Las Vegas 2013 NASCAR Trip

The fountain in front of Aria is pretty impressive. We liked Aria and are thinking about staying there in the future. The casino has an open feeling, with nice, high ceilings. The restaurant selection is good, and we even had a little luck gambling.

 The race was fun, but not as good as previous years. Gordon ran badly all day, and I forgot my scanner charger, so we didn't know what was going on. I'm thinking about watching the race from a sports book next year. Might be a fun change with no traffic to fight. Something to think about.

 French Onion Soup from Mon Ami Gabi at Paris. We had breakfast at Mon Ami the first morning in Vegas. The soup was rich, salty, slightly sweet with the caramelized onions and very tasty. I had the Croque Madame  to go with it. It came out without the fried egg  (Croque Monsieur) but other then that it was good. Dawn had the Bananas Foster Pancakes. They were good, but not quite what she was expecting. They were more like a big crepe. Dad had the Eggs Benedict and Mom had eggs and bacon I think. 

Lunch at Lemongrass

Saturday for lunch we drove down to Aria to check out Lemongrass. Lemongrass serves authentic Thai food. The restaurant decor is quite unique. Ropes are strung all over to form a canopy. Its different, and very modern looking. Above is the Panang Duck Curry Mom ordered. She liked it so I had to give it a try. It was very rich (that seems to be a theme on the trip) with a strong peanut flavor. I liked it and was glad to get to try it.

 Dawn and Dad ordered the Pad Thai Ghoong. It was good, but not the best Pad Thai I've tried. 

 For appetizers they push a Dim Sum cart around. Mom picked a steamed dumpling and I had to try the chicken feet. The waiter was impressed, and happy that I ordered them. Apparently they don't get many chicken feet orders. I wonder why. Anyhow, they were mostly skin and didn't taste bad, but all the little bones and tendons were pretty gross. I don't think I would order chicken feet again, but at least I've tried them. After that I ordered the Tom Kah Chicken extra spicy. This was a savory and sour soup with chicken, coconut milk, lemongrass and galangal. It was very sour and not very spicy. Decent, but not something I would order again. To finish up I tried their Yellow Chicken Curry. This was good and fairly spicy. Mom tried it and drained four glasses of iced tea afterwards. The curry reminded me of the curry Dawn makes, which I love. Overall I would give Lemongrass a B-. It was good, but I think there are better options for Thai out there. 

 After lunch we swung in Jean Philippe Patisserie for some dessert. The way they display everything really makes you want to try one of each. Luckily, we had just had lunch so weren't very hungry. That didn't stop the girls though. On the right is the Triple Chocolate Dawn and Mom ordered. It had cake, mousse and chocolate ganache with a macaron on top. They both said it was really good. I bought a couple of small chocolates. One was the Rustic with praline cream covered in milk chocolate. The other was Amaretto I think. They were both creamy and fresh tasting. Some of the better chocolates I've tasted. On the way out I saw a rice crispy treat that I had to try. It was good too.

 Grimaldi's Pizza at Palazzo.

Grimaldi's serves hand tossed, coal-fired brick oven pizzas. The pizza was good but I'm always a little disappointed with pizza because nothing lives up to Howards. We tried a traditional pie, and one with a garlic white sauce. Both were tasty. Another pizza option at Venetian is Pezzeria de Enzo off the casino. In my opinion the pizza is just as good as Grimaldi's and they have awesome garlic knots.

 Lunch at Swish

Having lunch at Swish Shabu Shabu has become a Vegas tradition for us. Dawn always orders the Shabu Shabu and I get the Sukyiyaki. Shabu Shabu is a Japanese hot pot dish that consists of a boiling seaweed broth that you swish your food around in to cook. Hence the name Swish. Sukyiyaki is similar, but instead of seaweed broth you cook in Sukyiyaki sauce. Sukyiyaki sauce is quite a bit stronger flavored then Shabu Shabu. We like it so much that we just ordered a Shabu Shabu pot so we can make it at home.

Snacks in the gold lounge.

Another fun trip to Las Vegas is in the books. I think the highlight of this trip was all the great food we tried. Rao's and Cut were top tier restaurants that I would love to go back to. P.J. Clarke's is a winner, and you can't go wrong with Swish. It was nice to be able to go chill in the gold lounge when we were tired of gambling in the evenings. Free food and drinks...can't beat that. The only bad thing about a Vegas trip is that as soon as you get home, you're wanting to plan the next trip. We have a vacation to California coming up this July but after that we're already talking about a quick run to Vegas with the kids. Hopefully we can get it done.

Lemongrass Menu
Grimaldi's menu
Mon Ami Gabi Menu

Happy Hour at P.J. Clarke's

So good

 Dollar Oysters from James River, Washington

 Dawn's favorite shrimp cocktail 

Sliders for $1.50 each

If your in Vegas swing by P.J. Clarke's in the Forum Shops for the best happy hour in Vegas. From 3 to 6 everyday Oysters are a buck apiece. The Oysters are always fresh and perfectly shucked. I usually end up eating a dozen or two. The guys working the Oyster bar are always the same, and are a couple of the friendliest guys in town. While we were there the head chef, JB, came over to chat. He was originally in charge of the PJ Clarke's in New York but was transferred to Vegas to get this one up and running. I think he has us talked into having dinner there next time we're in town. After chatting with him we decided to try the sliders. They are great little bites. The beef is juicy and the tomatoes fresh. Really a steal for only $1.50. Half price beer makes everything even better!

P.J. Clarke's Happy Hour Menu

An Evening At Rao's

Dinner started with a nice bread basket. The loaves were soft with a chewy crust. They weren't served with butter but with a high quality Extra Virgin Olive oil (Felipo Berio). It had a very fruity flavor. 

 Here is our first appetizer. Mozzarella in Carrozza. It's a crispy fried fresh Mozzarella sandwich with marinara sauce. For a fried sandwich it was very light. A nice crispy crust and fresh tasting mozzarella is what I remember most about it. The marinara was also good.

 Our second appetizer was Rao's Famous Meatballs. They consist of ground Pork and Beef with Italian Breadcrumbs and seasonings in Marinara Sauce. If you go to Rao's you have to try the meatballs! They were about the size of baseballs, tender, moist and just the right amount of seasoning. Very good.

 Dawn ordered the Angel Hair alla Bolognese. The Bolognese was ground Veal, Beef and Pork slowly cooked with San Marzano Tomatoes and Herbs. The pasta was cooked just right and the Bolognese was slightly sweet, tangy from the tomatoes and very flavorful. 

Mom and Dad split the Veal Picatta. It's Veal Scaloppini with White Wine, Butter and Caper Berry Sauce served with Mashed Potatoes. This had somewhat mixed reviews. Mom said it was good but not quite what she was expecting. She thought the Veal needed more flavor or texture. Maybe a slight browning would have helped. My Dad, on the other hand, loved it, and would order it again. He liked the slight mustard flavor the sauce had. Both liked the mashed potatoes. I tried a small piece of the Veal and thought it was pretty tasty, but I can see Mom's point about the texture. 

 Next up is the Taglioline with Peas & Ham. It's fresh-made Taglioline Pasta, Prosciutto Cotto, Sweet Peas, Diced Shallots in a light cream sauce. This is another dish Mom and Dad split. I believe both liked it. Mom said the fresh made pasta was cooked just right and the sauce was light and flavorful. I wish I would have tried it.

 Here is my entree. Veal Parmesan. It's a pounded and breaded Veal Chop with Marinara Sauce, Parmesan and melted Mozzarella. This was quite good and huge! I shared it with everyone and still couldn't finish it. It was rich, cheesy and a little over the top. Even though it was good I don't think I would order it again. Its just too heavy....I think I would like something lighter next time. 

 The ladies enjoying dinner at Rao's

 Mom and Dad...boy we had a table full of food and drinks!

 Dessert!

Mom and Dad split the Profitteroles. They are, Pate a Choux Puffs filled with Vanilla Gelato with warm Chocolate Sauce. I tried a bite...very tasty.

 This is Rao's Cannoli. It consists of a fried Pastry Shell, fresh Ricotta Cream, Cointreau, Candied Orange and Chocolate Drops. The pastry shell was light and crispy while the filling was rich and sweet with an orange flavor from the Cointreau and candied orange. I thought it was good and would order it again. Dawn, on the other hand, didn't care for the orange flavor. 

We all enjoyed our evening at Rao's. As you walk in you see the bar decorated with Christmas decorations regardless of the time of year. It's dark, warm and inviting. Just a comfortable place to enjoy a meal. The wait staff couldn't have been better. Our head waitress, Tiffany, was polite, funny, and took the time to answer our many questions. The entrees my parents split were split up table side and served together. I would like to go back soon and try the Shells with Ricotta Sauce. Between the quality of the food, and the friendliness of the staff, we will be back. 

Rao's Las Vegas Menu

Dinner at Cut

 Our dinner started with a nice selection of breads. We each chose a couple and these were mine. The pretzel roll was warm, soft and delicious. I had two. The other was a soft, moist bread with caramelized onions on top. It was very good also. They were served with a pad of butter with sea salt sprinkled on top. This was a good start to our meal.

Next came the appetizers. I chose the Bone Marrow Flan, Mushroom Marmalade and Parsley Salad. It was served with toast points. This was a little over the top for Dawn but she did try it. I thought it was rich, creamy and very beefy. I've had bone marrow before and this version was the best. Usually its very fatty and greasy, but made into a savory flan it takes on a creamy texture. Very good but very, very rich. You can't eat much. The mushroom marmalade was a nice accompaniment that cut through some of the richness of the flan.

 Dawn and I ordered this one to share. It is a Maple Glazed Pork Belly with Asian Spices, Watercress, Sesame-Orange Dressing with Huckleberry Compote. Overall, while i thought this was good, the pork belly was a tad chewy and I'm just not a huge fan of sweet and savory together. I'm glad we tried it, but would probably not order it again.

Here is Dawn's Maryland Blue Crab & Carolina Shrimp "Louis" Cocktail , Spicy Tomato-Horseradish. The shrimp and crab were made into a kind of seafood salad mixed with a remoulade sauce. Under that was a layer of avocado and on the bottom a horseradish panna cotta. We both liked this one. It was creamy, savory and tasty. I would order it again. Dawn even liked the fresh tomatoes. 

 My Entree. A Tasting of New York Sirloin. On the left is: USDA Prime Nebraska corn fed, dry aged 35 days. In the middle, American Wagyu / Angus "Kobe Style" Beef from Snake River Farms, Idaho. And on the right, True Japanese 100% Wagyu Beef from Saga Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan. This was fairly pricey ($135) but it was my birthday and Dawn encouraged me to get what i wanted so i did. I would put this beef up with the top couple of steaks I've tasted if not at the top. The USDA aged beef had better flavor then anything i have tasted. It was rich, beefy with a great charred crust. Wow I'm getting hungry typing this. The American Wagyu in the middle had the best combination of flavor and tenderness and was my favorite of the three. True Kobe is pretty strange. Very rich and fatty but in a good way. When you chew, it basically just dissolves in your mouth. It reminded me of sea urchin if you've tried that. It only came with 2oz of the Kobe but with the richness that was plenty. Dawn tried them all and I think the USDA aged was her favorite. All in all a great group of steaks that were fun to compare to each other.

 Here is a closeup of the American Wagyu and the Kobe Beef. You can really see the fat marbling in the Kobe. If it looks grisly it isn't. It's melt in your mouth tender.

 Dawn went with seafood and chose the Pan-Roasted Maine Lobster with Black Truffle Sabayon. We both agreed it was the best lobster we've had. It was cooked perfectly and the Sabayon was fabulous for dipping in. The presentation was pretty neat. It came out in the shell and claws. The waiter de shelled and plated it table side. He even asked if she wanted the roe...which Dawn declined.

 One of our sides and the dipping sauces that came with my steaks. The potatoes were a Yukon Gold Puree.  They were creamy and good. Honestly I don't remember much about the sauces. The steak was so good it didn't need anything. I tried the one of the left, it was the house made steak sauce. It was good but a bit sweet. I believe the middle is the Argentinean Chimichurri. I can't remember what the one on the right is.

 Another side dish. Cavatappi Pasta "Mac & Cheese" with Quebec Cheddar. Outstanding mac and cheese! I wish i wouldn't have been so full but i just couldn't eat much of it.

Dessert. They surprised me with a free dessert for my birthday. It was a raspberry cake with ice cream on the side. Tasty.

Dawn had the Banana Cream Pie, Creme Brulee, Caramel Sauce and Banana Ice Cream. It was a very good banana cream pie but i think i would give Emeril's the top spot in the category.

Two happy diners getting ready for the meal of a lifetime.

Cut is a restaurant at Palazzo I've wanted to try for quite awhile. The first "fancy" restaurant I ate at was Spago back in the 90's. I've wanted to try another of Wolfgang Puck's restaurants since then and finally got a chance to. I'm glad we decided to give it a try. Al Mancini (a Las Vegas food critic) recommended it to me on twitter. I'm glad I listened to his advice Everything we had was top of the line. I don't know how a steak could get much better. Everything was so good and rich.  The service was very good with out being overbearing. Our head server was very friendly and chatted with us often. The complimentary dessert was a great way to end the meal. This was a very pricey meal for us but if i had another chance to eat here i would jump at it. A truly upscale and delicious dining experience. Well done Cut and Wolfgang Puck.

Here is a link to the menu if you're interested in prices or other items.

Al Mancini is @AlManciniVegas on twitter