sashimi

Uni shot- interesting and weird

veggie salad

eggplant in lettuce cups

scallops were mehhh. nothing worth noting about.

veggie sushi

my assortment of sushi. I like the eel of course :)

The much awaited long weekend is here! Presenting you a breakfast of champions- nutela and strawberry crepe from Jean Philippe patisserie in Las Vegas. Happy eating to all.

Because I have a love-hate relationship with Las Vegas (and because I could care less if Pacquiao loss his recent boxing match to Bradley- the Pacman will earn more money if there's a rematch people!), here's my first memory of the Sin City. I first dined at Wolfgang Puck's Postrio at the Palazzo a few years ago when I was barely legal to play the slots. Eons later, I found myself in the same spot. 

linguine with clams

Tao at the Venetian in Las Vegas doesn't need any introduction. Whether for dining, drinking or partying, Tao has it all. I have visited the club before, but this time around, I had the chance to dine in with a big group. Our funny waitstaff took care of our order after we told him our dietary needs, and he even told us where to party since the club upstairs was closed for the next two days. Insider info at its best.

The food started coming... and the meal ended with a dessert platter with the biggest fortune cookie I have ever seen! What I loved the most are the sashimi and sushi rolls. Good thing we had so many folks on the table sharing the same enthusiasm as I have for fresh food from the sea.

sashimi, sushi, tuna- take your pick!

dumplings, seafood claypot, fried rice, noodles, orange chicken (also commendable)

the biggest fortune cookie I've ever seen! It is as tall as the drinking glass.

Tuna sashimi: wild baby arugula, parmesan, black truffle soy vinaigrette, rice cracker. I never had truffle with tuna sashimi so the combination was a pleasant surprise. The rice cracker also gave it the right amount of crunch.

Lobster and scallop. Too creamy for me, but nonetheless it was evident that the seafood were all fresh!

Soft shell crab specialty roll

The California Foie Gras ban is looming with less than a month away from the July 1st set date. The foie gras has always been my go-to luxury food, especially since it feels like butter and meat fat melting in my mouth all at once. While California chefs are busy advertising foie gras on their menus for this month, I have compiled all my foie gras articles as an ode to the foies gras ban.

Food is a Luxury: Caviar, Foie Gras and Gold All-in-One
Best of Rio: Juice Co.
What are you eating this Halloween?
The Ferran Adria Experience Part 2
Post-Marathon Pig Out @ Bisou 

Despite the sad truth that the ducks are force fed in a tube to enlarge their liver (thus the fatty foie gras), other states can still serve this delicacy. Ironically, I have consumed this mostly outside of California- in Las Vegas, Barcelona, Manila and Rio de Janeiro just to name a few.

It comes in different forms, too. Aside from serving it as is, the best I've tried is foie gras souffle (served at Sage, Aria, Las Vegas)! Or take your pick from noodles/pasta, sushi or burger made out of duck liver.

foie gras with vinegarette

egg, salmon and parfait

fried chicken which was not crispy anymore so mehh..

Quite interesting ravioli

Tenderloin which looked pretty good

desserts!!! yehey!!!

I liked this the most since it had calamansi in it!

banana pudding

dark chocolate marshmallows. simple yet delectable!

Albeit being well designed, China Poblano inside the Cosmopolitan Hotel doesn't hit a mark on my books. The over ambitious Mexican and Chinese menu disappointed both my dining buddy and I. After reading so much funfare of the Jose Andres group of restaurants, I had high expectations of China Poblano, but the mixed cuisine just didn't jive well with each other. I would come back here for cocktails only though, especially for the salt air margarita. 

Some of our dishes: tacos, noodles, fried rice and prawns

The innovative entrance of China Poblano

When I knew that I was going to be billeted in the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, one Michelin star L'Atelier was my first pick for dinner. Why? I was on a foie gras hunt ever since the California ban of the duck liver. Robuchon's signature dish, La Caille Farcie de Foie Gras et Caramelisee or the free-range quail stuffed with foie gras, didn't disappoint. It was small yet packed with all the juice of the quail and the rich and creamy liver. I must not forget the amuse bouche, which had a parmesan foam with foie gras at the bottom. Project hunt-for-foie-gras: success!

I don't think I could have asked for anything more with the subdued, cosmopolitan ambiance, attentive waiter and detailed presentation. However, one of my dining buddies complained that his belly was still not happy at the end of the meal. Don't expect a full-sized meal in a French restaurant...

Stuffed quail with foie gras

Small for an entree. Ok, this is a French restaurant with small servings but I was left wanting more sea bass.

Dining buddy's hanger steak. This is probably the smallest piece of steak I've seen. Compare it to the size of the small collard greens.

One of the catchiest noddle bars I have ever seen is Beijing No. 9 inside Caesars Palace. Adorned by a huge aquarium with gold fishes in the middle, it is surrounded by bright white cut-out lights and clean white furniture. Makes you just want to sit there and take a picture of yourself with the background and as a courtesy, order something from the menu.

Lord Stanley is a restaurant in Russian Hill. No, it is not a person. My four dining buddies, all of whom have lived in Europe, commented that there are already so many eating establishments named "Stanley." Can someone shed light to me why?

Despite the royal name, Lord Stanley has an unassuming, modern European vibe. Their menu is simply printed with black and white ink yet is thoughtfully concocted with the likes of onion petals, oyster beignets, and chicken parfait puffs.

Casual Elegance 
Lord Stanley's simplicity reverberates throughout their dishes. My favorite is the surprisingly eye-catchy twist of sweet potatoes with fresh curd and yellowfoot mushrooms. Second and third on the list are the beautifully stacked asparagus with a kick of curry and the healthy poached trout with a spark of yellow edible flower, respectively. Then comes the more sinful foie gras.

As some of my readers know, I went on a foie gras hunting spree during the two-year ban. Foie gras used to be omnipresent in my out-of-town diet, especially in Seville, Spain and Las Vegas. It's great to see foie gras back on California shores.

You'll never understand what this is if you haven't tasted it for yourself.

Healthy asparagus with sprouted grains and hous yoghurt.

Lovely poached trout.

Good to see foie gras back in California.

My friend's short rib, confit shallots and red wine jus.

A filling pan-fried cod with local seaweed, preserved lemon and fingerling potatoes.

We ended our experience at Lord Stanley with three different desserts although the most interesting one didn't get a photo op. The unphotogenic chocolate ganache is a blob of brown mess, but it did turned out to be the most satisfying to close down our appetite. Who doesn't love chocolate?

Strawberry tart with elderflower custard.

Raw cow's milk cheese with rosemary granola and candied cipollini/onion.

The runaway winners here are obviously the starters so focus on those as well as the unique snacks.

Farewell for now, my Lord Stanley.

You can't go wrong with Spanish sardines in olive oil!

Patatas bravas. Not the best but passable.

In order to break down the fried and meaty tapas, try these thinly sliced cucumbers to clean your palette.

Chicken croquettes. Reminds me of chicken empanadas but deep fried.

Freshly made tomato bread. I was facing the kitchen where I could see one of the chefs toasting these babies in the oven.

Bikini sandwiches with Iberian ham.

Fried anchovies, which my companions were afraid to try. Although good on its own if you eat a few, these needs some sauce on the side to cut through the oil and salt. Vinegar with chili, perhaps?

Chipirones A La Plancha. I remembered the word 'chiporones' or baby squid last time I was here because I knew I was going to order it over and over again. If you love seafood, pop as many squids as you can. They definitely melt in your mouth.

Paella negra with squid on a small paella plate. I was apprehensive to order paella at a tapas bar, but I was very surprised that this paella turned out to be excellent. The saffron rice was cooked al dente, and the squid was tender- smooth like silk.

Skip the regular patatas bravas and order this dish instead with potatoes, scrambled eggs AND foie gras (!!). My project hunt-for-foie-gras: SUCCESS. If you read my posts about restaurants in Spain or Las Vegas, you can tell that I am an avid fan and have a high standard of foie gras.

After all the tapas we ordered, I still had space for some desserts. We had the chocolate gelato with fleur de sel and olive oil. Sweet and salty are always a good combination.

Between the two desserts I tried, the crema catalana is my favorite. This has two or three different layers of cream and ice cream (gelato?) in the bottom. At first glance, it looks like creme brulee because of the torched top, but it is more interesting because of the variety of ingredients used.

iFood Photography

A part of the menu. I must try the cannolis next time.