L'ATELIER DE JOEL ROBUCHON

The last few days before we were meant to return to Marbella, I went to dinner with my sister and her husband to one of our favorite restaurants in Las Vegas - L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon.  It's always a pleasure to go back to L'Atelier because it's concept of haute cuisine tapas eaten at the bar is so non-stuffy that it makes the meal more relaxed.  Last year we had dinner at the luxurious adjacent restaurant - Joël Robuchon where executive chef Claude Le Toic spoiled us with so many extra treats that we still remember that evening. 

We arrived to a half-full restaurant slightly late for our 8:00 p.m. booking and were lead to the bar, right smack in the middle where we could see all the action in the open kitchen.  That evening, chef Claude was at L'Atelier so we were able to say hello.  We were given our menus and after a careful discussion of who would order what so we could taste each other's food, we decided against the two multi-course prix-fixe menus and decided to go a la carte, choosing three dishes each from the small plates selection.   We also ordered three different red wines by the glass to accompany our meal - I chose a pinot noir from Oregon, my sister had a classic pinot noir from Burgundy and C had a shiraz.

A basket of homemade bread (at least four kinds) was left on the counter and when we asked for some of the fantastic bacon bread from next door, we were given that too.  Our wines were served along with the amuse bouche - a lukewarm parmesan foam which was delicious and a perfect teaser for the goodies to come.  While we waited for our first plates to arrive, the chef sent over a plate of jamon Iberico with some pan con tomate (tomato-topped toasted bread) which we thoroughly enjoyed.   Next came our three "appetizers" - les huitres (oysters) for me, la langoustine (one of Robuchon's signature dishes) for my sister and la saint-jacques (scallop) for C.  The five tiny oysters in their shell were served on a black plate with a sliver of lemon juice - each bite of the beurre d'Echire-poached (unsalted Echire butter) oyster was divine, the saltiness of the oyster juice perfectly complimented by the creamy melted butter.   The langoustine (Dublin-bay prawn) was crispy like tempura but wrapped in filo-pastry with a basil leaf - again, a delightful mouthful of crunchy prawn.  The scallop was a large one served on the shell and also poached in butter flavored with seaweed - sweet and salty all over again.  All three first plates were delicious.

Our next three plates were: le merou (grouper) for me, le homard (Maine lobster) for my sister and le ris de veau (sweetbreads) for C.  My merou came with an artichoke barigoule - a Provencal way of cooking artichokes with tomatoes and onions in a vegetable broth and was light and flaky but lightly flavored by the tasty thyme-infused broth.  R's lobster was poached in a spicy broth with a hint of lime that tasted like a very sophisticated lobster-version of a tom yum soup.  C's sweetbreads was actually one large piece seared in a pan and flavored with fresh laurel leaves - crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.  We were thoroughly enjoying our dinner and were all looking forward to our third plates which came soon after: steak tartare for me (I asked nicely if they could give me a half-portion since this was listed as a main course rather than a small plate and they very kindly obliged), le jarret de veau (veal cheeks) for R and the sole for C.  Again, all three were stunning - the sole served with ginger and leeks giving a very Asian-style twist to this classic fish, the veal cheeks were stuffed into ravioli and came with thinly-sliced fried artichokes and my mini-steak tartare, perfectly seasoned and spicy which came with a small salad and some crispy fries.

As we were debating on what to have next, the chef came over and offered us a selection of cheeses - six slivers of fromage de brebis (sheep's cheese), fromage de chevre (herb-covered goat's cheese and a crottin de chavignol), some Reblochon and Livarot, a triple creme explorateur plus another I can't remember.  Another basket of bread was served, this time with slices of walnut and raisin bread to accompany our cheese platter.  I love cheese so this was a perfect end to my meal but as we were on a roll, we decided to split two desserts between us - le citron and le chocolat which was more than enough but again, the chef very nicely sent out another dessert: les tartes, five tiny slices of tarts - raspberry, chocolate, apple, a frosted flake-topped one and a very thin custard Swiss tart.  Needless to say, we managed to polish them off as well.  Espressos which came with a tiny logo-topped chocolate truffle to end our gastronomic evening.  L'Atelier never disappoints (I've been to the one in Paris a few times and the one in Vegas twice) - the concept is fun but the wonderful flavors are consistent and although classic in nature, they always have a twist.  L'Atelier is definitely going on my best meal list for 2010.

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L'Atelier de JoËl Robuchon

at the MGM Las Vegas

Telephone: +1 702 891 7358

Reservations recommended

Open daily for dinner from 5:00 p.m.

Tasting menus start at $75.

SW STEAKHOUSE at the Wynn

After three days of mind-boggling jet lag and a half-day trip to nearby Lee Canyon for our eight year old's first ski lesson, we decided to check-in at the Wynn for an evening a deux at one of the hotel's Tower Suites . We were pleasantly surprised to be given a room on the 60th floor overlooking the lights of the strip and the snow-capped mountains in the distance.  

The tower suite room was large and well-furnished.  It was the first time that I actually liked the carpet pattern  - no colorful swirly patterns or flowers but a discreet beige, white and brown plaid which matched the furniture.  I especially liked the comfortable white two-seater Chesterfield sofa and the designer amenities and mini-bar snacks.   After freshening up and resting a bit, we made a reservation SW Steakhouse for the only table we could have at 8:00 p.m.  We arrived half an hour earlier and the place was packed with a crowd near the entrance and at the bar waiting to be seated.  We were told to have a drink at the bar while they got our table ready.  Soon after, we were led to a banquette table towards the far end of the room where other couples were seated.  

 Menus were presented and another round of drinks was offered which we refused as we hadn't even finished the first round which we had carried over to our table. The menu at SW is all about the steak so after a quick peek, we decided quickly on sticking to their specialty.  A starter each - crab soup for A and an iceberg salad for me.  We both couldn't resist having their Nebraskan Corn Fed 100% USDA Prime beef -  the 16-ounce NY strip steak (incidentally, the smallest steak on the menu was a 9 or 12 ounce filet mignon which I find the most boring cut of meat because of the absence of marbled fat).  While we waited, a basket of warm bread was brought over with a slab of butter topped with black sea salt.  The place kept getting busier and as soon as a table was cleared, another group would sit down.  The noise levels were high and between the loud conversations, the restaurants' buzz and the every half-hour light and sound show outside, it was almost impossible to have a proper conversation.

Our appetizers were brought over - A's tomato-based soup was topped with a puff pastry crust and filled with chunks of crab while my iceberg salad wasn't quite what I thought it would be.  It was a large chunk of ice-cold iceberg lettuce stuffed, not topped, with crushed Roquefort, not the dressing that was described on the menu.  I tried my best to fork my way through the goo but couldn't really enjoy the makeshift greens and cheese.  When they cleared our plates, they never asked why my salad was messed up but not eaten.  I guess they were in a rush to serve us our main courses. (Also, the glass of pinot noir I ordered was never brought and given only after I had asked for it twice.)

The steaks arrived on oval platters and were served with the our order of truffled creamed corn and SW fries.  The portion of the side dishes were generous - the truffled creamed corn in a cocotte and the fries filled a large paper cone.  Three sauces were also served on the side - Béarnaise, Jalapeño Tropical Fruit, SW Original.  As we were both going to have the Béarnaise, I decided to try the other two, out of curiosity - the SW original was ketchupey and the green Jalapeño one was sweetly spicy - both were fine but not something I would eat my steak with.  The side dishes were very good - the creamed corn was sweet and earthy with the addition of the truffles but the fries were a disappointment.  They were overly crispy and tasted reheated so we hardly ate any.  Good thing that the meat was delicious -  tender but seared on the outside and crusted with the salt and pepper they used to season it - otherwise the meal would have been mediocre.  A finished his steak but I struggled to get through the almost half-kilo of beef although I tried my best.  At this point, we opted to skip dessert and end our dinner by taking a walk around the Wynn for more people-watching.

Although the steaks were delicious, dinner at SW was nothing special and the rushed and half-hearted service was unexpected in a restaurant at the Wynn.  If they get their appetizers and sides right and make their staff more attentive then it would have been a perfect steakhouse meal.
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SW Steakhouse
Wynn Las Vegas
+1 702 248 3463

Robert Mondavi

Yesterday, one of the world's wine icons passed - Robert Mondavi of the famed Napa Valley winery. At 94, he had travelled the world and relentlessly promoted the food and wine lifestyle.

I met him and his wife, Margrit, in the early nineties when my mom was still importing Mondavi wines to the Philippines. My sisters and I also did an internship at the winery in Napa and helped out in the harvest, known as the "crush". On that day, The Mondavi family were at the vineyard to have a celebratory picnic lunch with all the harvesters and say a prayer for the good year. I also had the chance to meet him when I attended the International Wine Classic and Jazz in the Vineyards in the spring of 1998 with my soon-to-be husband. I met his sons, Michael and Tim at the Vinexpo - in Bordeaux, (1999) and in Hong Kong (1998).

There are so many Mondavi-related memories but best one was our wedding at the Auberge du Soleil in Napa Valley in April 2000 where the Mondavi's graciously gave us all the wines for our wedding reception lunch - one of the many things that Robert Mondavi did to make our day special and share his passion and love for good food, wine and the good life. He will be sorely missed.