Restaurant Week

Wow. My lack of blogging has clearly drained my creativity level on post titles...I'll try to work on that...

The reason I have not blogged in so long (especially after those last three....I was really on a roll!) is not because I could not think of things to ramble on about, on the contrary, almost every day I see or read something and think, I could make a post about this....but then...I just seem to get busy. On my life list of priorities, this blog has not been super high lately!

But this is about food. And I cannot resist telling y`all about delicious food! (Not to mention I can't get back to sleep and it is 7am on a Sunday...)

Restaurant Week Las Vegas happens once a year (I think) and gives restaurants in the Vegas community the opportunity to give back through the culinary arts. Participating restaurants create menus for breakfast, lunch or dinner and select a donation of $4, $5, or $6 for each meal sold. These participating restaurants are not your run of the mill Chili's and TGIF's (no offense, I love Chillis too...). They are the best of the best restaurants in Vegas (aka mostly on the Strip). You know, the restaurant's you can't go to on a date for under 100$...and that is only with two entrees. So Restaurant Week provides you a 3 course meal for either 30$, 40$, or 50$. So yes, you may still end up with that 100$ bill....but you are getting a bit more food...and you can tell yourself that you are also doing a good deed as some of your money is going to charity (double win.)

My mother coming to town was the perfect reason so launch myself into Restaurant Week. She was no sooner scooped up from the airport before I took her to the first restaurant, Marche Bacchus (menu here).

This really was a beautiful location right on the water and off the Strip.

I had the Charred Octopus, Chickpeas, Olive, Tomatoes, Lemon Sherry Butter Sauce

followed by the Roasted Wild Pacific Halibut – Curry Eggplant Puree, Summer Squash Saute, Basmati Rice

and finished with the Creme Brulee

The Octopus was just divine. perhaps not as good as the octopus I had at SAGE, which I raved about here, but certainly not far behind. The Halibut was cooked to perfection....not overcooked one second...and the rice was incredible. And of course...the creme brulee....almost always one of my favorite desserts. Honestly, I could not finish it! It was incredibly thick and rich and delicious but I knew if I ate it all I would be sorry!!

The restaurant also has a little "wine market" in it - so you can walk up and down the aisles with your date and pick out your bottle together. The prices are reasonable -- a retail type price -- and then you only pay a 10$ corking fee. Mom and I chose to forgo the bottle in lieu of a glass each, but I do think it would be a lovely idea in the future. 

Our next Restaurant Week adventure was to Jullian Serrano in the ARIA. The Aria is one of my favorite hotels on the Strip and also home to SAGE, my favorite restaurant on the Strip...so I knew I would not be disappointed. The menu itself sounded so appetizing that I was almost enticed away from the Restaurant Week menu! Alas I remembered why we had chose this restaurant this week out of all the rest...and went with the three courses for 30$.

I started with Lobster Gazpacho | Chilled Spanish Tomato Soup | Lobster Meat | Cherries

followed by Salmon | Atlantic Salmon | Lemon Mashed Potatoes | Horseradish Cream

and finished with Flan | Creme Custard | Raspberry Cream

The first and third courses were just incredible. The salmon was good - don't get me wrong, but it was not earth shattering....it was just well cooked salmon with some yummy mashed potatoes and carrots. That lobster gazpacho though....let me tell you! Well, really, I can't tell you...because you really just need to try it. It tasted as beautiful as it looks. And the flan! I typically do not love flan...but this one...that raspberry cream was irresistible and truly made each bite of the flan spectacular. I love tearing the mint leaves all over so that every now and then I would get this little bite of refreshing mint to balance all of the sweetness of the dessert. I think that I would return here over Jaleo at the Cosmopolitan if I had a choice of Tapas restaurants again. 

And finally, DOCG Enoteca at the Cosmopolitan for dinner before our show. Honestly, this was my least favorite of the three choices, and probably not one I would choose to return to. Not because it was not delicious-- what I had was really good -- but because it is mostly pizza and pasta...and none of it is gluten free. In fact, I could not even order off of the Restaurant Week menu (although my mom did). 

Therefore, I have less pictures =(

I had DIVER SCALLOP - corn, pancetta & fresno chiles ( I do not know why this picture refuses to turn...sorry) But yes...for as much as it cost... I only got 3 scallops....They were delicious scallops...but 3 none the less. 

Mom had BRAISED SHORT RIB OF BEEF- parmigiano mash & vegetables. For a not-very-often red meat eater, she said it was really really good - "like butter."

But the real star of the night was the dessert, which we ate too quickly for me to even take a picture of.. Salted Caramel Budino (With Pretzel Toffee). re-freaking-diculous. I lied earlier, I would totally go back here just for this dessert. It was incredible. The salted caramel over the light custard with the light fresh homemade whipped cream...my mouth is watering again all over just thinking about it.Seriously. go get it right now. You are welcome. 

It probably is a bit rude of me to tell you about how incredible Restaurant Week is now that it is over...but it would have been impossible for me to tell you how good it was beforehand! All I can say is - mark your calendars for the next one and drag as many people as you can so that you can try as many of these delicious restaurants as you can. Or just don't wait....and go to them now anyways!! After all, this is Vegas baby!

xo