The Divine Dish

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.

Lemon Mascarpone Cheesecake

Posted on Dec 27, 2008 under Archives, Recipes | No Comment

As a food writer I have had my fair share of cheesecakes – topped with cherries, strawberries, blueberries or sour cream as well as naked ones.  Cheesecakes made with cream cheese, liquor, and varieties with various fruit and/or cookies, candy, or other ingredients within the cake itself.  There are so many kinds of cheesecakes that a restaurant chain is named after this delicious dessert.  Here is my ultimate cheesecake recipe, it always gets rave reviews.

Here is what you will need:

For the crust:

20 graham crackers, smashed up

3/4 cup ( 1 1/2 sticks) butter, unsalted and diced

1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar

For the cheesecake:

2 pounds cream cheese

1 cup mascarpone cheese

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

First preheat your oven to 350 F.  Next make the crust.  I put the graham crackers in a big plastic bag and smash them with a mallot.  This simultaneously makes graham cracker crumbs and relieves the stress of a terrible day at work.

Place the smashed cracker crumbs, butter and brown sugar in a bowl and mix with your hands until the mixture begins to stick together.  Press the crumbs into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.

Place the pan on a baking sheet (I do this because sometimes the springform pans leak a bit and this catches any leaking onto the baking sheet instead of on the bottom of the oven).  Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown and transfer to a rack to cool.

Using a mixer (I use my Kitchenaid with the paddle attachment), beat the cream cheese until light and smooth.  Add the mascarpone cheese (I get this at Trader Joe’s, it tastes great, is inexpensive and they always have it in stock where the cream cheese is).  Add sugar and beat on medium speed.

Add the eggs one at a time.  Zest lemons – usually it takes two or three, depending on the size of the lemons, to get 2 1/2 teaspoons of zest.  I use my microplaner – this is my favorite kitchen tool and is great for zesting.  Zest lemons before cutting, then cut and squeeze out lemon juice.

Add zest and lemon juice.  Pour mixture into the cooled crust.

Smooth the top with a spatula.  Place into the oven for one hour or until the cake is set around the edges and jiggles in the middle.  The sides should be golden brown.

Let the cheesecake cool before putting it in the fridge and then let it set for six hours or more (I usually make it the night before and let it set overnight in the fridge).  To serve, release the side springform and cut cake.   As you can see above to the right, I usually have enough left over crust and filling  to make a baby springform cheesecake.  You can buy the small individual serving springform pans at cooking supply stores or William Sonoma.  Take the small springform out when it is done (around 35 minutes) and leave the bigger pan in the oven to finish.

Here is what was left of my cheesecake after Christmas dinner.  Just enough for dessert with leftovers on Dec. 26.

Afternoon Tea at the Polo Lounge in the Beverly Hills Hotel

Posted on Dec 21, 2008 under Archives | No Comment

The great British custom of partaking in afternoon tea offers a legitimate excuse to relax, take a break, and catch up with a friend amidst the most comfortable and luxurious settings.  Once inside a tearoom, the chaos and noise of the outside world disappears and is replaced with tranquility and elegance.

Each year during the holiday season , my friend UCLA Education Professor John McNeil and I try out a new place for afternoon tea.  This year we visited the Polo Lounge tea at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

The historic Polo Lounge is nestled off the lobby of the pinkish 97-year old hotel (yep, it is almost a century old!), where the luxurious decor has changed little over the years.  The Old Hollywood glamour is intact with large comfy velvet booths, striped walls of dark green and cream, French windows and a dramatic patio with a large oak tree and blooming vines.  Our tea began with a nice table selection of teas.   Our tea was then delivered in individual water pots.

Shortly after, a three tier tray arrived containing egg salad with watercress, chicken salad on marble rye, English cucumber with dill cream cheese, green and white asparagus with bourbin cheese and smoked salmon on pumpernickel with caviar sandwiches.

We also received a nice variety of scones which we cut in half and loaded with clotted cream and jam.

Next came a nice tray of desserts.  All were delicious.  The chocolate was our favorite.

Both of us loved the regal and elegant ambiance, comfy seating and yummy treats.  Afternoon tea at the Polo Lounge runs $33 per person.

Langham Teddy Bear Tea

Posted on Dec 18, 2008 under Archives, Food and Travel News, Los Angeles | 1 Comment

The Langham Hotel is hosting a Teddy Bear Tea for the holidays.  Here are some pics:

The food and decorations were wonderful.  Pastry chefs worked to create this giant gingerbread house.