Iron Chef trip report - complete with Iris sighting

[*TT*]

Brad L, Death Donkey, Prevaricator and I went to diner at B&B, Iron Chef Mario Batali's newest gourmet heaven at the Venetian which opened last month. In this crowd I am the small stakes fish, but I still scored a home run in picking the restauraunt. All of us agreed it was the best meal we have had in Vegas - and thats a HUGE statement to make.

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!

As we are are polishing off the deserts Chris nearly jumps out of his seat when he notices Iris is sitting across the room facing us. You could hear her froggy voice like a knife cutting through the blubber of a beached whale, there she was in all her glory. We sat in total awe as she announced to the waiter "I'm Iris, I can always be found at Commerce winning in the 40/80 or 60/120 hold'em games. I'm a professional poker player".

Iris - you truly made the desert something special.

PS - for more good diner stories with Prevericator and Brad L be sure to read Prevericator's blog, July 27th @ Gaetano's.