Iron Chef trip report - complete with Iris sighting

[Lord_Strife]

TT, this meal looks absolutely phenomenal and I can't wait to go there myself. Fine dining is just so under appreciated by most people and this sounds top notch.

In your opinion, how important is wine in these types of meals? I know its very prevalent in most Italian dishes, but I am still too young to have developed a taste bud for good wine, but I am really wanting to. Anything you recommend based on that statement?

[*TT*]

[ QUOTE ]
TT, this meal looks absolutely phenomenal and I can't wait to go there myself. Fine dining is just so under appreciated by most people and this sounds top notch.

In your opinion, how important is wine in these types of meals? I know its very prevalent in most Italian dishes, but I am still too young to have developed a taste bud for good wine, but I am really wanting to. Anything you recommend based on that statement?

[/ QUOTE ]

I am a restaurant's best sucker. I lose all control and don't think about money when the meal is fantastic - open up wallet and it all pours out. But I also know wine is the one place that I can save, so if I am not familiar with the season/grape/region quality then I always do the simple solution - ask the Sommelier. Tell him what your looking for, and the price and he will make it happen. A fine restaurant like B&B will probably season the glassware for you first and some will also bring out the vino in a decanter to remove settement and/or airate the wine. Mike L is far better at this (now) than I am, perhaps he can add to the topic. On the bright side I didn't develop a taste for wine until my late 20's, its never too late to be exposed to a truly gourmet treat - just remember the secret ingredient to all great wine experiences is properly shaped glassware. And yes, its very important the the meal experiance IMHO.

Rick N - when you see Mike this week please ask him to chime in.

[*TT*]

[ QUOTE ]
TT,

Maybe you've already done it (if so, please link) but is there any chance you (or anyone for that matter) could post a dinner/meal related trip report where you had an excellent Las Vegas meal with friends for let's say $10 to $20 bucks per person?

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Some of my favs are Noodles at Bellagio, Lotus of Siam (#1 rated restauraunt for locals) for Vietnamese, the Malaysian dive restauraunt across the street from Lotus of Siam (both are in a shopping mall on Sahara, where the world famous Green Door swingers club is located), Chicago Joe's for Italian (4th Ave downtown), Salt Lick BBQ at RedRock, and Gayloard for Indian are my local cost effective haunts. I haven't explored the cheaper food spots as much as I should, I eat fast quite often (which isn't the smartest but it saves me time).

[RR]

[ QUOTE ]
Maybe you've already done it (if so, please link) but is there any chance you (or anyone for that matter) could post a dinner/meal related trip report where you had an excellent Las Vegas meal with friends for let's say $10 to $20 bucks per person?

[/ QUOTE ]

There is an Italian place on Trop that is open 24 hours that I love. I can't think of the name of it right now.

[pismeyer]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
TT, this meal looks absolutely phenomenal and I can't wait to go there myself. Fine dining is just so under appreciated by most people and this sounds top notch.

In your opinion, how important is wine in these types of meals? I know its very prevalent in most Italian dishes, but I am still too young to have developed a taste bud for good wine, but I am really wanting to. Anything you recommend based on that statement?

[/ QUOTE ]

I am a restaurant's best sucker. I lose all control and don't think about money when the meal is fantastic - open up wallet and it all pours out. But I also know wine is the one place that I can save, so if I am not familiar with the season/grape/region quality then I always do the simple solution - ask the Sommelier. Tell him what your looking for, and the price and he will make it happen. A fine restaurant like B&B will probably season the glassware for you first and some will also bring out the vino in a decanter to remove settement and/or airate the wine. Mike L is far better at this (now) than I am, perhaps he can add to the topic. On the bright side I didn't develop a taste for wine until my late 20's, its never too late to be exposed to a truly gourmet treat - just remember the secret ingredient to all great wine experiences is properly shaped glassware. And yes, its very important the the meal experiance IMHO.

Rick N - when you see Mike this week please ask him to chime in.

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Totally 100% agree with you TT. Sometimes the wine choice can make or break the experience. The report sounds incredible, my mouth was watering the entire time I was reading. You had me at "shaved black truffles". I absolutely [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] truffles with good wine.

P [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[MrMore]

Sex with Iris is a prop bet waiting to happen.

[Jeffage]

[ QUOTE ]
5 courses. 2 bottles of wine. Goat cheese truffles, grilled octopus, prosciutto, ravioli with mint and veal (little mint hearts I think they called it), beef cheek raviolini, tagliotelli w/butter sauce & shaved black truffles, veal chop, squab, the best rib-eye for two I ever recall having (the steak killed eve Delmonico's next door!), the 9-cheese plate, ricotta bobollini w/ chocolate dipping sauce, espresso chip gelatto, Tahitian vanilla bean flan, blueberry/vanilla bean ice cream mix, and our collective favorite - caramel gelato w/shaved salt (f'n amazing!). We generally let the waiter order for us, he never missed (except for the deserts, we chose better than he did), and we stuck with the restauraunt co-owner's home grown vineyard for vino (a Super Tuscan Cabernet Franc blend, it was so yummy I wish i remembered the name!). This amazing 5 course trip through gourmet heaven was exactly 200/head - a steal for a meal of this caliber! If your a foodie, this is the must-visit place to eat at in Vegas now!

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Ok, we are eating here next time I'm in town!

Jeff

[*TT*]

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Ok, we are eating here next time I'm in town!

Jeff

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Your treat I hope!

All - I just got the menu for Mario Batalli's Ennotecca , I'll scan it in tomorrow and post the links for you all to check out. I spent 10 mins with the GM today who took me on a tour and advised me what to order..... wow!!!!

[*TT*]

Menu for San Marco Enoteca, Mario's more casual restauraunt at the Venetian. The Hanger steak is $26 - very affordable!

I can scan the three page wine menu in anyone wants to see it, its serious!

[noir]

I had a mid-afternoon meal at Enoteca San Marco in June. It's safe to say I'll eat there at least once during every trip I make to L.V. This is the kind of place the town needs - moderate prices, relaxed atmosphere, excellent food.

We started with the Gnocchi Fritto. It's hard to describe I suppose. No potato is involved, rather they are something akin to deep fried breadsticks seasoned with chili flake and cheese. Quite tasty.

Note: I didn't have the Salumi Salami because I had been to the real deal just a month prior and had the giant sampling platter, but I will no doubt enjoy it next time.

Then I had what is now a reginette prep, but when I was there is was done with orecchiette - one of my favorite pastas. I'm sure it's still good. How can you go wrong with sausage and rabe?

I was shocked at how large the portion was. I didn't come close to finishing it. It was my first meal of the day though.

My sister had the pepperoni pizza. She loved it, and it did look great. If you're like me and have dining companions with simpler tastes, this joint is perfect. Undoubtedly they will find something that suits their taste, and you get to enjoy authentic food designed by a great chef.

I'm not a fan of the faux piazza where Enoteca finds its home, but I can get over that for sure given my initial experience and all of the promising items on the menu.


BTW, thanks for the B&B report. Some initial reports said the waitstaff and kitchen had things to work out. Now it's definitely back at the top of my list.