Get Yer Goat!

Whole Foods, Town & Country, MO, July 29th ... A Goat Cheese Tasting Class!!!

So, here's the scoop taken directly from Whole Foods class description: they are often the most loved as well as the most maligned cheeses. Goat Cheese can be refreshingly simple and incredibly complex. In this class we will indulge in both ends of that spectrum as well as some in-between! Wabash Cannonball anyone? And quench your thirst with a little white Bordeaux or Zinfandel!!

The cost per person to attend?

$20, which not only buys many peanuts but now covers a plate o' cheese as well.

Bring on the goat-ey goodness!!!

To make up for being a wee bit late to the last class, we decided to get to this one early. Apparently goat cheese really is misunderstood because there were only five other people signed up for this class aside from Jay and me. As far as the class aspect of this event goes, I wish Whole Foods would provide a pre-printed list of the cheeses and the creameries or dairies or fromageries that they're produced at because I always have to ask more than once where the cheese is made and what the hell it's called and oh, by the way, can you spell that for me?

Twice?

Thanks ... it's hard simultaneously losing my hearing and my IQ at the relatively young age of 38.

Aside from the above mentioned inconvenience, this class was as educational as the last one. All of the cheeses were new to us and the presentation was very picturesque. Just like at the last class we tried nine different cheeses; in addition to that there were some fruit compotes, chestnut honey, balsamic-infused olive oil, fresh Italian bread, and goat butter to sample along with a sparkling white wine from New Mexico and a Sauvignon Blanc from Argentina.

The first four cheeses were all from the same farm: Rollingstone Chevre in Southwest Idaho ... the Snake River Valley if that means anything to you. It doesn't mean much to me although I am not so geographically challenged that I haven't heard of the Snake River. One of the interesting tidbits I picked up about Rollingstone is that they don't use distributors - if you want their cheese you must order it directly from them because all of their products are shipped directly from the farm.

Goat Cheese Torta with Dried Cranberries & Walnuts - This evening I discovered that I don't like stuff in my cheese just as much as I don't like stuff in my food. The cheese part of this cheese (there's just no other way to describe it) was creamy but there were big hunks of nuts and chewy cranberries getting in the way of my thick, cheesy enjoyment and so I passed it over to the hubby, who really seemed to like it.

Goat Cheese Torta with Fresh Basil and Pistachio - What gives with the effing nuts??? This is a cheese tasting class, not a nut dipping seminar! Some of us don't like nuts. Some of us can't eat nuts. Some of us might be allergic to nuts. And some of us have intestines that explode when nuts are introduced into the culinary landscape. Needless to say, I didn't really eat much of this cheese either. It does not bode well for the evening when you're 0-fer-2 on goat by-products with seven left to sample.

Brandywine (Banon style aged goat cheese) - Now this is more like it! The cheese is aged in a mixture of brandy and hard cider and then wrapped in grapeleaf. The taste is difficult to describe but the texture was divine ... thick and creamy. I believe that I had some kind of fruit compote with this, but I don't recall exactly what it was - it was good, though and paired well with the cheese providing a nice mix of sweet and savory.

Idaho Goatster (aged goat cheese) - A handmade Italian-style cheese suitable for grating, it's flavor and texture were similar to a parmigiano reggiano. This was my favorite of the four cheeses from Rollingstone. Yummmmm!

On a personal note, I was disappointed to try four cheeses from the same goaterie. The first two cheeses especially - the tortas - the only difference between them was the stuff they'd been stuffed with. I would have liked to have seen something from Cypress Grove or even Laura Chenel just to give us all a bit more exposure to different producers and styles. I know that the assumption was that those are goat cheese producers that everyone's been exposed to but I beg to differ. This is Stinktown after all, most people here think fancy cheese is called Velveeta.

Next up: Jalapeno Chevre - What can I say about this cheese? Nothing. I had to give this one to the hubba and pass unequivocally on the side serving of chili-infused honey. Jason is a big fan of spicy foods and he said that this was tasty, with a good spicy kick that was really enhanced by the chili-honey. But I really liked his next statement: "This cheese was gouda but not gouda because it was goat-ey."

Capra Sarda - Hello! It's an Italian goat cheese from Sardinia, Italy, and while it's good on its own, when paired with some balsamic-infused olive oil and placed on a slice of bread it's a little piece of heaven for the tastebuds. Definitely one of the highlights of the evening.

California Crottin - This goat cheese is produced by Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery in the very earthquakey state of California. This one had a rind and a fluffy texture and dare I say, a more earthy taste than the previous goat cheeses we'd tried so far. I didn't like the rind as much as the inside of the cheese, but I also discovered another woman there that night who scrapes cheese out of the rind just as much as I do!

Brunet - This is made from 100% pasteurized goat milk from the Piedmont region of Italy - it's a dense, creamy cheese with a salty, tangy flavor. We paired this with some chestnut-infused Italian honey and hubba hubba, it was incredible!

Montenebro - This is a Spanish goat cheese that's rolled in ash. It's no humboldt fog ... it tasted like stinky blue cheese to me and I had to swig the rest of my wine to wash the horrid taste from my mouth. Jay thought it was tasty but said it's just not something you typically expect from a goat cheese and definitely not something we'd seek out for purchase.

And so ends our second cheese class with Whole Foods. It was good but we both agreed that the first one was more enjoyable, in part because we like the soft, blooming cheeses more than the cheese we tried on this evening. I was personally disappointed that we didn't sample Wabash Cannonball, especially since it was the only cheese mentioned in the class description. It felt a little like a bait and switch, and I stand by my earlier assertion that sampling four of nine cheeses from the same farm is unappealing and unimaginative.

We have one last cheese class scheduled with Whole Foods ... this one is supposed to be Super Fancy Cheeses. I guess we'll make that decision for ourselves once we see what they have to offer. Stay tuned for more cheesy goodness!!

Aquaknox, The Venetian

Aquaknox ... The Last Supper (4/24/08)

You find us on our final evening in Vegas. Tonight we're going to do our best to sweep the seas clean by dining at a seafood restaurant by the name of Aquaknox. I tried very hard to provide us with as much variety as possible during our five day glutton-fest and Aquaknox was a nod to the seafood fiend that dwells within us both. This choice was a bit of a food gamble, however, because I couldn't find a review of the damn place anywhere I looked. I had to rely on my own judgement (very scary indeed) and hope that the food was at least as good in person as it looked on the menu. The pressure was on as far as I was concerned because Jay's aunt and uncle were joining us for dinner and the last thing I wanted to do was be responsible for selecting the restaurant which would deliver the suckiest meal in recent memory for any and / or all of us.

Aquaknox is located in the lower level of the Venetian ... nowhere near the canal shops. If you know where Delmonicos is then you also know where Aquaknox is because they're next door neighbors. In passing I just have to say that Emeril's Delmonico menu sounded pretty damn tasty and we may just have to pay them a visit on our next as yet undetermined trip to Sin City!

We made it!


The restaurant's decor was calm, cool, and contemporary... various shades of blue reminiscent of the ocean from whence our dinners would be plucked were accented with silver and warm wood. They also had a really spectacular water-encased walk in wine cellar that we tried to photograph but as you've probably guessed by now ... it didn't turn out so well. But take my word ... it was waaaay cool!

The only quibble I had with the seating arrangement was that I thought the table was a bit small for a four-topper. Of course, now that I think about it, if we hadn't ordered enough food for a party twice our size maybe that wouldn't have been an issue.

The book of yummies...

I love this menu ... simple and elegant and full of budget-busting taste treats!

To whet our appetites the wait staff brought us ridiculously long breadsticks with some salmon mousse for dipping while we considered our many dining choices. I'm not a big fan of salmon mousse, most likely from watching too much Monty Python in my formative years, but in the spirit of adventurous dining I decided to give it another chance. At first I thought the mousse might be too peppery but it turned out to be the breadsticks, which is a real shame because I sure wanted to gnaw on some bread before the real food showed up but all I could taste was black pepper. Actually, if you look closely at the picture below you can see the dark, peppery flecks.

Baked Pick-Up-Sticks!

It was ... the salmon mousse.


To start, Jay and I ordered a seafood appetizer which we shared around the table. This was quite tasty but I wish I'd realized that they were going to cover the food with their respective sauces because then I would have requested that they be served on the side instead. The shrimp was covered with traditional cocktail sauce which was fine and the lobster was dripping with a mustard-ey sauce which was actually pretty tasty, but the sweet, succulent crab was ruined by being slathered in something that tasted of nothing but mayonnaise ... which I loathe.

Seafood Trio: A tasting of Sweet Shrimp, Lobster, and Jumbo Lump Crab Cocktails (pictured below left-to-right are the crab lumps, teeny shrimps, and Larry the lobster).

Two out of three's not bad, I guess


Jay is a salad man, so for his first course he chose this:

Sweet Shrimp and Crab Salad: Asian Greens, Cantaloupe, Avocado, and Sesame Citrus Vinaigrette

A heapin, healthy plate of stuff ... lots of stuff


Jason said this was excellent and the portion size was quite large for a salad - if it had been much larger it would have served perfectly as an entree. And they didn't skimp on the shrimp or the crab; it seemed like every bite he took yielded shrimpie or crabbie goodness.

The aunt and uncle also ordered salad and both chose the same thing, which they pronounced very tasty and refreshing:

Butter Lettuce & Herb Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

The rabbits at our house would be in heaven if they could eat this


And I ... I chose the path less traveled. While I'm not a big lobster lovah, I have been known to enjoy a lobster bisque now and then. I try to wait to order them until we're dining at a fairly decent seafood place so that I don't set myself up for immediate disappointment. And this, my friends, was worth the wait. I was rewarded with a bowl of the creamiest, most delicate bisque it's been my pleasure to eat in a long, long time. OK, maybe that dollop of creme fraiche could have been larger and maybe they could have been a tadpole more generous with the caviar, but overall, this was just a tremendous offering and I'd order it again in a heartbeat.

Lobster Bisque: Creme Fraiche, Caviar, and Lobster Medallions

That's not a squid swimming in my bisque, is it?


For his dinner entree Jay had to go with his back-up plan because the John Dory, which he really wanted to try after having sampled its delicate delectableness at Victoria and Albert's the previous year, was unavailable. Ya know, I'm starting to feel like a seafood jinx ... last year there wasn't any Copper River Salmon at WDW the one night we tried to order it and now there's no John Dory in Las Vegas. What does a woman have to do to get her hubba some unique and impossible-to-find-in-Stinktown seafood while on vacation???

Thankfully Jason is a flexible diner, and he really enjoyed his alternate choice:

Black Bean Sweet Chili Glazed Grouper: Fragrant Lemongrass Broth, Udon Noodles, Hon Shimeji Mushrooms, Baby Bok Choi, and Cilantro-Wasabi Oil

Awww, look ... it was served with flowers!

Aunt, Uncle, and I all ordered the same thing for dinner: Seared Maine Scallops with Sweet Potato Puree and Mushroom Pancetta Fricasse.

I know that I ordered mine free and clear of any and all 'shrooms, but I'm not sure if the picture coming up is my dinner or someone else's. What I am sure of is that this was a wonderful, generous entree, with all four scallops cooked to silky perfection. Pardon the cliche but they literally melted in my mouth.

Pardon me, is this your dinner or mine?


And then, because I learned my lesson by not ordering cheese plates at certain WDW restaurants last fall (and I've been pining for them ever since) we requested ...

A Cheese Plate!!!

Look! Rabbit Ears!!!

Jay and I like to call this the Little Bunny Foo-Foo Cheese Plate because it looks there's a cracker bunny hiding behind a seed log. But there is a problem and it is this: we don't know what the cheeses are that are on that plate, nor do we know what the accompaniments are because our serving team didn't tell us. The cheeses were tasty, even the one that looks like it might be stinky blue-cheese toe jamb, but they're all a mystery.

Welladay, there's only one thing to do when faced with the prospect of eating anonymous cheese ... order some port! Oh, Grimace would have been proud ... or prouder still if we'd saved the money and gambled with it, but she does enjoy a good port, or even a bad port now that I think about it.

Taylor Fladgate 20-year Port

I love port with cheese - it just works - and this was a damn fine glass of port; large enough to share, too! And as if we didn't have enough liquid on the table, Jay and I decided to order some cappuccino just in time for dessert.

A generous mega-cup of coffee-goodness with chocolate biscotti

This was a most excellent cappy, and didn't even require additional sugaring on my part which is astonishing now that I think about it. I gave my biscotti to the uncle because it had nuts baked into it and I don't believe in tempting the intestinal gods by eating food with nuts. Both he and Jason said the biscotti was good, good, good!

Do I hear a marching band? That must mean that it's time for the dessert parade to begin! The uncle ordered the healthiest sweet treat of the night:

Trio of Sorbet (unidentified but delicious)

Mini frozen fruity ice balls served with a baby pine tree

The aunt ordered creme brulee with an assortment of merry berries (not marion berries ... that's another state).

Did someone take a bite before the picture was snapped???

Jay ordered the Chocolate Bread Pudding with Butterscotch Ice Cream, Raspberry Chantilly, and Chocolate Toffee Sauce. Once I tasted this I sort of wished that I'd ordered it too, it was just that good. Dense, chocolate pudding cake with butterscotch ice cream ... oh, yeah, it was wonderful. I was a little puzzled by the presentation, though. It looked like someone in the kitchen busted a tail-light and stuck it into Jay's dessert for artistic effect.

Are we supposed to eat it or glue it back together?

For my dessert I chose the Chocolate Malt: Fudge Brownie, Milk Chocolate Crunch, Chocolate Mousse, and Chocolate Malt Ice Cream. This was very good, but perhaps a bit too much chocolate ... I felt like it needed some contrasting flavor to really make it pop. What that flavor enhancing flavor was supposed to I don't know, but the taste was just a wee bit flat. Jay's dessert was definitely the better pick of the two.

It was pretty good...

We all agreed that this was a fine, fine meal. Jay's aunt and uncle said they really enjoyed it and planned on coming back, even to the point of bringing some business clients. And Jay and I were very happy to end our Vegas trip on a positive dining note. I was especially pleased that I hadn't chosen anything that had ended up being a momentous disappointment - everything in Vegas is so hyped that I think it's very hard to pick a dining spot that really delivers what it promises. We were fortunate to dine at a number of restaurants with varying cuisine and menu prices - they were all terrific experiences and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend any of them to my food lovin' friends here (well, maybe you can skip the hot dogs).

Jay and I are hoping to head back to Vegas in May 2010 for his 40th birthday ... until then I rely upon you, the hungry audience, to keep us posted on the fine food finds you discover in Sin City so that we'll have some suggestions for our next visit!

Blooming Cheese!

Whole Foods, Town & Country, MO; July 15th ... A Cheese Tasting Class!!!

I posted this on the DISboards but thought I might as well post it here, too.

Tuesday night Jay and I went to a cheese tasting class at Whole Foods - it was $20 per person, included three different wines, and lasted 90 minutes. I didn't take any pictures because this was our first experience with Whole Foods classes and I didn't want to scare everyone right out of the gate. We're going back in two weeks for a class that is exclusively about goat cheeses so I'll take my camera then and share the love here afterwards.

Anyway, this class was all about creamy, soft, rind-ey type cheeses. Can you mentally picture how large my eyeballs grew when we arrived and saw nine, yes nine, cheese samples waiting for each one of us??? And they were very generous portions and there were all kinds of accompaniments such as fresh fruit, toasted bread, strange nutty breads, olives, peppers, and onion balls.

Here's what we tried, and the order that I'm going to list them is mildest cheese flavor progressing to strongest.

Camellia: This cheese is produced in California at Redwood Hill Farm. It's a goat milk, camembert-style cheese that was named after one of the owners favorite goats (isn't that cute?). The flavor was mild and the texture was smooth ... I thought this one was almost too mild. Kind of bland to tell the truth.

Carvanzina: This cheese is made from pasteurized cow and sheep's milk and comes packaged in delightful little rounds. It's produced in the Italian Piedmonts in the "paglia" style, so named because the cheeses are aged on beds of straw (paglia means straw ... how 'bout that). Mmmmmm, this was a delicate, mild, creamy, buttery delight ... I could have stopped sampling right here and just eaten a few ounces of this with some fresh bread and a bottle of wine, it was that good. One of my favorites of the entire evening ... Jay also gave this high marks.

Cana de Cabra: This is a soft-ripened goat milk cheese that comes from Murcia, a mountainous area in southeastern Spain. Apparently that area is known for producing high-quality goat milk products. This was also a creamy, mild cheese but the texture was much more thick, like a traditional goat cheese and had a full, tart flavor. Jay said he picked up slight flavors of mushroom and I could swear that there was a hint of citrus as well, but it probably depends on who's doing the tasting. This was quite tasty!

Brillat-Savarin: Oh yeah, it's time for a cheese-induced orgasm! This is a soft, white-rinded cow's milk cheese (75% fat) named after the 18th century French gourmet and political figure Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. It's a luscious, French, triple-creme brie ... like buttah, literally. This was my other favorite of the evening and our "teacher" suggested purchasing some golden raisins, macerating them in brandy for 2-3 days, and then sprinkling them over the top of a wheel of this cheese, served with some fresh bread on the side. I don't know about you guys, but I think I want to try this ... like yesterday!

Piper's Pyramid: This is a goat's milk cheese produced in Indiana and named after the cheesemaker's red-haired granddaughter, Piper. It's modeled after a Loire Valley goat's milk cheese but during production the cheese is formed into small pyramids with flat rather than pointed tops (and definitely not the traditional rounds). The cheese is then dusted with paprika and left to develop a slight bloom. It has a creamy texture but I thought the flavor was strongly sour and I didn't like the paprika at all ... it just didn't work for me. Jay enjoyed it but I don't think this is one that he's too keen to go and buy any time soon.

Old Kentucky Tomme: Another Indiana cheese, this is a raw goat's milk cheese ... buttery and rich, there were definite mushroom overtones coming through on this cheese. As you've probably surmised, I didn't really care for this one either. Jay really enjoyed this and so did the friends that we attended the class with ... I'm the only immature palate who dislikes mushrooms!

Herve Mons Camembert: This cow's milk cheese is made exclusively for Whole Foods. The aroma was quite strong and it had a peppery / mushroom flavor that I did not find wholly unacceptable. I thought this tasted quite good with the Pinot Noir we were drinking.

Tomme de Vaudoise: A raw cow's milk cheese from Switzerland, produced by some guy named Rolf Beeler whom our "guide" referred to as the "Cheese Pope." All I know is that once she said his name was Rolf, I pictured a furry little muppet dog playing the piano and then developed a raging case of the cheese giggles.
As for the cheese itself ... PEEEEEE-YUUUUUUUUW!!! This was the stinkiest, most offensive cheese I've ever tried to eat ... I thought it reeked of rotting fish and our friends actually said they thought it smelled like manure. Neither one of those things is an inducement to taste the cheese in question, ya know what I mean? While the texture was buttery and smooth the taste was overpoweringly mushrooms and nuts. The only person from our little foursome to finish this one was my dearheart ... the rest of us quickly reached for a glass of wine to wash the offensive taste from our mouths.

Rubiola: My notes are a little sketchy on this one but I seem to have scribbled something that indicates that this was a black truffle cheese ... a cow / sheep's milk blend that was nothing but 'shroom. Blech!

And that, my friends, is all I have to share! All four of us agreed that this was a great bargain with a wonderful variety of cheeses to choose from. When you compare what we were given for a total of $20 pp with the prices I saw listed last year for the cheese and wine pairings at the F&W Festival ($60 pp) this is the winner hands down. We will definitely continue to patronize Whole Foods for our cheese education and spend our vacation money at Epcot on other things that are more "reasonably" priced.

Thanks for letting me share the cheese love - any questions, just ask!

L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, MGM Grand

L'Ateleier de Joel Robuchon, MGM Grand, Dinner Extraordinaire, (4/23/08)

First I found the restaurant and then I read their menu ... uncertainty battled with a kind of queasy interest. L'Atelier was definitely the weirdest, scariest establishment that we'd ever considered dining at, but it also seemed like it had great potential ... what to do; oh, what to do?

Well, the easiest thing, and that to which I was most inclined, was to do nothing because I wasn't really sure if we could afford to demolish this place as well as Alize' on one trip. That may seem out of character for me, but you have to remember that I'm great with vacation budgeting until we actually go on vacation. Then all my good intentions and money saving ideas get thrown out with the excess baggage at 37,000 feet.

Once I finished working on our 2007 Federal and State Income Tax Returns and realized that we were going to receive more benjamins back from Big and Little Brother than originally anticipated, I made an executive decision and booked a reservation. And then we developed another leaky crack in the basement wall (some day I'll bore you all with the soggy saga that has been our life in the house we had built 8 years ago ... there have been so many instances of water trying to enter our cozy love nest that I think Jay and I may actually be water deities) and then we discovered a problem with the roof and then we noticed that our kitchen counter tops were bubbling and then we found out ... well, you get the general idea. Our house was throwing a pre-adolescent temper tantrum and we couldn't afford to ignore it.

Bye-bye Joel Robuchon, hello epoxy injections and roofing materials.

But then two more things happened:

1) We were notified of a "rebate" check that would be coming our way from Uncle Sam. While we felt that the idea was a bad one on the part of the US government, who were we to turn up our noses at some extra coin? Jay and I agreed to use the money to pay off the balance due on the cruise we're planning to take in October 2009.

2) We arrived in Vegas and made the mistake of walking through MGM on our way to the Vegas monorail. While making the casino circuit we happened to stroll past both of Joel Robuchon's dining establishments and of course we had to stop to look at the menus.

**DANGER WILL ROBINSON! DANGER!!!**

It was too late.

We hot-footed it over to the Concierge desk faster than you can say, "We've got a rebate check and we're not afraid to spend it all on a single meal!"

**As a side note ... you may have already deduced that we did not pay off that cruise with our welfare check from Uncle Sam.**

After waiting in line for something like three days behind a group of retirees who wanted to buy tickets to a show that they didn't know anything about it and who couldn't agree on how much to spend or where they wanted to sit or who was paying in the first place we finally reached the lovely young lady behind the desk and asked about getting back the reservation that I had made in February and then canceled in early April.

Our original time slot was gone, but we were able to nab one for later in the evening, around 8PM, and we were happy. She noted on our reservation that we were celebrating Jason's birthday, printed out a confirmation, assured us that we would love the Robuchon experience, and sent us on our giddy way.

Why giddy, you ask?

Allow me to answer that with a question of my own:

Who the hell is Joel Robuchon, anyway?

According to the internets, this man has been named the Chef of the Century by the guide Gault Millau, which means absolutely nothing to me but certainly sounds impressive. He operates more than a dozen restaurants in cities worldwide, including Hong Kong, Las Vegas, London, Macau, Monaco, New York, Paris and Tokyo with a total of 17 Michelin Guide stars among them - the most of any chef in the world.

L'Atelier is a 4-Diamond AAA rated restaurant and it also has received a 1-star Michelin Guide rating. It's a unique counter service establishment where guests are primarily seated at a long bar facing an open kitchen where they can observe meals being prepared in an interactive environment. The Degesutation menu that we ordered included 10 courses and was priced at $135 per person.

Just for comparison, Joel Robuchon has a second establishment at the MGM Grand right next door to L'Atelier. Following in the bold, egotistical footsteps of Todd English, Chef Robuchon simply named this restaurant after himself; some day, when Jay and I decide to hock my engagement ring, we're going back to Vegas and we're going to eat dinner there. That restaurant has a 5-Diamond AAA rating, a Mobil 5-Star rating, and is the only 3-Star Michelin Guide winner in the city of Las Vegas. They offer a 16-course tasting menu for about $400 per person ... insert fainting emoticon here.

Someone pass me the smelling salts ...

Deep breaths ... that's it ... breathe.

Alright, now that I've recovered from my food swoon; grab yourself a snack and a cool beverage because we're going to be here for a while.

First up, the obligatory and surely by now tiring for the audience, self-portrait. I was not then and am not now pleased with my appearance in the least. The weather had turned decidedly windy ... so windy in fact that the palm trees were bending over to kiss the pavement. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I knew the weather conditions were less than ideal so I didn't bother to spend a ton of time on my appearance ... why wear your hair down when you know that it will be sticking to your lipstick the moment you walk out of the hotel? If you think I exaggerate, try this on for size: Jay suggested we take a cab over to the MGM when we could have easily walked there from Mandalay Bay in about fifteen minutes... or been blown there by a strong gust of wind in five.

I hope this dress has an elastic waist ...


This is another one of those reviews where I'm going to try to let the pictures do most of the talking...please, hold your mocking laughter at least through the end of this sentence. For one thing I am a culinary ig-nah-ray-moose. For another thing ... this experience was so incredible that I don't know how to begin to describe it. But I can tell you about my hilarious bathroom misadventures and the French chef who was seated beside Jay during the better part of the meal but didn't say a word to us until we ordered the cheese plate.

To start, this is the outside of the restaurant as seen from the casino:

Unimaginable delights await you ...


We checked in with the hostess, who was waiting at a podium located outside of the restaurant; she led us through the interior and seated us at the short end of the bar near the back looking directly into the open kitchen. The decor is sleek and contemporary and the primary colors are black and red. The walls and the floors are black, and I'm here to tell you right now, when you pay this establishment a visit ask the staff where the restroom is located because the door blends right into the wall.

Place Setting


Upon settling in at the surprisingly comfortable bar, we were greeted by our server, although that's not really the right word because all the servers at L'Atelier are chefs in their own right. He introduced himself, presented us with the menus, explained the different ordering options, and then inquired as to whether or not we wanted to order a bottle of wine or perhaps start the evening off with a glass of champagne.

A bottle of wine?

After last night at Alize', probably not.

But a glass of effervescent, French bubbly?

Don't mind if we do!

Bubbles tickle my nose ...


It's probably hard to tell from this picture, but the raised barrier / ledge in front of us was clear plexiglass, and there were decorative peppers inside of it. The serving teams can see through the barrier and that's how they know when it's time to clear the plates. It's quite sneaky and clever - this way the staff doesn't have to keep peering over the top of the bar to see how guests are progressing with their various courses. We also liked this set-up because the serving team always approaches guests from the front, which in this setting is much more convenient and interactive. And it makes it much easier for the server / chef to describe and explain the various courses and answer any questions that may come up during the meal.

Here's a glimpse into the open kitchen from our seats at the bar:



Mmmmm, French mini-loaves!


We gnawed a bit on some bread and butter while taking a look at the menu. There were actually a few different options that we could have chosen. The restaurant has a listing of small appetizer-sized portions that guests can order a la carte, essentially building their own tasting menu. There is also a selection of larger "meal sized" portions to choose from. And, of course, there is the Chef's Tasting Menu. After comparing the prices for all the various options we really thought it made more sense to go with the Chef's Menu since we'd have a lot more food to try for lower overall cost, relatively speaking.

We also advised our culinary guide for the evening that we wanted to try the L'Atelier cheese plate later in the evening; he said he doubted that we would have room for it but that he would check back with us as the meal progressed.

Us not have room for a cheese plate?

Bwaaahahahahahaaaaa!!

Oh, if only he knew who he was dealing with.

Course One: Le Citron - Lemon Gelee topped with Fennel Cream


Mmmmm, a cool tasty start to the evening's gastronomic festivities; this was similar to a lightly flavored lemon jelly topped with just a bit of cream. And to add some texture and saltiness there was a wee dollop of caviar nestled within the fennel cream. You might think from the description that this was too sweet or maybe too tart, but the flavors were all subtle and blended together exceptionally well.

Course Two: Le Thon Rouge - Big Eye Tuna with Tomato infused Olive Oil and Spicy Guacamole


This was excellent and I'm pretty sure it was the first time I've ever tried sushi-grade tuna, but it won't be the last! The tuna had a mild flavor and the texture was fairly soft ... with just a hint of firmness; there were some herbs and cracked pepper sprinkled across the top of the fish and while I did try both the olive oil and the guacamole, I liked the tuna best without any kind of condiment. The guacamole was far too spicy for my delicate tastebuds, but Jay really enjoyed it.

Course Three: Le Homard - Maine Lobster in a Gelee of Vegetables topped with a Chilled Leek Soup


Wow! There was a ton of action happening in that bowl and every bite yielded a different mix of flavors that I can't even find appropriate words to describe. I didn't think I'd care for cold seafood soup but this was very tasty and Jay and I both agreed that it was surprisingly good and very enjoyable.

Take a look at some more pictures of the kitchen, including one of the chefs in action ...






Course Four: L'Asperge Verte - Cappuccino of Green Asparagus with Parmesan


This was a creamy soup with a distinct asparagus flavor. At first I thought it was going to be a bisque, but there were little bits of asparagoose hidden at the bottom of the bowl. And I adored the shaved Parmesan that partially melted into the soup ... oh yum! One of the things that surprised us about this selection is that it was served warm while the seafood soup we'd had with the earlier course was served cold. In our limited culinary experience the seafood soups are usually served warm while the vegetable soups are chilled, but as Jay and I talked it over we realized that there was a grand plan, so to speak. The tasting menu started with a cold tastebud teaser, followed by a cold, raw fish dish, then a cooked, chilled fish soup, progressing to a warm, vegetable soup ... and so on and so forth.

Course Five: La Sole - Dover Sole Filet with Zucchini and Mushrooms


Yes, you guessed it! This fishie was served nice and hot and it tasted wonderful - mild, slightly sweet, and flaky. I thought the grilled zucchini was also quite tasty but of course had to shunt the mushrooms over to Jay's plate. He did not complain but the French man sitting next to Jay raised his eyebrows in Gallic disbelief. How did I know that this gentleman was from my favorite country in Epcot? He and his party came in about 30-45 minutes after we were seated and they were either friends of management or well-known in chef circles because all the chefs and managers and generally important looking people employed at L'Atelier kept stopping by to chat with them in French.

They didn't seem to be particularly fluent in English and had also ordered the tasting menu. Jay is such a nice guy that he shared his copy of the menu with them to give them a better idea of the food they'd be eating. L'Atelier's menu is in French and in English, so that worked out nicely, don't you think? The gentleman seated next to Jay was actually a chef, as we found out later when we apparently won some brownie points for America at large by ordering the cheese plate and evidencing enough knowledge to ask the poor serving guy exactly what type of cheeses they were - cow, sheep, goat ... Kraft singles ... ;-).

Course Six: L'Ceuf - Fried Egg with Sweet Onion Cream and Smoked Salmon

Before I share the picture, I have to admit that this was another one of those dishes that surprised the hell out of us. Jay and I read the menu description and both had a mental picture of a typical fried egg served on a nice piece of smoked salmon and drizzled with some cream.

How dull.

How pedestrian.

How not-French.

Take a gander at Joel Robuchon's idea of a fried egg:



It was soft-boiled, breaded, and then flash-fried. Where's the salmon? This artery clogging delight was topped with salmon roe and was surrounded by onion cream. Our first reaction was: What the hell is this? And then our second reaction was: How are we supposed to eat it?

Breach the egg, baby, and feast on the warm, runny goo inside!



This was really tasty, especially once the yolk blended with the onion cream. I don't like onions and thought the cream by itself was overpowering, but once I managed to dip my fork into some yolky cream and then scoop up some breaded egg and a little salmon roe ... fabulous! Try to imagine salty, creamy, sweet, crunchy, and gelatinous tastes and textures all combined in one bite and you'll be on the way towards understanding why this course was so incredible. I believe that this was our favorite dish of the entire evening due to its originality and wonderful taste combinations.

The next course was the only one in which Jay and I had something different - there were two items to choose from for "dinner" so he picked one and I chose the other.

Course Seven: La Caille - Free Range Quail stuffed with Foie Gras and served with Truffled Mashed Potatoes (Brenda's "dinner")


This was my first time eating quail and I found myself marveling at the delicate flavor and the dollhouse-like portion size. My only complaint was that it must have been stuffed with gnat-sized foie gras, because I couldn't find any even though I searched desperately for some. I liked the potatoes best - they were a light, creamy melt-in-your-mouth dream and I could have eaten an entire bowl of them - they were that good.

And somewhere along the way I'm pretty sure we ordered a half-bottle of white burgundy and took our time drinking that along with several bottles of Perrier throughout the evening. It's important to keep yourself well hydrated when eating this many courses!

Course Seven: L'Agneau de Lait - Roasted Rack of Lamb with Fresh Thyme (Jason's "dinner")


Isn't that cute? Jay's dinner was prepared in the de-bigulator! He had the same incredible mashed potoates that I had along with his juicy, flavorful, miniscule rack of lamb.

It was about this time that I decided that I needed to use the restroom once again. It's not advisable to drink like a fish while taking antibotics for a UTI (again) but since we were on vacation I decided the only prudent thing to do was ignore all sound medical advice, drink lots of water, and hope for the best. Here's the thing about the bathroom at L'Atelier ... there's only one for the ladies and one for the men. And by one I mean one little closet with a single throne that is honored to accept your waste. That means you must lock the door when using the closet or some Midwestern doofus will walk in on you while you're doing your business. And that's just awkward for everyone.

I tell the truth when I say that there was no way to know if the closet was in use other than by giving the door handle a good yank.

And I did.

And it opened.

And someone was horrified to see me and I was equally horrified to see her.

I scooted back to my seat faster than you can say don't squeeze the Charmin and told Jay what had happened. Of course we both snickered about it and rolled our eyes that someone could have neglected to lock the door.

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

After waiting a few minutes and being certain that the bathroom was indeed free, I attempted a second visit. I made very sure to lock the door behind me and proceeded to use the facilities. Imagine my surprise when just as I was completing my flush-aroo and rearranging my dress the door opened!!!

Rewind to previous horrified exchange and switch my role from the doofus at the door to the appalled "I hope no one saw my thighs" user of the bathroom.

Irony can be pretty ironic sometimes, can't it?

As a side note, I did mention to the staff that the lock on the bathroom door appeared to be broken. I hope they've managed to fix it by now.

Course Eight: Cheese Plate (not on the tasting menu, we ordered it on top of everything else, much to the amazement of the staff)

There were only four cheeses included, but they were all excellent: Tomme de Brebis (sheep); Pont Leveque (double creme cow); Roquefort (ewe); and Tomme de Chevre (goat). I think I've listed them in the reverse order in which they are pictured below. And they also provided us with a heaping helping of some kind of dark bread that we chose to ignore. I asked our server for some note paper so that we could write down the names of the cheeses and that's when the French gentleman seated next to Jay suddenly spoke with us. He mentioned that one of these was his all-time favorite (and of course I have no idea now which one that was) and he also seemed quite pleased that we were asking questions and taking notes - that's when he told us he was a chef.

Cool. Now we can say we've actually met a French chef even though we have no idea who he is.

It doesn't compare with the Alize' cheese plate, but it's still a tasty treat!


To further aid in our digestion we ordered some port to accompany the cheese plate. Mmmmm, mmmm good; there's nothing quite like a rich glass of port to savor along with the finely flavored results of what is essentially a bacterial process.

20-year Tawny


And now, it's time for desserts. Yep, you read that correctly ... I said desserts!

Course Nine: Le the Glace Vanille - Lemongrass Mousse, Vanilla Tea flavored Sorbet and Crunchy Caramel Tuile

We took two pictures of this one ... a side view and an aerial, because it was hard to capture the whole dessert presentation with just one photograph.




And now we really started to see the menu offerings tie themselves together. We began the meal with a light, creamy, lemon appetizer and we wrapped the meal up with a light, creamy, lemony dessert. The lemongrass mousse was actually on the bottom of the serving container and the sorbet was resting on top of it. This was a refreshing and delightful dessert and not at all filling, which was a good thing since we still had another dessert to get through.

Course Ten: La Mangue - Hazelnut Cremeux, Fresh Mango and Coffee-Caramel Streusel

Another double picture shot for everyone to ooooooooh and ahhhhhhhhh over!



This was also quite creamy, but definitely a heavier, more solid dessert offering. The hazlenut and chocolate and coffee all worked really well together and the streusel was almost like a crunchy little cookie hidden beneath the cream. My only quibble was with the mango, which didn't seem like it belonged with this at all. And such is the beauty of differing opinions because my hubby thought the mango was a great contrast with everything else and he really liked it and didn't mind eating mine in the least.

Course Eleven: Birthday Dessert!! Not on the menu; by this point the staff were watching us eat in slack-jawed admiration...or was it revulsion?

Our guide brought out a selection of specialty tarts offered by the restaurant ... Pecan, Raspberry, Chocolate, Lemon, and Cinnamon.

I love that girl working the MGM Concierge desk! She rocks for earmarking our dinner reservation so that Jay could get a little something special for his birthday for a change. I mean, we always seem to be traveling Disney around my birthday and some little something always seems to happen for which I am very appreciative. Now it was finally time for the man to be on the receiving end of some good karma and I'm glad it happened here.

The dessert tarts were all quite good, although I did not eat the pecan. I liked the chocolate and lemon the best, followed by the cinnamon and then the raspberry. Jay liked them all and doesn't he look cute with his dessert plate?

Course Twelve: Le Cafe - Coffee or Espresso ... I think we ordered coffee!

We were offically at the end of the meal and our guide asked us if we would like some coffee or espresso. His tone was a little doubtful as if he were unsure what would happen if we tried to eat or drink anything else, but it was included with the meal and coffee sounded like a nice end to the evening. It was rich and flavorful, served with both raw and refined sugar, a pitcher of real cream, and a little chocolate square. Delightful!

Before we waddled out of L'Ateleier, we inquired as to whether or not we could get a copy of the menu and then had the gall to ask if the executive chef would sign it for us. That's a habit we picked up in New Orleans a few years back (thank you Commanders Palace). We've found that most establishments are more than happy to oblige - it's good publicity. Menu in hand we thanked the staff for a lovely evening and slowly made our way back to MGM's main entrance. We briefly considered walking back to Mandalay Bay but as we approached the front doors we could see that the wind was gusting even worse than it had been earlier in the evening. There was a line about 50 people deep waiting for cabs - you know it's bad wind when the long-haired ladies in the cab queue have their locks being blown straight out like a wind-sock.

Nuts to walking!

We joined the masses and waited about ten minutes in freezing cold wind for a ride back to our hotel. During the cab ride I asked Jay what he thought of our experience at L'Atelier and he was quiet for a moment and then said, "To quote that Civil War general who once ate an entire watermelon in one sitting ... 'that was monstrous fine!'"

So it's official; Jay and Brenda give L'Atelier their highest rating ever: Monstrous fine!!!

The Petrossian Bar at The Bellagio

Join Us for a Quick Drink Even Though You Have No Idea Who We Are... (4/24/08)

You're all probably familiar with the refrain by now ... people on the internets are weird and scary and you'd be better off never meeting any of those wack-jobs in person because they can't be trusted and will undoubtedly steal your identity, kidnap your children or pets, and bend your ear for hours with the latest conspiracy theory involving members of the United Nations Security Council, a herd of randy goats, and some very incriminating photographs.

But then I started to think a little ... I've met some people from the internets who seem like very nice people and not only were they not stalker types but they also didn't poison our food at dinner on that last Disney Cruise. So, my thought process ran, if those people all turned out to be good eggs then wouldn't it stand to reason that Jay and I weren't weird and scary either?

**The jury is still out on that question**

Well, we were about to find out just how weird and scary we might or might not be at the Petrossian Bar where we were scheduled to meet up with a couple from another internet site - to be honest I'm a latecomer to that forum, but Jay's been a member for some time and everyone there seems to like him just fine even if he is married to a rather bizarre, somewhat anti-social woman with a silly sense of humor.

We suggested the Petrossian Bar because of its location - the Woos (as we like to call them) were staying at a hotel near the Bellagio and Mr. Woo had recently had surgery on his knee. A bar within easy walking distance was good for them and it gave us a chance to try something new in a Vegas hotel that we'd never even bothered to spend money at because it was obvious that we couldn't afford anything there anyway!

A little bit of info on the bar, taken directly from the Bellagio's website: Petrossian opens every afternoon to share a bit of European flavor with guests in the form of a traditional Afternoon Tea Service from 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Come sit and enjoy open faced sandwiches, English tea sandwiches, freshly baked scones with clotted cream, Baxter’s preserves, assorted miniature pastry delicacies- and, of course, teas imported from around the world.

Indulge in a splendid evening with live music from the one-of-a-kind Steinway grand or relax on one of the velvet couches that overlook the casino. In either case, the elegant Petrossian gently sets the mood for sophisticated tastes and discerning palates. There is so much to experience at Petrossian Lounge: the house made infused cocktails, the vodka sampler, premium cigars, smoked salmon and caviar or afternoon tea. An epicurean’s delight, Petrossian Bar is the ultimate respite for enjoying the finer things in life.

Well, here's the thing about the Petrossian Bar, at least as far as Jay and I were concerned: it looks lovely and quiet and refined, especially on the hotel's website. But in person it's kind of small and it's open to the hotel lobby on one side and the casino on the other. It's not quiet and it's extraordinarily difficult to hold a conversation without shouting at members of your party. And let's just not talk about the smoke ... except to say that you'd think an upscale establishment like the Bellagio could figure out a way to circulate and clean the air in their casino so as not to make the non-smokers feel like they're being poisoned by WWI mustard gas.

And as much as I would love to try afternoon tea here, with all the noise and smoke from the casino it's never going to happen. The Petrossian Bar would be much better if it were tucked in a distant corner of the hotel somewhere far away from the clamor and stench of the casino. It has the potential to be such an intimate, cozy little hideaway, but perhaps that sort of thing doesn't go over in Vegas. ;-)

Despite the crowd the Woos found us, or we found the Woos, or we all found each other with no trouble at all and soon secured ourselves a table and some comfy chairs in the lounge. We spent a few minutes perusing the menu and then made our selections and got to know each other in the "real" world. Mr. and Mrs. Woo are a delightful couple - very friendly and very genuine and we really enjoyed spending some time with them.

Considering where we were, the mixed drinks were not badly priced. For a mere $12, I ordered the Bellagio Cocktail: Rotari Italian Sparkling Wine, Alize' Red Passion, and Passion Fruit Puree'. For the same price Mrs. Woo ordered the Bella Peach: Absolut Peach Vodka, Creme de Casis, Fresh White Peach Puree', Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice, and Cranberry Juice.

Brenda's Bellagio Cocktail - pretty but not too sweet!


Woo's Bella Peach - It looks Peachy; it tastes Peachy; it is Peachy!


And for the bargain basement price of $8, Jay ordered himself a Spaten Franzikanier Weisse: An unfiltered wheat beer with a naturally cloudy appearance. According to the menu description it has a crisp refreshing taste with a hint of clove. I did take a taste of this and thought it was pretty good but I think it would have been better with a slice of lemon! On a side note: where else can you go besides the Bellagio to have your suds served in a pilsner glass that matches the beer bottle's label?

Mmmmm, Beer!


Mr. Woo was the only one among us to avoid alcohol - someone had to stay sober and operate the picture taking machines! He ordered lemonade ... that cool, refreshing drink!

Hey, can we have that lemon slice for the beer?


In the short amount of time we had before parting ways ... us to gorge on one final Vegas meal and the Woos to hit a nickel slot jackpot (dare I say WOOHOO?) ... we took a few pictures to remind us of how pleasant it is to speak with people face-to-face rather than via email and discussion forums.

Mr. and Mrs. Woo ... so cute!


We're looking forward to an orderly meal that will eliminate the need for a violent feeding frenzy.


Woos and Mengs: none of them seem weird and scary ... well, except for that chick with the glasses.


And sadly that was that; our hour was gone and it was time to part ways. Jay's aunt and uncle were waiting to pick us up outside the hotel to whisk us away to the Venetian and the Woos were meeting some other friends for the evening. No lie ... about five minutes after we left, Mr. Woo hit a jackpot on a nickel slot machine! Is that cool or what? It's always nice to know that good things do happen to good people!