Las Vegas… Home to world class casino resorts and fine dining restaurants. No wonder this city is crowned the city of entertainment. There’s something for everybody here. Sure, you could spend your time throwing down money on gambling or spend your cash shopping in Vegas, but I wanted to make sure I was going to eat good while I was here.

Although I wanted to support my local California Chefs like Michael Mina, Hubert Keller, and Thomas Keller by dining at their Las Vegas restaurants, I knew that I could just visit their restaurants close to my home. I wanted to explore a little more. But, with so many restaurants to choose from, how was I going to make my decision?

I read about Joël Robuchon’s restaurant, L’Atelier, and how they offered an open kitchen so that you could watch your meal being prepared. That feature of the restaurant instantly drew me in. And yes, knowing that Joël Robuchon was named Chef of the century did influence me in a way, but I was intrigued to see how his philosophy on food would be seen with the way his team would prepare my meal.

Housed inside the MGM Grand Casino, you will find Joël Robuchon’s restaurants, L’Atelier and Joël Robuchon. Just a few steps away from the gaming floor, you are transported to a restaurant where your visual senses are in for a ride. When you are seated inside L’Atelier, the first thing you will notice is the open kitchen with Robuchon’s cooks busily working.

Las Vegas may be home to some amazing shows, and you can definitely list L’Atelier as a show to behold. L’Atelier offers counter seating, where you can watch cooks plating and preparing your meal just a few feet from where you sit. At one instance, my eyes were glued to the head chef as he prepared a ribeye. You could see him carefully using his turner to scoop up the juices to baste the ribeye as it was cooking. He finally finished the dish by melting a piece of butter onto the stove and letting those flavors set into the steak.

Two Chef’s tasting menus are available, but when we visited, we opted to order à la carte. It would’ve been nice to explore a tasting menu, but the dishes that we wanted to try were not offered on them. L’Atelier also offers a menu of small tasting portions which gives you that ability and feeling of building your own tasting menu for yourself, or you can enjoy those dishes as appetizers.

A selection of bread – from croissants to small baguettes

Amuse-bouche of Grapefruit gelée, Apple, all topped with Avocado and Cilantro

Appetizer – Foie Gras Ravioli served in Chicken Broth, topped with Thai Basil and Cream

The soup was topped with cream that was optional, served table side. The small pillows of ravioli bursted with flavor when you went in for a spoonful.

Free Range Quail Stuffed with Foie Gras, served with Truffled Mashed Potatoes

The quail was perfectly tender and moist, with the foie gras adding more richness to all of the succulent flavors. The truffled mashed potatoes were so fluffy and buttery. I could say that they were the best mashed potatoes that I’ve ever tasted.

John Dory with Baby Octopus, served with Fava Beans, Artichokes, and Black Olives

The sauce that accompanied the fish was slightly sweet and tart, paired well with the earthy fava beans, artichokes, and salty olives. All of the flavors seemed to absorb right into the flakey and delicate texture of the John Dory.

Soufflé served with Pistachio Ice Cream

What better way to end a French dinner, than with a classic French dessert? As an added touch, the Pistachio Ice Cream was served table side, with our server placing a spoonful of ice cream that melted down the center of the soufflé. The soufflé was light, with a sweet finish coming from the ice cream.

Throughout the entire evening I couldn’t help myself from not looking up and watching other diners’ meals being prepared. It was fascinating to witness how some of the dishes were executed. Dining at L’Atelier might just be worth a visit if you want to enjoy that feeling of being inside the kitchen at one of Joël Robuchon’s restaurants.

Here’s a video taken at our dinner:

L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon
Inside the MGM Grand Casino
3799 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
Visit L’Atelier’s Website

Dining For Dim Sum in Milbrae Food memories have always been a big part of me,...

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We arrived at Sam’s for lunch and the place was already packed with diners. The restaurant itself sits right next to the ocean, giving you the opportunity for waterfront dining. We were lucky enough to grab a table next to the window.

So, what makes the lobster rolls at Sam’s stand out? You can start with the bread. The roll itself is a brioche bun, specially made for Sam’s. Toasted on all sides, giving a light crunch when you bite into the roll, but still remaining soft with a rich buttery taste.

And of course the lobster. The lobster they use for the roll is meat from the claws that has been tossed in butter. They are very generous when it comes to packing the rolls with lobster meat. I counted about six claws in the roll they served me. The lobster doesn’t hide behind any mayonnaise like a traditional lobster roll, so you can really taste the sweetness coming from the lobster and roll itself. The word succulent isn’t enough to discribe the roll.

Each order is severed with a side of house made potato chips and coleslaw.

In 2007, Sam’s lobster rolls have been mentioned on NBC’s Today Show as being one of the top 5 sandwiches in the country. Who would’ve expected that a restaurant on the West Coast would have such a standout lobster roll.

Sam’s Chowder House
4210 Cabrillo Highway North
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
(650) 712-0245
www.samschowderhouse.com

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That night we opted to go for the 8 Course Chef’s Tasting menu. The menu was very intriguing. Several keywords highlighted each course, along with the main components of the dish. It left you with a sense of surprise and wonder at what you were going to receive. Below is a look at our meal:

“Amuse-bouche”
A bite of foie gras with passion fruit ice and sweet potato.

“Dawn”
Kumamoto oysters dressed in a beet emulsion and passion fruit.

“Soil”
A mix of root and baby vegetables with sprinkled with pumpernickel crumbs.

“Herbs Garden”
A refreshingly sweet celery sorbet with toasted quinoa and apple.

“Wilderness”
Tender Venison served with a crostini and pear purée.

“Trou Normand”
A sweet drink with the essence of guava, to cleanse your palate.

“Sea”
Succulent lobster tail with sea urchin foam and buttery foie gras, on a bed of couscous.

“Farm”
A piece of beef cheek, with a incredibly soft, fall apart texture.

“Spring Sky”
“Pearls and Snow” – lychee, frozen goat cheese, and meringue, served on a pillow of pineapple tapioca.

“Fromage”
Epoisse, Sable Breton and Vanilla-Kumquat Compote

“Cacao”
A decadent chocolate cake served with a chocolate ganache.

“Dusk”
A “Surprise”, which consisted of in house made chocolates to end the meal.

What amazed us was the presentation of each course. Every dish was visually appealing and appetizing. Whether it was seeing the small intricate details of the garnishes or the arrangement of the dishes’ components, I simply thought to myself, “Wow.” It was an very enjoyable evening to be able to see and experience Crenn’s tasting menu. Just sitting here and reminiscing about the “Sea” course is enough for me to want to go back.

Luce
InterContinental Hotel
888 Howard St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 616-6566
www.lucewinerestaurant.com

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Crawfish and shrimp are served in bags by the pound. Open the bags up and the aroma of garlic surrounds the table and you could just see your order swimming in a pool spicy cayenne garlic butter sauce.

We ordered a pound of shrimp which came out well cooked and was very sweet. And since we wanted to go Cajun, we couldn’t leave Crawdaddy without ordering their crawfish. It’s a lot of work to get to the crawfish meat, but it was worth it. The crawfish was sweet, and when dipped in the garlic butter sauce, the flavors just complemented each other. You had a taste of that sweet and spicy going on where sips of soda or water was a must to cool down the fiery burn.

There isn’t a lack of heat here. You have your choice of mild, medium, or hot with your orders. We went with the mild and still saw my friends gasping for cool air. I thought mild was the perfect heat level. Anything else just might make you really chug down water.

A final tip to keep in mind is to use the bibs they give you. With all the shrimp head twisting and crawfish shell cracking happening, things can get messy and you don’t want any of that on your clothes. Crawdaddy is truly a hands on restaurant and not for the lazy eater because you’ll be busily working for each bite.

Crawdaddy
779 Story Road #1
San Jose, CA 95122
(408) 286-2729
www.crawdaddysj.com

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I’ll admit that I’m not a huge wine connoisseur, and being in Napa, you would expect someone to be excited about going wine tasting. I’ve only been to a few wineries and I do have a good time, but I’m more into checking out the food scene of Napa. I just feel that there’s good food to be tried and enjoyed here. So far, the meals I’ve had here have made me want to keep coming back for more.

A few weeks ago, we took a trip to Napa and I wanted to find good place for lunch, and saw that Chef Richard Reddington’s Redd in Yountville was one of the top suggested restaurants to eat at. After reading a few initial reviews, it seemed to be a spot worth checking out. Finding out that Redd held one Michelin star helped with that choice.

We started off our meal with with the Yellowfin Tuna and Hamachi Tartare as an appetizer. It was served with sliced pieces of Asian pear and chili oil to give the dish a balance of sweet and spicy. A sprinkle of Jasmine rice that was fried in peanut oil added a nice slight crunchiness to the dish.

My adventurous self wanted to try something that I never really order, so I went with the Crispy Duck Confit with Foie Gras Meatballs. I don’t ever recall catching myself ordering duck, so I was looking forward to trying this dish. It was simply delicious. The duck was served on top of spaetzle and cabbage which I thought had amazing flavor. As for the duck, it was very moist. It left me with the impression that I should be trying duck more often.

Also, on our order was the Caramelized Diver Scallops, served on top of a cauliflower purée. This was a beautifully presented dish. I’ve seen scallops at so many restaurants before, but when this dish arrived at our table, our eyes lit up. The balsamic reduction served with this dish, helped bring out the sweetness of the scallops.

I seldom talk about the service aspect of restaurants that I’ve been to, but I have to mention how a little more goes on with Redd when they treat diners. Our server explained the dishes in complete detail for us, which I always enjoy hearing. The only other restaurant that really did that for us was Ad Hoc. Ever since that meal at Ad Hoc, I really appreciated servers and restaurants that train their staff for doing that. It just adds more to the dining experience.

Redd was an experience that I have been sharing with everyone. For lunch, I couldn’t be any happier and satisfied.

Redd
6480 Washington Street
Yountville, CA 94599
(707) 944-2222
www.rednapavalley.com

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It was a busy Friday night at the restaurant with tables available to those with reservations. The only option left was bar seating which I didn’t mind. I mainly was looking forward to the food.

Our meal started off with Seared Yellowtail Tuna on top of a salad of baby artichokes and olives drizzled with citrus oil and a balsamic glaze.

When I was browsing the menu earlier, I noticed they were offering a Crispy Pork Belly starter. It sounded too good to pass up, but they had a equally appetizing Pork Shoulder Confit entrée on the menu also. To avoid a pork overload, we chose to go with the Yellowtail Tuna starter and get our pork fix with the Pork Shoulder Confit.

The deliciously crispy outside and tender inside cut of pork shoulder sat on top of a serving of buttery polenta.

The other entrée we ordered was the Pan Roasted Chicken. This came on a whim. While waiting for a seat at the bar, we noticed that many diners were ordering the chicken. A server walked by us with someone’s order of the chicken and our eyes were glued to the passing plate. It smelled all too good. I often skip chicken dishes because of the thought of being served an overcooked, dry serving of chicken. That was not the case here. Moist and juicy are the words to describe this dish, which was served with spinach, fingerling potatoes, grilled radicchio, and a lemon-rosemary jus.

Throughout the dinner, I just felt a good vibe about Wood Tavern. Maybe it was because we sat at the bar. Seeing the faces of others cheering and chowing down over food and drinks really plays into that feeling of being in a favorite local neighborhood spot. My only wish is that Wood Tavern would be in my neighborhood.

I’ve always seen this city as being over shadowed by San Francisco’s restaurant offerings, but after this positive visit, I’m already wanting to see what other good restaurants there are to visit in Oakland.

Wood Tavern
6317 College Avenue
Oakland, CA 94618
(510) 654-6607
www.woodtavern.net

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And I’ll admit, I love pork siomai, but never saw myself as someone who knew much about good quality dim sum. It didn’t seem too late to start a search, testing and trying different restaurants serving dim sum, to find a favorite spot. So, Rose and I took a trip to the Hong Kong Flower Lounge in Milbrae for dim sum. It’s a place that I picked out because whenever I’m in the area, the restaurant always catches my attention. I mean, the building stands tall on the corner of El Camino and Milbrae Avenue, and is not hard to miss. I wanted to see how their dim sum was.

Having dim sum after such a long absence definitely did bring back good memories. We left satisfied and eager to return back. Of course, I do want to learn more about dim sum, better yet, good quality dim sum. This is just a start. Maybe we’ll find better along the way.

Hong Kong Flower Lounge
51 Millbrae Ave.
Millbrae, CA 94030
(650) 692-6666

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The more time that I spent in the Bay Area, the more I found myself finding reasons just to go to the Ferry Building. I slowly began to discover my personal favorite finds, always returning back to them. There’s so much to take in. It’ll take awhile for me, or anyone to discover it all in one visit.

One spot that I catch myself going back to, time and time again, is the Hog Island Oyster Bar.

Why? Just so I can share the experience of having some of the freshest oysters available, some right out of Tomales Bay, with others. You can have them shucked and enjoyed fresh or baked. The Casino oyster, shown above, is just one example of baked oysters that they offer on the Hog Island Oyster Bar menu. Layers of flavor from paprika, shallots, thyme, and butter, just soak into the sweet oyster. Add just a touch of lemon juice to finish it off, eat, nod your head in delight, and repeat.

Backing up Hog Island Oyster Bar’s oysters are some solid soups that are not to be missed. One in particular that pleases us every time we visit is the clam chowder. Floating around the creamy broth you’ll find the standard potatoes and bacon, but what stands out here are the Manila clams. Still in the shell, you’ll have to work at picking them out. We don’t mind. It just adds to the aura of knowing you’re getting fresh clams and not any of that canned stuff. With my friends and family, we all agree that for the most part, the texture of chowder is pleasantly on the light side, not thick and heavy. I’ve had chowders in the past that were always thick, leaving me with a full feeling in my gut after one bowl. I can tell you that it’s refreshing to get something on the lighter side of things. You focus less on the richness of the texture and begin to see the clams as the highlight.

They say that everything should be enjoyed in moderation. It’s hard for us to follow that when we’re here. You just want to keep ordering oyster after oyster, savoring each sweet bit from their shells.

Hog Island Oyster Bar
1 Ferry Building #11A
San Francisco, CA 94111
www.hogislandoysters.com

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Street is an idea by Chef Susan Feniger and she uses Street as her canvas to portray her interpretation of street food from all around the world. Street isn’t just an average restaurant, but a way for you to globetrot on a plate to sample global street food without leaving your seat. This was something I wanted to check out because there isn’t a restaurant like this in the Bay Area that has street food as their main focus. Our first stop, Singapore…

Kaya Toast – toasted bread spread with a sweet coconut jam, served with a fried egg drizzled with dark soy sauce. With the egg yolk broken, it was just calling for us to take some of the toasted bread and dip it, making sure to get some of the salty soy sauce. The flavors work, bringing together the sweetness from the coconut jam with the savory egg yolk and salty dark soy sauce. Next, Hawaii…

Hawaiian Alanui Poke – diced Ono fillet and avocado marinated in a dashi ponzu sauce, served atop a crispy sesame rice cake. Texturally, the soft fish and avocado mixture complemented the crispy rice cake. It was definitely not your ordinary tuna tartare, but a street food version of it. Then, it was off to Korea…

Korean Short Ribs with Mushrooms & Asian Pear Salad – the first dish in L.A. that made me say, “Wow.” It had deep flavors of sesame that was only enhanced by how soft and tender the short ribs were. The preparation that was taken to braise the beef to perfection is what holds this dish together. We returned back to Singapore for our last dish…

Mayasian Black Pepper Clams – simmered in oyster sauce, palm sugar, soy, and lime. The sweet clams tucked in their shell offered a bold hit of pepper flavors.

Vision of what cuisine a Chef will focus on seems to be a crucial element in the restaurant world. So, with Street serving flavors of India and Asia, one can wonder if that vision is clear. From the eyes of a traveling Chef, Susan Feniger will tell you yes. She gives you a taste of what the world has to offer without boxing herself into just focusing on a single cuisine. I felt that eating at Street was a unique experience that was enjoyable. Flavors were bold and the idea of having a restaurant focus on street food is attractive to those looking to explore a little bit.

The food that we ordered is only a small sample of what was available. It’ll be up to you to see how you want to eat your way through the world when you visit.

Street
742 N. Highland Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
www.eatstreet.com

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A Roscoe’s was close to where we were staying so, we decided to grab have lunch. We were greeted by the brightly lit red neon Roscoe’s sign with their signature chicken mascot.

After driving for five hours, you can definitely work up an appetite. The Scoe’s combo would be enough to satisfy that hunger. I think a ¼ of crispy fried chicken and two golden waffles with a side of syrup will do it. Just let that the syrup pour. The waffles soaked up the syrup like a sponge which almost just made the waffles melt in your mouth. The sweet and savory on a plate worked.

We also had an order of the red beans and rice. A hearty serving of red beans were served on top of fluffy white rice. This was definitely filling. The dish included the same crispy fried chicken and a piece of moist cornbread.

And just when we thought our meal was over, the table next to us got their order of fried chicken with gravy. We couldn’t leave Roscoe’s without trying their gravy. We were pretty familiar with the chicken and gravy combination, since Jollibee, one of our favorite local spots, has been doing it forever with their fried chicken. It gave us something to compare Roscoe’s gravy to. Our take on the gravy? Don’t order the fried chicken without it. It’s available on the side. I thought the gravy just brought out more flavor to everything.

We left Roscoe’s satisfied. It was a fulfilling well deserved meal, especially after that long drive to L.A. We were anxious and ready to take on the food Los Angeles had to offer.

Roscoe’s House of Chicken ‘n Waffles
1514 N Gower St.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
www.roscoeschickenandwaffles.com

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