Daniel Boulud Brasserie - Las Vegas

Wynn Hotel - Las Vegas
888.352.3463

After watching episodes of "After Hours with Daniel" on Hulu, I have gained even more respect for this renowned chef. Although Daniel Boulud Brasserie isn't his flagship restaurant and not as creative as the dishes he would normally serve, I figured this is as close as I would get for now.

The restaurant was participating in the "Taste of Wynn" and offering a prix fixe dinner for $49. 

Duck Terrine with red onion marmalade
The duck terrine was served with an assortment of pickled vegetables and bread on the side. I liked the fun yet simple plating on the dish that allowed me to try out different combination of vegetables and either mustard or the red onion marmalade.

Parsnip Soup with black walnut spiced bread
Since the wifey got the terrine, I thought it would be a good opportunity to try out the parsnip soup with black walnut spiced bread. The soup was smooth with a subdued but present parsnip flavor. I thought the black walnut spiced bread was a nice addition to the dish.

Escargots
Can't comment on these much. I didn't get to try them out. Our dining companions thought it was OK and a different interpretation of escargots.

DB Burger - 9oz sirloin stuffed with braised short ribs, foie gras, and black truffle - 32
Some of our friends joined us on this meal and instead of ordering the prix fixe menu one of them decided to try out the DB Burger. My friends were generous enough to offer a bite of the DB Burger, but the bite I had didn't have any foie gras or black truffle or at least enough to taste it. He commented that he wasn't all that impressed with the DB Burger either.

Sea Scallops - beurre noisette, caper, raisin, cauliflower
The presentation was nice with a row of scallops alternating with cauliflower, pearl onions and tomatoes. The sauce lightly flavored the scallops, and the other components on the dish nicely added a fresh taste to the dish.  But overall, the flavors were a bit too mild and didn't wow me as much as other scallop dishes I've tried.

Steak frites - 8 oz sirloin onion compote french fries watercress salad
Simple, straightforward and delicious. Here we have a a classic brasserie dish - the steak frites. The steak was cooked perfectly to a specified medium rare. I appreciated the addition of the onion marmalade and the watercress salad to add to extra flavor and variety to this simple dish. The frites were fantastic as well, perfectly fried.

Chocolate Hazelnut Fondant
The chocolate hazelnut fondant was smooth as a fondant should be. The chocolate and hazelnut flavors had just the right amount of flavor and to balance each other out. The scoop of ice cream and the crisp nicely added extra texture and flavor to the already rich dessert.

Warm Apple Tatin with maple ice cream
This reminded me of a sophisticated gourmet apple pie. The apples were caramelized in butter and sugar. I think I would rather have a warm, simple comforting apple pie than this gourmet version. It was a bit tricky to try to get all the components of the dessert in a perfect bite.

Mignardises
We ended our meal with some complimentary mignardises from the restaurant. Nice little touch.

Service was excellent during out meal. There was an incident where a fork almost fell off of the table, and the waiter with ninja-like instincts magically caught the fork midair. Daniel Boulud Brasserie serves simple brasserie food. Don't expect to be wowed by creativity; this is simple brasserie food that is done very well. I heard the restaurant will be closing in towards the end of May. I'll be sad to see this restaurant go.

Egg & I - Las Vegas

4533 W. Sahara Ave.
Las Vegas, NV 89102
702.364.9686
www.theeggworks.com
Hours - 6AM to 3PM

Every time I come to Las Vegas, I always try new places, preferring not to go to the same restaurant again unless the restaurant is that damn good or worth it. For some reason, this rule of mine has been thrown out the window the last 4 times I have been to Las Vegas. I keep coming back to Egg and I to get my breakfast fix and I'm not even a huge breakfast lover. 

Similar to the Korean restaurants that use a button to get the waiter's attention or Brazilian BBQ with the green for keep it coming or the red for I am stuffed..."no more!!!" Egg and I has the flip-the-egg sign with the sad face signifying that I am one unhappy egg and need something. And the smiley face side is left to say "I am a happy camper."

Homemade banana nut muffin - complimentary 
Took some friends here for their first time and one of our friends took a bite and responded, "The Bomb!" That pretty much sums it up for me too.

Banana pancakes - These pancakes are a must for any banana pancake lover. Fluffy and moist with
the perfect amount of bananas strategically placed. The bananas somehow slightly get caramelized adding to the flavor of these pancakes.

Ultimate Skillet - Sausage, ham, bacon, mushroom, onions, tomato, bell pepper, spinach, and eggs any way you like. 
The wifey ordered the Ultimate Skillet. Ultimate is the word when describing this skillet. Underneath this meat and veggie mixture is the yummy ranch potatoes. All of these components come together harmoniously to make a delicious and hearty skillet.

Blackened Prime Rib Benny - Grilled croissant with diced prime rib, sauteed spinach, roasted bell peppers and two poached eggs then covered in hollandaise sauce.
I have been to Egg and I four times, and each of the four times I have ordered the Blackened Prime Rib Benny. I love breaking into the poached eggs, allowing the yokes to ooze out. Another favorite of mine is the ranch potatoes. The tots are seasoned with a Lawry like seasoning salt that makes them all the more addicting.

Normally I wouldn't go out of my way for a breakfast or find myself craving it. Great prices, great portions, and great food has me coming back each and every time I come to Las Vegas. Egg and I is not a fancy pants establishment. This place knows what it does and does it well. Large portions and a fulfilling meal is what you get here. I'll be here next time I'm in Vegas. See you soon Egg and I!!

SEABLUE - Las Vegas

MGM Grand - Las Vegas
702.891.3486

SEABLUE is the creation of James Beard award-winning chef Michael Mina and inspired by the bustling ports and marketplaces of the Mediterranean. We heard about a fantastic happy hour that SEABLUE has from Sunday - Friday 5:30 to 7:00 P.M. $2 Stella Artois or Fat Tire, $1 oysters, as well as a few other items.

 

Chermoula Chicken Skewers - 3

Had no idea what chermoula was but not a big seafood eater, so had to order what was available. Chermoula is actually a sauce or marinade that is popular in Moroccan, Algerian, and Tunisian food. The marinade is sometimes made with lemon, garlic, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, paprika, saffron, parsley, and oil. Not sure which was the chermoula the marinade rub or the red sauce. These skewers were actually quite good. Nicely seasoned and cooked. I actually liked the skewers better without the red sauce.

Salt and Pepper Calamari - 5

Everyone at the table thought these were just OK. Very lightly breaded and slightly seasoned. The accompanying sauce helped add a bit of flavor. Not bad for $5 but not a must order or a favorite of the night.

 

Lobster Corndogs - 7

Really excited to try this dish out when I saw it on the menu. Lobster??? Corndogs??? High end expensive item.. and at the opposite end of spectrum the corn dog - ultimate comforting fair food. The end result was not bad. For $7, I can't complain too much. Didn't taste as fantastic as we dreamt it would be though.

Oysters and Shrimps - 1

I came to SEABLUE with a bunch of oyster lovers and they were not disappointed at all. $1.. I repeat $1 for oysters. On this particular night, they were Fanny Bay Oysters. I am not sure whether there are other choices on other nights. Crisp, clean, and fresh. I think by the end of the night our group of 6 ended up ordering over 50+ oysters. The shrimps were good too, but didn't compare to the oysters.

For any oyster lover, this is a mandatory stop while in Las Vegas - $2 Stellas and Fat Tires, $1 oysters, as well as a few other items. This is a must go! Their happy hour has to be one of the better deals in Vegas.  I would recommend coming at least 10 to 15 minutes early to snag a seat...SEABLUE fills up quickly. 

Nob Hill Tavern - Las Vegas

MGM Grand - Las Vegas

702.891.7337

Nob Hill Tavern is just one of the many restaurants owned by Michael Mina.  According to their website, this restaurant is a modern interpretation of American tavern fare. The restaurant's space and design are both nicely done, with private-looking booths as you walk in and a large dining area in the back of the restaurant.

Classic French Onion Soup, Gruyère Grilled Cheese 

This was a deconstructed version of the classic French onion soup. Instead of a piece of bread in the soup and cheese to top it, they made a gruyere grilled cheese sandwich. One of the couples we went with ordered this dish, so I didn't get a chance to try it. I remember them saying they enjoyed it, but wasn't the best version they ever tasted. The best, they said, came from a small bistro in France.

Bay Shrimp "Louie", Little Gems, Avocado, Egg, Tomato, Spicy Louie Dressing 
A simple and straightforward presentation of salad. This was yet another dish that I didn't try. The salad looked very fresh and appetizing.

Tasting of ham -  in order from left to right: Italian ham? country ham, and jamon serrano

This was a trio of a tasting of hams. Initially tasting all three hams, I thought the one of the left was the tastiest of the three. After sampling each of the hams a few more times, I really started to enjoy and take note of the complexity of the jamon serrano. Supposedly the jamon serrano comes from white pigs as opposed to the jamon iberico which comes from black pigs.

House-Made Pâté
The house made pâté was served with buttered and toasted bread, some whole grain mustard, and cornichons.  This was a coarser version of pâté but nonetheless very enjoyable.

 

Kurobuta Pork Chop - Braised Swiss Chard, Bacon Lardons, Toasted Farro Salad, Pork Jus 

Having just eaten the kurobuta porch chop at Spago a month earlier, I wanted to try out Nob Hill's version. I am glad to say that I actually enjoyed this version better than Spago's. I didn't care so much for the toasted farro salad; I think I am just not a grain/farro person and maybe it just tastes too healthy. Although I enjoyed this kurobuta pork chop more than Spago's, this dish was just average/good for me. The pork wasn't as moist and tender as I expected. Lately, I have been striking out with the kurobuta.

Maine Lobster Pot Pie - Baby Vegetables, Truffle Cream 

The couple that we dined with was really looking forward to the signature Lobster Pot Pie.  As the waiter wheeled out a cart upon which a copper pot shrooming with a golden brown crust topping, we were all excited to see what would unfold next.

The waiter then expertly slices away the top of the crust and gently places the crust, which will now be the base upon which all the contents of the copper pot will rest upon and allow the juices and truffle cream to infuse with. As the waiter slices away the crust to unveil what mysterious treasure the copper pot holds, a bouquet of scents finds its way over towards our table. The essence of lobster!!

Here we have the final product plated and ready to be eaten!! After the build up of the presentation and the plating, our expectations were high. The couple that ordered the lobster pot pie thought the dish was just OK. Nicely cooked lobster and vegetables but the depth of flavor just wasn't there. Having high expectations for this dish, this dish didn't reach the mark.

American Kobe Burger - "Secret Sauce", Balsamic Onions
This burger was an attempt at a gourmet Big Mac. I really didn't find anything special or noteworthy about this burger. The special sauce was indeed similar to that of a Big Mac, and the lettuce was even shredded similar to that of a Big Mac. The burger ended up being overcooked to a medium-well as opposed to the requested medium-rare. When ordering a burger at a finer establishment, I expect something different, not a knock-off of a fast food chain.

Truffle Mac N' Cheese 
An excellent example of a gourmet Mac N' Cheese. The truffle flavor was very evident but not overwhelmingly so. The porcini mushrooms added a nice earthy mushroom flavor to this dish.The pasta was more corkscrew shaped pasta as opposed to elbow macaroni.

Valrhona Manjari Chocolate Soufflé - Orange Marmalade, Vanilla Ice Cream

The souffle was not as light and fluffy as most souffles I have had.  This one was a little more cakey-like. The outside of the souffle was sugar encrusted which added a nice texture contrast to the souffle. The Valrhona Manjari supposedly comes from the best beans from Madagascar. Didn't taste remarkably different than other other chocolate taste I have had in the past.

Overall, most of the dishes we had ranged from good to most being just average. To make matters worse, the restaurant seemed to be short staffed and, as a result, service suffered throughout our meal. Our waiter at times was nowhere to be seen and when seen, couldn't be flagged down. There are just too many restaurants in Las Vegas to take the opportunity to dine here again.