Valentino Las Vegas has also received the Grand Award from Wine Spectator annually since 2002.

Pellegrini is also a partner at Giorgio Ristorante, a more casual restaurant concept located at Mandalay Place on the Las Vegas strip and PS Valentino Vin Bar inside Houston’s Hotel Derek.

Dinner at CUBE

Fresh sfoglia with pork ragu

My friends Paul and Chris came over to visit over Thanksgiivng Day  weekend from Palm Springs and we ended up joining friends Arnold and Ricardo at Cube restaurant on La Brea.  Guests have a choice of sitting  at wooden tables, at the bar inside, or on the sidewalk patio to  enjoy the menu of fresh pastas, salads, paninis, wood-fired brick-oven pizza, and select main courses and sides.   We sat inside at the cozy cafe.  Here is what we ate.

sample welcome cheese plate

All tables get a nice sample cheese plate to start.  Ours was paired with crackers and cranberries and very creamy.

shaved brussel sprout salad

We shared a shaved brussel sprout salad with  toasted hazelnuts, pecorino cheese and tangerine segments.

toasted farro salad

Also shared was a toasted farro salad with roasted beets, baby greens and fresh goat cheese.

mac n cheese

We shared sides of baked mac and cheese with charred tomato and truffles, polenta, and seasonal greens.

Creamy polenta

seasonal greens

Our main courses were the smoked pork chop with apple compote and brussel sprout tops with roasted greens, the sugar pie pumpkin stuffed pasta with marscarpone cream and crispy sage, fresh sfoglia and pork ragu, and the balsamic glazed hanger steak with yam and carmalized onion gratin.  All were delicious.

fresh sfoglia with pork ragu

smoked pork chop

balsamic glazed hanger steak

sugar pie pumpkin stuffed pasta

For dessert we sampled a yummy bittersweet Valrhona chocolate mousse (my fave), the apple and blackberry raspberry cobbler duo with vanilla gelato and the warm persimmon pudding.

valrhona chocolate mousse

cobbler duo

warm persimmon pudding

We all enjoyed a great meal.

Arnold, Paul, Ricardo, Chris and me

CUBE is a great place to meet friends for a yummy dinner.  Located at 615 N. La Brea.