It’s been a pretty amazing week of food so far and tonight’s going to be another great experience I’m sure.

If nothing else for the view.  And I don’t mean those wacko women on the TV show.

Located within the Bellagio, Lago has a spectacular view of the fountains to enjoy while you eat.

I’m not all that sentimental but I can watch those fountains for hours. Well I did actually.  It’s a small speck of beauty in a city known for its gluttony and greed.

So while I’m treated to a beautiful show every 15 minutes I’m also going to get some amazing food.

Well Lago doesn’t have its own Michelin star, Picasso, just a few doors down, did get two Michelin stars. So I’m expecting an excellent meal.

And a great way would be to start with my favorite bread.

Focaccia

Nice crumb structure. I’m guessing a hydration closer to the 75 to 80% mark rather than my preferred 100%. I find the higher hydration foccaccias have a nicer texture.

For my happy I went with soup. Corn and Basil.

Deep, rich corn flavour with a hint of basil. There’s a little crab in there to tease you. I think I’ll put more in when I make it. This is a really good size portion as well. Too big if anything.

Honestly though. Is a big hearty bowl of soup just what you need on a 40° (C) day? Probably not. But it was great.

Moving onto my pasta.

Lemon Tagliolini with chicken.

It’s just a simple pasta with lemon, butter and Parmesan. It’s surprising how good has to can be with just a few simple ingredients.

It was a little rich because of the butter and the parmesan but the acidity from the lemon cuts through that richness. I do something similar at home and it’s one of my favorites.

For dessert I went with the in-house made sorbets and a beautiful cappuccino to finish a lovely meal off.

Lemon, blackberry and mango. A clean and crisp finish.

As the hours passed and a little peace came over the restaurant as the majority of patrons left it made the experience even more pleasant. To watch the fountains and listen to the synchronized music is one moment of beauty I’ll never grow tired of.

This was my final evening in Vegas. And it was an evening to remember.

10/10

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From my understanding the restaurant has been pretty much left untouched since 1976.

It’s been used as a setting for multiple films, including the movie Casino and Showgirls. Casino is a great movie. Showgirls? Ya don’t think so.

Definitely has an interesting vibe.

As for the food?

Standard American fare.

Nothing was jumping out at me from the lunch menu so I just went with bacon and eggs.

It was a decent bacon and eggs. Just a little expensive, like everything else in this town.

It was quite interesting to see the cocktail waitresses walking around in their fancy dresses though. I didn’t make it into the far side Lounge section of the restaurant but it looks kind of neat. Something to check out during the evening next time I’m in town.

If you’re into nostalgia then it would definitely be worth your time to come visit.

8/10

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The standards have always been very high and the location is perfect situated directly across from the Bellagio fountains.

So it was with great expectations that I went for breakfast here this morning.

For some reason while most of Vegas slept, it was 7:15 am after all, there was already a wait to sit on the patio. Not once in the many times I’ve been here has this happened. And it’s a rather large patio. John isn’t patient enoughto wait so we had to sit inside. That’s disappointment #1. I didn’t have to wait too long for disappointment #2.

As my friend did not want to wait 30 minutes to sit on the patio we reluctantly agreed to sit inside.

As we walked to our table we couldn’t help but notice many tables on the patio unoccupied. I would guess the patio was only half full.

Though whatever, the view isn’t the end of the world.

I’m here for the outstanding Eggs Benedict. They even make the English muffins in house.

I usually start with the fruit plate. It’s always loaded with lots of berries and other fresh fruits which are accompanied by a little vanilla yogurt and brown sugar to sprinkle on top.

As usual it was excellent.

But then breakfast fell right off the rails. Actually it crashed into a brick wall.

The very first thing I noticed was the Hollandaise. That’s pretty much the absolute minimum you could get away with.

My eggs were overdone. Not badly, but enough to put me off a little.

The worst though was the English muffin.

I found it extremely different to cut through. The reason quickly became apparent.

That’s more than just a little burnt.

I was very disappointed to see that on my plate.

What chef is letting that leave the kitchen? Especially in a restaurant with such usual high standards.  I’d maybe expect that at I.H.O.P. Certainly not here.

I did go against my usual practice and showed this to the manager. I normally wouldn’t. But I like this restaurant too much to let this go unnoticed.

To his credit the manager did offer me a free fruit plate to try to rectify the situation. I sure hope he addressed the situation with the kitchen though.

Regardless, the sheen is off Mon Ami Gabi. And there are no shortage of high quality restaurants in Vegas.

Time to branch out and find a different one for breakfast.

6/10

The post Mon Ami Gabi appeared first on Gregs Food Blog.

In hindsight probably would have been better if I had.

Take a look at this ridiculous thing.

I think I got entranced by the chocolate mousse and all that fresh fruit.

This is the Alexis.

It’s a yeast donut with chocolate mousse, more chocolate mousse, strawberry compote and fresh fruit.

The donut itself was okay and the fresh fruit of course was great. However that chocolate mousse left much to be desired.

I suspect for the American market it does really well but not for my somewhat advanced palette.

It was heavy and oily. Very much reminded me of a product we use at my work that I don’t care for.

Unfortunately it was a complete turn off.

I should have stuck with one of these other doughnuts. They look great.

On top of all that it was $11. USD mind you

Definitely not worth the price.

The latte was good though.

I would have liked a chance to come back and try another but unfortunately I ran out of time this trip. I’m sure I’ll be back in Vegas again.

4/10

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Pain au Chocolate is a favorite of mine.

But eight dollars?

Vegas is getting insane price wise.

Ya it was good, but not eight dollars good.

There was a four dollar banana on offer as well.

John had a raisin brioche which he reported as a bit dry.

Unless you’re desperate skip this spot.

5/10

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If you’re not familiar with Vegas it’s a 15 minute Uber from the Strip. It’s an older property but it’s been remodeled recently

I would never stay here but we come to the Oyster Bar almost every trip, it’s that good.

Normally our wait time is anywhere from 1 to 2 hour buts today we hit it at just a perfect time and only had to wait about 15 minutes.

I get the same thing every time I’m here. The Mixed Seafood pan roast. 

Okay so the name is a bit misleading. It’s a creamy tomato based stew with prawns, lobster and crab. Which they do not skimp on. It’s served with the bowl of rice to add to the soup.

They cook it literally right in front of you in a steam kettle. It’s neat to watch how efficient the chef prepares meal after meal after meal.

And as usual it was excellent.

Rich and creamy, the tomato based provides a perfect compliment to all that great seafood. If I had anything to complain about I maybe would prefer a little bit more crab than prawns. I’m guessing that’s because the prawns are probably the cheapest seafood in this dish they go a little heavy on them. 

But as far as quality, value, and taste no complaints.

And the value you get is fantastic. For $31 you get a huge serving. Might be one of the best values in Vegas actually.

So I would highly recommend next time you’re in Vegas hop in an Uber and head on over to the Oyster Bar. You will not regret it.

10/10

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After walking for what seemed to be 10 miles from our hotel to The Encore we finally found the “Garden”

It really is a lovely spot for breakfast.

We had a table right by the window overlooking the garden.

Now the whole reason for my trip all this way was for their Main Lobster Benny. That’s not cheap at $42. Let’s hope it’s worth it.

It was essentially perfect.

Okay, for my personal taste there was a tad bit too much spinach.

Otherwise everything on this plate was top notch.

Eggs poached well, English muffin toasted nicely and a decent amount of Hollandaise.

It was served with a beautiful rosti. Crunchy on the outside, fluffy in the middle

This is how you should do Eggs Benedict.

9/10

Now if you want to see how not to do Eggs Benedict check out my visit at Mon Ami Gabi here.

The post Jardin appeared first on Gregs Food Blog.

I’m starting this hopefully amazing food fest at the One Star Michelin restaurant Michael Mina.

It can be found in the Bellagio hotel near the Conservatory.

I’ve eaten at Michael’s steakhouse at Mandalay Bay a number of times and it has become my favorite spot in Vegas for a Filet Mignon.

But tonight we are stepping it up a notch.

From the moment we arrived we were being treated like VIPs, even with my buddy in shorts and a t-shirt. I guess since it’s 41° outside they let the dress code slip a little?

Tonight they have a special tasting menu available. It is a selection of Wagyu steaks paired with Japanese whiskeys.

My buddy decided to go with it and he was not disappointed.

It’s three different preparations of three different cuts, each having a special, different sauce.

I had an opportunity to taste each one and each preparation was superb. Each serving was paired with a different Japanese whiskey. I didn’t get the names but they all were excellent.

He’s pretty tough when it comes to food and he gave this a 10 out of 10.

As for my meal I went with the regular four course tasting menu.

My first course was Hamachi Tiradito.

The combination of flavours here was astounding.

The tuna itself was incredible. Soft and tender. There are multiple layers of citrus going on here. First the Cara Cara orange, then the Aji Amarillo pepper with its citrusy note and then the citrus juices from the Leché de Tigre combined to add wonderful depth. Then comes the kick of the spice from the pepper. Which is then finished but sweetness from the fish.  Plus the herbal note from the dill. The Canha nut, a deep fried corn kernel, added some texture. Though this was the weakest part of the dish to me.

What a start though. My brain was having difficulty comprehending the complexity of flavours in this dish.

If my brain wasn’t confused before it sure was with what came next.

For course number two I ordered the Signature dish.

Maine Lobster Pot Pie

Well actually it wasn’t.

As I dug in, it certainly didn’t taste like lobster and I couldn’t find any lobster chunks in it.

And just about the time I was going to ask the waiter what was going on he brings a second plate.

He “mistakenly” brought us the wrong dish on purpose. Or so he says. I kind of suspect this is a bit of a gimmick but who’s going to complain about free food right?

So this first pot pie was the vegetarian option with a coconut cream base and baby vegetables. The coconut added a nice base to what otherwise might be a fairly bland dish minus any protein. It was excellent.

And the lobster one was even better.

As soon as he cut the lid open the smell of lobster hit me.

Huge chunks of Maine lobster with baby vegetables in a brandy cream sauce. I even ate the mushrooms. The richness of that Brandy cream sauce with the rich lobster made this dish superb.

For course three I had the Filet Mignon “Rossini”

Beef tenderloin with brioche crostini, spinach, black truffle and pan fried foie gras. Served with sauce Perigourdine, which is Madeira and black truffle.

The only thing wrong with this was the portion size.

The beef was so tender I didn’t need a knife. I don’t have a lot of experience with foie gras. I’ve heard things about how they make it that don’t impress me. But it did go very nicely with the steak. Of course the truffles are always amazing.  Black truffles from Australia in this instance.

And now we move on to dessert.

First a cappuccino.

Honestly why can’t Starbucks make coffee like this? They are supposed to be the professionals after all.

Fleur de cacao

This was really outstanding.

All the different textures working here were fantastic. The vanilla ice cream really offset the richness of the chocolate.

Tonight was a great start to my Vegas Foodfest 2024.

There will be more excellent food in the coming days.

10/10

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I have been to Hell.

It was phenomenal.

Based on the TV show, which I have watched often, this restaurant is now near the top of my favorite meals ever.

While they do not shoot the actual TV show here they do have the kitchen set up in the familiar red and blue format. The waiter said they do appies on one side and mains on the other. Or something along those lines.

This is a fairly impressive place. It’s big, seating over 300 people at a time. It’s busy, earlier this year reaching their 2 millionth customer served in 5 years. It wasn’t me.

Yet somehow they maintain a Michelin star level quality experience.

Hell’s Kitchen Las Vegas itself does not have a Michelin star. I understand the Michelin guide does not visit Las Vegas anymore. I don’t believe that any of the six Hells Kitchens have Michelin stars. But Gordon Ramsay himself has 17. So I expect very good food coming our way.

For starters Gin and Tonics

Botanist gin, one of the better ones. No Isle of Harris though. Still very good.

We decided on 3 appies to share to get a good variety of dishes. First up -Golden beet salad.

Served chilled, with goat cheese, citrus, pistachios and balsamic vinaigrette.

This is a solid dish.

Really nice balance of sweet from the beets, tang from the vinaigrette and crunch from the pistachios complemented by the smooth and creamy goat cheese underneath.

Next up we have one of Ramsey’s signature dishes, Seared Scallops.

Very pretty!

The scallops, perfectly seared, are perched on celery root. The bacon lardons add some saltiness with the pickled apples adding a nice touch of acidity. The sauce is a “jus du poulet”. Might sound odd with scallops but it worked.

Now we get to the main event.

I think I do a damn fine Risotto myself. Time to see if it measures up to the pros.

So funny story here.

The waiter was very good. And very smooth. He suggested we get white truffle shavings on top of the Risotto. Normally they only have black truffle you see. But for this one special month of the year White truffle is available.

Now I’ve never had white truffle so it didn’t take a lot of convincing.

After he walked away I casually remarked to Merilynn “I wonder if I just paid $50 for some white truffle on top of our risotto?” I didn’t. I paid $54. Oh well, you only live once.

I’m not saying getting the white truffle was worth it. But it was incredible. Took the risotto to a whole new level for me.

As for the Risotto itself. It was very good. Butter poached lobster and crispy onions only added to its goodness. But honestly I think I prefer mine. I make it a bit looser.

And what would a trip to a GR restaurant be without having the Sticky Toffee Pudding.

This is a great example of STP. It’s light. Sickly sweet almost, but you don’t want to stop eating. And don’t. If you take too much time to finish you may not be able to. A nice black coffee helped cut through all that richness. For me it’s actually too much dessert. Good thing we are sharing.

So the food was excellent. As good as anywhere I’ve eaten. Well maybe not Joel Robuchon. But close.

The service? Absolutely incredible. Honestly the best I’ve ever experienced.

There was a team of 5 or 6 serving us. Well thereabouts, I lost count.

New utensils with every new dish. Dirty dishes whisked away without us even noticing. My water glass never more than half empty. Or is it half full?

The service was nothing like I’ve ever seen before. Even at L’Atelier.

The food was excellent. The service outstanding. The setting pretty cool.

From start to finish it was truly superb.

The post Hell’s Kitchen appeared first on Gregs Food Blog.

Happy hour at Carmine’s in the Forum shops today.

Carmine’s is a Southern Italian family style eatery. It’s pretty cool with the huge bar. It has wood finishings and photos all over the walls. I can imagine a group of mobsters sitting around a table here discussing who to” whack” next.

The location and atmosphere makes it a really neat restaurant.

We tried 2 different appies. First off we had the fried Ravioli with a Pomodoro sauce.

I really liked these. They must have come out of the fryer and hit our table within a minute or so. Really fresh, piping hot and crispy. Dipped in the sauce they were great.

We also had the Eggplant Rollatini.

As fresh as the ravioli was, the eggplant was not.

It’s eggplant rolled around ricotta cheese with Pomodoro sauce.

They must have forgotten about this one for us as it came cold.

I also think the ratio of cheese to eggplant was off, too much cheese. But can chalk that up to personal preference maybe.

To their credit, when we said it wasn’t very good they took it off the bill.

Our beverage of choice was The Breezy Italian.

Grapefruit Vodka, fresh lemon juice and Cynar.

Cynar is a new ingredient to me. It’s a bitter made from 12 botanicals based on artichoke.

The cocktail was great. Though I wouldn’t mind a tiny bit of sweetness to balance all the sour and bitter flavours. The rosemary sprigs through the lemon slice elevates the overall experience as you sip and smell.

With a really neat interior space I’d definitely like to return here for a full meal sometime. Great ambiance and decent eats.

Food 7/10

Ambiance 9/10

Service 9/10

Overall 8/10

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