Eating and Drinking in Las Vegas

To celebrate our second wedding anniversary, Joe and I went to Vegas.  Fair warning:  this post contains talk of food, but its also a travelogue of our vacation.

We stayed at Aria in City Center.  Its the one in the back middle (that doesn't look like the empire state building).

 

Big-name resort wise, Aria is between New York New York and the Bellagio.  Really, its between Monte Carlo and Cosmopolitan (which are next to NY and B, respectively).  Location-wise, Aria couldn't be in a better place.  We were close walking distance from many of the big resorts (the previously named ones, plus MGM, Paris, Hard Rock, Bally's, Excalibur, etc), feasible walking distance to Harrah's, Casino Royale, the Venetian, and there were bus/monorail stops at the neighboring property.

Aria is one of the few 5-star resorts in Vegas, and it didn't dissappoint.  Every staff member that we had contact with was beyond friendly and seemed sincerely interested in the fact that we were pleased.  When they found out we were there celebrating our anniversary, they upgraded our view, AND we came home to a plate of luscious chocolate covered strawberries and a 'Happy Anniversary' card after our first night on the town.

The hotel itself was gorgeous - with innumerable fresh flowers everywhere you turned and a modern/Asian feel.

Yes, the flowers hanging in the tree were real too!

 

The pool area had 3 good sized pools, and a "day-club" pool.  We only ate at two of the restaurants, but Aria appeared to have something to please every taste.

Our room was spacious, and the bathroom was beautiful - 5 piece bath with a separate toilet area, and a glassed in soaking tub and shower.  Perfect to soak my feet in after long days of walking in heels.  Our one room complaint (which so many other reviews had raved about) was the bed - sleeping on a queen sized pillow may feel nice at first, but made both of our backs ache.

Our first night in Las Vegas, we were in the mood for Italian food.  We ate at D.O.C.G, which was next door in the Cosmopolitan hotel.  We picked D.O.C.G. because it was described as being rustic, Northern Italian food, and was in the $$ category (out of $$$$).

 

Joe and I both got the Pici, with Braised Duck Sauce & Black Truffles.  Pici is a thick, hand-rolled spaghetti-like noodle.  The texture of the noodles was perfectly al dente and the braised duck was very flavorful - but a little bit over salted for my taste.  The wine list was out of our price range, but we weren't too disappointed because we planned to go to Vesper next.

 

Vesper Bar is also in the Cosmopolitan hotel.  Joe is a really big James Bond fan, and the Vesper martini became James Bond's signature drink in Casino Royale.  So of course we had to go!

 

Atmosphere-wise, Vesper Bar was very modern and chic.  It was too bad that it was right near the hotel check-in area though, because that took away a little bit of the classy ambiance.

  

 Joe of course had the Vesper martini (gin, vodka, Lillet, and lemon peel).  I had a drink with gin(?), an Earl Grey infused liquor, egg cream on top, and Earl Grey tea leaves sprinkled on top.

We spent the rest of the night walking the strip, stopping into all of the big resorts, and enjoying the sights.

Paris

Chihuly glass in the lobby of the Bellagio

Me and Joe in the lobby of the Bellagio - our only picture of the two of us from the trip!

Watching the Bellagio fountains - I think we stopped by to watch these every night on our way back to Aria.

We spent the majority of our second day near the pool, and then took the bus to Fremont Street for the afternoon and evening.

With a street performer on Freemont Street

Fremont Street is a street in Old Las Vegas that has become a pedestrian mall.  They covered it with a video-screen covered roof, that conveniently blocks out the hot Vegas sun and holds in some of the A/C that pours out of the casinos.  The casino's on Fremont Street make you feel like you stepped back in time.  They're also the only place that we saw $3 blackjack tables :-)

Our goal for dinner was to find an old-fashioned cheap Vegas meal.  We certainly did.

At 4 Queens Hotel and Casino, we spun the free wheel and won a buy-one-get-one dinner coupon for their restaurant, Magnolia's Veranda.  (This seemed to be the prize for everyone who didn't win the $10K.)  Magnolia's didn't have the best atmosphere (older, open to the casino), but their prices were great.  With our coupon, we both got a steak dinner and a handcrafted microwbrew for about $25.  Can't beat that!

We spent most of the third day  by the pool as well, and then decided to explore Aria more.  We found a Happy Hour special at one of the nicest restaurants in the hotel, American Fish.  As the name implies, all of the seafood served here is from the U.S.  For HH, all of their lounge menu food items were $5.  So I picked four.  They were so good I nearly forgot to take a picture (and was already half-way done)!

 

Clockwise from the top left:  Shrimp & Grits (with jalapeno and Serrano ham); Truffled Mac & Cheese (with mushrooms and English peas); Crab Truffles (with masago arare and green cocktail sauce); Oysters on the Half Shell (one with mignonette, one with bloody mary granite)

I'm not even sure which was my favorite - they were all soooo good!

 

Joe couldn't resist the Diver Scallops from the main menu - served with butter poached leeks, purple potatoes, and grapes.  Such succulent scallops.  Mmm.  The food at American Fish was exceptional.  I would certainly go back.

Once again, we spent the night visiting the nearby sights.

 

Waiting for the fountain show in front of Bellagio.

We spent our last day seeing the sights.

Monte Carlo and New York New York from the front of Aria

mmm...  Steak.  At New York, New York

The Lions at MGM

I just read that they've since closed the lion habitat :-(

Apparently I was performing at Harrah's!

Joe "climbing" in the Palazzo.

The Venetian

Viva Las Vegas!  We can't wait to go back!

Gnocchi!

Recently, Joe and I went out in Denver and ate at Jax Fish House.  We were planning on getting an appetizer each, but then couldn't resist sharing their Potato Gnocchi instead- served with braised pork ragu, rock shrimp, squash, turnips, and arugula.  One of the best things I've eaten recently - and the best gnocchi I've ever had - light and pillowy and airy and tender.

I've made gnocchi once before, and eating this dish at Jax makes me excited about cooking them again.  Maybe with practice, I'll be able to replicate the texture of the gnocchi at Jax.

GNOCCHI with BROWN BUTTER SAGE SAUCE- serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS:

Gnocchi:

• 3 large russet potatoes, scrubbed
• 1 egg yolk
• about 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• white pepper

 Sauce:

• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• About 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

STEPS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Prick the potatoes several times with a fork and bake them until they are soft, about 1.5 hours.
3. While they're still hot, cut all the potatoes in half lengthwise, creating as much surface area as possible so the steam billows out. (Steam is water; the less water the potatoes contain, the less flour you will need. The less flour, the lighter the gnocchi.)
4. Scoop the potatoes out of the skins and into a food mill or fine-holed ricer (I found an antique food mill at Goodwill!).
5. Pass them through the food mill or ricer onto a large clean work surface - use your countertop or kitchen table.
6. Spread the potatoes into an even rectangle about 24" x 12".
7. Season the potatoes generously with white pepper (if available).
8. When they are no longer hot to the touch, almost room temperature, beat the egg yolk. Drizzle the egg yolk over the potatoes.
9. Measure 1 1/4 cups flour and sprinkle this over the potatoes.
10. Using a pastry scraper (or the edge of a spatula), cut the flour and egg into the potatoes, chopping and then turning the mixture in on itself and folding it together, until everything is well mixed and the dough resembles coarse crumbs. Bring the mixture together into a ball.
11. Sprinkle a scant 1/4 cup flour on the work surface. Place the dough on the flour and press down, flattening it into a disk with both hands. Dust the dough with another scant 3/4 cup flour. Using your hands, fold and press the dough until the flour is incorporated. Add two dustings of flour to the work surface and dough and repeat. If the dough still feels sticky, repeat once more, this time covering both the table and the dough with no more than 2 tablespoons flour.
12. Roll the dough into a compact log. Dust the outside with flour, then allow the dough to rest for about 5 minutes.
13. Dust the work surface lightly with flour.
14. Divide the log into 8 pieces. Roll each section into a "snake" about 1/2" thick (Joe helped with this - it was fun to make them!).
15. Using a floured knife or pastry cutter, cut the dough into gnocchi about 1" long.              
16. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Working in two or three batches, drop the gnocchi into the water and cook, stirring occasionally, until they float, 2 to 3 minutes. Retrieve the gnocchi with a slotted spoon and put them on a baking sheet or plate.
17. While the gnocchi cook, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sage and season with salt and pepper. Allow the butter to brown slightly, about 4 minutes. Add the gnocchi to the browned butter and remove the pan from the heat. Mix gently and serve topped with Parmigiano.

 

I served this with broiled lobster tails (they were on sale for a great price!!) and creamed corn.

Boulder Farmer's Market, Take 2

After eating our fresh radishes last week, we HAD to go back to the Farmer's Market on Saturday.  This time we remembered our camera!  The weather wasn't as nice (it was low-mid 40s) but the market was still incredible.  We loved seeing the piles of beautiful local produce and were treated to some samples (radishes, carrots, apples, cider, cheese, salmon, brownies, nuts...) along the way.

Winter radishes come in black, green, and "watermelon."

Garden fresh greens, turnips and sunchokes.

This weekend, we decided to enjoy lunch while at the market.  I got half a margarita pizza cooked in a mobile brick oven.  This was the BEST pizza I've had since Italy!!!

 Joe had a homemade chicken tamale with green chile.  Removed from the husks while he waited.

Our treasures from this week's market.  We wanted to buy a bunch more but restrained ourselves because there's nothing more sad then seeing produce spoil.  The pictures of the radishes cut up are much cooler, but its neat to see what they looked like whole.

Green radish, watermelon radishes, 1 lb beet, carrots

Radishes!!  YUM!!!

The weather has been so moderate that they're acutally extending the market one more week!  Perhaps we will have to go again to get more radishes (we're fairly obsessed right now, if you couldn't tell!).

Perhaps My Favorite Meal in Italy

Amid exploration of the hill towns of Umbria (2007), we happened upon a very small town called Orvieto.  We got there in the evening, and there wasn't much open, but we certainly had to pay respects to their INCREDIBLE Duomo, which is covered in mosaic tile on one side.

Next to the Duomo, there was a small restaurant that happened to be open.  We sat on their patio, in a corner of the Duomo's piazza.  None of the wineries in the town were open, so we asked the waiter to pick out a local wine for us to try.  He suggested that instead of a full bottle, he could create a tasting of his own.  Along with our wine tasting, we asked if he could also put together some kind of sampling of the local foods.  These are what he came up with:

Half of the meats on this platter, he called "particulare," because they were local specialties that don't have English names.  It was an assortment of local salamis, and other cured meats.  I'm not sure what they all were, but I would love to duplicate that platter again!

He also made a platter of local cheeses.  Two sheep's milk, one goat milk, and one cow milk.  Surrounding some luscious local pears.  Perfecto!

Of course, there was also freshly baked bread and local olive oil on the side.  While this was by no means our biggest meal of the trip, it was incredibly local, personalized, and fit the atmosphere.  Our waiter was also so proud to show off the local specialties!

Eating with Famous People

(or at least taking our picture with them when they come to our table!)

Some of you may remember, that the family Christmas card from 2007 had a picture with the now UBER famous Michael Symon.

 Here we are at Lola, soon after Chef Michael Symon became Iron Chef Michael Symon.  I was SO excited to meet him!  As a perpetually disappointed Indians fan, I told him, "YOU are Cleveland's World Series!!"  That night, Mom and Carla had the duck and Dad and I had the rabbit.  Dinner at Lola does not disappoint, neither does dinner at Lolita, or lunch at B Spot (other Symon Cleveland establishments).

Food and Travel

Over the past few years, I have discovered that when I travel, my favorite pictures are usually the ones I took of food.  Yes, I am that strange person that takes out a camera, even in the middle of a fancy restaurant...  In 2007, my family and I went on a trip to Milan, Florence, and the hill towns of Tuscany and Umbria.  Here are a few of my food photos from that trip:

Bruschetta with (clockwise from top left) pate, roasted garlic, tomatoes, arugula and parmesan reggiano

Fresh pasta with rabbit sauce

Possibly octopus?

Prosciutto and pineapple

Ravioli

Port with cantucci

If you haven't travelled to Italy yet, you need to!  The food there is incredibly fresh and cannot be replicated outside of the country.  And the wine, wow....!