Price: Bring your paycheck
Atmosphere: 5 out of 5
Quality of Service: 5 out of 5
Food Overall: 5 out of 5
Ok, this one is reserved for a high roller/big balla/romantic evening out. I say this because it is pricey (for my wife and I it was $185.00 after 1 drink, 2 entrée’s with a ‘just enough’ portion, and a shared dessert), but it’s what I would call ‘a complete dining experience’.
Located on the 11th floor of the Paris Hotel & Casino on the Vegas Strip, this ‘experience’ begins with the elevator ride. Once you meet the hostess downstairs and advise of your reservation (yes, you need one here, and it’s business casual…no T-shirts or shorts allowed here), she shows you to the elevator.
Upon arriving at the top, the doors open to a bustling full-view kitchen, with chefs tossing, sautéing and filleting various delicacies, and wait staff running to and fro with trays of edible delights for the hungry masses.
The restaurant itself is dimly lit, producing that romantic vibe I spoke about earlier. We reserved a table for two and as it was our honeymoon (I was sure to mention that), we got a seat right by the expanding glass window.
I know, you want to know about the food. But honestly, this whole experience is important to understand why I was perfectly fine dropping almost $200.00 for dinner. Not to justify it to myself, mind you, but so you realize why YOU need to go there.
The view was of the entire strip, and right in front of us was the Bellagio, with the amazing fountain show going off every 15 minutes while we dined. It created such a breathtaking and (yes, I know I’m abusing this word here) romantic atmosphere.
Once seated my wife had a pomegranate martini and a peach black tea for myself. Our waiter produced a huge tray of various homemade, warm breads: Rustic sourdough, French baguettes and poppyseed rolls. Perfectly soft and flaky.
She orders the black cod, which is served in a cellophane bag in a white wine reduction with chanterelle mushrooms and pearl onions. I’m not a fish guy, but it smelled divine and she loved it. The sauce, which I did taste, was light yet rich tasting at the same time.
(NOTE: I apologize for no dinner pics; we were too busy enjoying the meal. Guess you have to go out there and try it for yourself...)
As we were in Vegas, I decided to leave my comfort zone and try something new: Organic boneless rabbit with a mustard jus, garden carrots and a potato gratin. I have to be honest: the rabbit? Out of this world. There were several small medallions of the meat, which were slightly pork-ish in flavor (texture as well).
Then there was a large cylinder of rabbit: Shaped like a sausage out of its casing, and stuffed with wilted spinach and chopped rabbit meat, this one tasted more like a salted rotisserie chicken, with the aftertaste of a grilled pork chop. Absolutely delicious.
The carrots were picked in that ½ bright orange, ½ bright yellow stage, and that mustard jus helped them to provide the perfect balance of sweetness and savory. The potato gratin was creamy, cheesy (but not overly rich) and earthy. Here’s the really weird item on the plate, however…
There was a tiny fried ball of…something. I had no idea what it was, so when I went to cut it with my fork, the breading split and a rabbit kidney shot out across my plate. I’m not an organ eater by any means, and swore I’d never eat one. Ever. But, in the spirit of new things being consumed this trip, I cut it in half and gave it a bite.
Creamy, soft textured goodness. Yes, I’m serious. I couldn’t believe it. Now, would I order it again (kidneys, I mean)? No, probably not. But this was a nice and interesting addition to a perfect meal.
We finally settled on dessert after our scrumptious dinner: A tasting chocolate plate. The waiter, prior to bringing us this, delivered a bittersweet mousse in a shot glass for us to share for our honeymoon, courtesy of the manager (who also stopped by to congratulate and thank us). It was perfectly…well, bittersweet.
The dessert arrived with 5 different types of chocolate. The first was a sort of ice cream/gelato type thing, then a lava cake on top of a pistachio anglaise, a mousse ‘tower’ with an edible choco-shell surrounding it, a chewy cookie with a chocolate whipped cream, and a chocolate napoleon. All of them simply elegant and exquisite.
A nice espresso to wash it all down with, and it was one of the best meals I’ve ever had, and truly the top experience of our vacation. The romance, the view, the meal, the service; just amazing all around. The manager even emailed me when we got home to again thank us for coming in and to make sure we enjoyed ourselves.
This? This was so much more than Da(m)n Good Food. This was perfect.
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