The Divine Dish

Brunch at Bacchanal Buffet, Caesars Palace

Posted on Oct 29, 2012 under Archives | No Comment

On my last visit to Vegas I sampled the new Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace.  The buffet was recently named the best buffet in Sin City by USA Today.  Combining nine distinct restaurants in one modern setting inspired by glass, wood and steel elements, the buffet is huge in size and flavors.

The buffet’s 500 plus dishes feature traditional items such as prime rib, chilled king crab legs, and dozens of egg dishes, as well as a specialties including shrimp and grits, hand made dim sum and baked to order souffles.  Stations include Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, American, seafood, pizza, deli and dessert.  A unique feature is that each station has plated, made-to-order and mini-dishes.  Here is what we sampled for our brunch:

A team of seven chefs oversee all preparation creating an interactive environment.  We enjoyed as much as we could eat which was about half of the brunch items while enjoying the view of the Garden of the Gods pool area.  I am looking forward to visiting the buffet for dinner on my next Las Vegas visit.  The Bacchanal Buffet is open daily from 7 am to 10 pm, serving breakfast from 7 to 11 am, brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 7 am to 3 pm, lunch Monday to Friday 11 am to 3 pm, and dinner daily from 3 pm to 10 pm.  Breakfast weekdays runs $21.99, weekend brunch is $41.99, lunch weekdays is $28.99 and dinner daily is $44.99.

Tasting Dinner at Gordon Ramsay’s The Fat Cow, at The Grove

Posted on Oct 05, 2012 under Archives | No Comment

Last night I attended a press tasting dinner at Gordon Ramsay’s new restaurant, The Fat Cow, at The Grove.  Located in the old Farm space next to the cinemas, the eatery is warm and rustic with a deconstructed, industrial feel.  Conceptualized by Ramsay and designed by AK Design Network, the restaurant features communal-style dining tables, uniquely-designed light canopies, reclaimed wood, unpolished metal and vintage hardware.  With just over 200 seats both indoors and out, the welcoming feel of The Fat Cow is enhanced by leather tufted booths, vintage flea market items and one-of-a-kind lighting sconces.

Our group of 15 writers sat at the large communal table in the middle of the long narrow interior.  We were served a sampling of items off the menu which features home-inspired comfort fare using seasonal ingredients and fresh produce from the adjacent Farmer’s Market and local farms and purveyors.

The bar offers a nice variety of cocktails, first came the HK anti-oxidant with veev acai liqueor, lemon, blueberries, mint and bitters.  This was our favorite of all the mixed drinks.

The Perfect 10 was a mix of Ketel One, hangar one buddha’s hand, passion fruit iced tea, mint and lemon juice.

I also had to try the Pineapple Pimm’s Cup, as Pimm’s Cup was my fave drink when I lived in London.  This version packed a punch for the size of the glass and combined Pimm’s, spiced rum, pineapple juice and simple syrup.  The topping of angostura bitters was a nice touch.

The first of many many plates of food was a nice crispy stone baked fig pizza with a light crust.  Toppings included fontina cheese, roasted garlic and roasted figs.  This was my fave of the pizzas.  We also sampled a spicy sausage, burrata and fennel pizza which was very spicy.

Next came a bunch of appetizers, the first being a nice ahi tuna tartare in baby gem lettuce with jalapeno aioli and scallions.  Very tasty.

The branzino ceviche with avocado, horseradish and ginger dressing was refreshing and light.

The meat starters included meatballs with sauce and mini beef sliders.  Our table thought the meatballs with tomato sauce were mediocre but we all loved the mini beef short rib and kobe sliders with cheddar cheese.  Soft bun, cooked perfectly and very juicy.

Next came an assortment of salads, including a tuna nicoise with blue lake beans, fingerling potatoes and tuna belly; a beet and buratta salad with roasted beets, fresh buratta and upland cress and a skinny cow chopped salad with Tuscan kale, cabbage, carrot, radish and pumpkin seeds.  We loved all the salads but the big surprise was we couldn’t get enough of the skinny cow chopped salad.  It appeared so healthy we all thought we would hate it, but it was delicious.  A winner for anyone watching their waistline and nice that the menu offers some healthy choices.

Main courses included a lovely fish & chips plate with perfectly fried cod and fries in a lovely beer batter served up with mushy peas and a nice tartar sauce.

The star of the night was the pepper crusted wood roasted long rib, served up with minted fingerling potatoes and a nice waldorf salad.  Note that if you want to order this it must be ordered as a minimum order for two people.

This was my fave of the night.  The meat was perfectly cooked and fell off the bone and the sides were a perfect match for the ribs.

Our end of the table didn’t get to taste two of Ramsay’s signature dishes, the lobster mac & cheese and the shepherds pie, so can’t comment on these two but hopefully will get to taste them on a future visit.  Desserts included the sticky toffee pudding, a cookie milk ice cream sundae, a fruit parfait and a treacle tart.  Our fave here was hands down the sticky toffee pudding.

Next time you are checking out a flick at The Grove stop by the adjacent The Fat Cow for some authentic fish & chips, the wood roasted long rib or a shepherds pie.  Located at 189 The Grove Drive, open 11 am to 11 pm daily, call 323/965-1020 for reservations.