Seablue; MGM Grand, Las Vegas

I Blame Michael Mina ... We Smelt It; It Had to be Eaten!

This was the first stop on a night that included four lounge hops. We walked past Seablue at least twice daily on our way back and forth between the Signature and the MGM Grand and each time we stopped to gawk at their large happy hour signage. From 5:30pm - 7:00pm Sunday through Friday, Seablue offers $1 oysters and $1 shrimps (available by the half-dozen) as well as calamari and smelt fries.

Jay loves oysters and rarely gets an opportunity to partake of them, especially in Stinktown, so I knew this was a place he'd like to visit. What I did not know, however, was that he was actually jonesin for the smelt fries.

Now I don't know about you, but when I see the word smelt I think of iron ore ... or very bad grammar as used by certain cracker elements of my family. I do not think of delectable wee fishies that are often used as bait for larger, even more delectable fishies. Thank goodness Michael Mina has a Mediterranean-inspired seafood restaurant that makes up for my short-sightedness.

Jay and I managed to find a cozy booth in the bar and set about sweeping the seas clean ... but first we had to get some beverages with which to wash down the sea's bounty. I chose a Rustic Blossom - Krome, St. Germain, and Prosecco. Krome, by the way, is a premium US vodka made from corn and distilled five times to give it a smooth, sweet corn-vodka flavor. I mention this because vodka was not the first thing that came to mind when I read the drink menu - in fact, I asked the server what it was because the last thing I wanted was a cocktail garnished with a bumper fragment from a 1957 Buick.

My chrome-free drink was actually quite good - smooth and flavorful with a slight floral overtone thanks to the St. Germain but well balanced and not too sweet. A definite winner! And before I forget, for my friendies with gluten issues, Krome is gluten free since it's made from corn. So go out and buy a bottle and re-join the drinking world!

Jason ordered a Dark and Stormy, which turned out to be entirely too appropriate considering the nasty weather that was pummeling our dear Stinktown that night. It was made with Lustau Rare Cream, Ginger Beer, and fresh lime. It was really tasty and we both liked it a lot. Had we stayed for more than snacks I know I would have ordered one of these for myself.

Dark & Stormy and Rustic Blossom


As for snackables, we ordered the smelt fries along with a half-dozen oysters for Jason and a half-dozen shrimpies for me. The oysters were good according to the man and the shrimp were large and tender and delicious, but the real story of the night was those fries. I was leery of them at first, wondering if there might be something that could set off the goblin, but Jason told me they tasted fine. With a deep breath I plunged into the fish pile, stopping to dip in the remoulade sauce before taking a hesitant bite.

To my surprise they weren't bad; a little greasier than I prefer but the taste was reminiscent of frozen fish fillets and it was enhanced by the spicy remoulade sauce. The portion was generous, too; more than enough for two people to share especially with more seafood on the way.

Smelt Fries


Smelt ... up close and personal ... I think it mooned me!


Oysters and Shrimps and Sauces


Overall we really enjoyed our Seablue visit - the price was right for the snacks which were nicely portioned and quite tasty, and the drinks were fabulous. From what we understand Michael Mina is known for having some damn fine cocktail menus and in this respect Jay and I were not disappointed. Although we had better overall lounge experiences during the trip, this was a good start to the evening and I'm glad we smelt those fries!