Nobu Las Vegas

[offTopic]

I just posted this on yelp and gave the restaurant 4/5. Mods, please move to B&M if more appropriate there.

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Nobu would have gotten the 5th star, except for the loud music, and the decidedly non-intimate seating. My wife and I aren't opposed to answering a question about a dish, but when the folks next to you can lean over and check out what you're eating, well...I understand that that's the place's image, but it just keeps it from being a 5-star dining experience, IMO.

We went on a Sunday night at 7:30p. We were seated immediately, and our server brought the drink menus. My wife had the Passion Mojito, and I stuck with a Sapporo because I'm not a huge fan of sake. The drink menu was replaced with the dinner menu, but we were pretty sure we were going to have the Omakase.

There are two basic "levels" of Omakase...each is composed of a mixture of cold dishes, hot dishes, sushi, and dessert. The lower-priced version ($100) contains more traditional dishes, and the higher priced version ($135) was said to be more "exotic". We both opted for the latter. I was trying to listen to the explanation of each dish and then scribble them down, so I likely missed some of the little accompaniments/garnishes.

- Kumamoto Oyster, on the half-shell, with Nobu Salsa
- Sweet Shrimp (sashimi-style, no rice, and no tempura head)
- Some kind of shellfish sashimi-style (either scallop or clam, I'm leaning towards scallop, based on the texture and the menu offerings)
All three of these items were served on the same plate, the latter two with, I think, ponzu sauce. The oyster was pretty large, such that I didn't want to pick the shell up and end up wearing some of it. The sweet shrimp was very rich and quite tasty, and what I'm assuming was the scallop was a little firmer than I would expect, but still very good.

- Kampachi sashimi with kelp and mushroom
Kampachi is one of my favorite fish, and this did not disappoint. The kelp and mushroom, I think, were kept subtle so as not to overpower the fish...you could actually skip the kelp and mushrooms if you were trying to save room for later.

- New-style unagi (lightly seared) layered with shiitake over a bed of tofu, with uni on the side
They have a really good sauce for the uni, because I don't like uni, and this tasted great! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] The unagi was also wonderful when prepared like this, as the meat is very tender, and no powerful marinade.

- Toro salad with vegetable spring roll
I wasn't crazy about the spring roll...I thought it was bland. The toro salad, however, was very good.

- Green tea & Ume sorbet
I guess this was a palate cleanser? I wasn't expecting to get something like this in the middle of the meal. After the server brought it out, I told my wife, "Thank you for dining at Nobu, please come back soon." Anyway, it was not overly sweet, and would be fine as a dessert after a big meal.

- Broiled snapper over risotto with snow crab meat, topped with a white truffle chip
The hot dishes started with a small chunk of snapper that was done pretty much perfectly, no color, but still very juicy. The risotto was OK, nothing special, but the rice went well with the fish.

- Small, sliced, grilled "Kobe" beef tenderloin with Okinawa potatoes served alongside a slice of grilled Japanese eggplant topped with a small piece of grilled foie gras.
I'm going to commit heresy in a bit...I put Kobe in quotes, because I hear a bunch of stories about whether or not Kobe is Kobe, but this tenderloin was done rare, and the potatoes went nicely with it. Great dish. I don't really like eggplant, but this was OK, so they did something right. I'd never had foie gras before, and, well, meh? There, I said it.

- Miso soup with clam
Another break, like the sorbet. It wasn't bad or anything, but I was getting kinda full, so I almost skipped it. (almost).

- Nigiri sampler: Oh Toro, pink snapper, sardine, snow crab, jumbo clam
The clam was fresh and crunchy, but the snow crab was pretty ordinary. This was only the second time I've had sardine nigiri. I like sardine under other circumstances, but for sushi, I think it's just too oily? I couldn't tell the difference between the pink snapper and, say, fresh tai, but it was very firm and tasty. My wife told me the Oh Toro was awful and that I should consider letting her eat it for me, as she didn't want it to ruin my dinner. I love her very much, but in matters of sushi, she is not to be trusted. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] Try the Oh Toro.

- Blancmange (yogurt, in this case) over almond crisp, pomegranate seeds, and assorted frozen berries.
Full. I almost had to pass on dessert (almost). Again, not overly sweet, which is a plus in my book, and the berries and almond crisp combined very well.

The service was tremendous, as the restaurant has a large waitstaff, so dishes are cleared away promptly, but we were not rushed. Our section filled up towards the latter half of the meal, but the staff were able to keep up with no problems.

If you're a fan of this type of Japanese food, check it out - it's pricey, but you're in Vegas, so live a little!