Julian Serrano @ Aria (Prologue)

Visited 6/29/2010

 


    Julian Serrano is one of the biggest celebrity Chef in Las Vegas. He is the magic behind the 5 diamond restaurant Picasso at Bellagio, and has build up royal followers through out 11 years.  His new restaurant J.S. at Aria is going to be the next hot spot in Las Vegas.
  The restaurant has a great location compared to the rest of fine dining restaurants in Aria. It is located next to the hotel registry, and on the passage way to City Center’s upscale shopping gem – Crystal.   The color setup of the restaurant has a full gamma glow, orangey and bright, harmonized to Spanish’s warmth and passionate cultural food.  It is almost impossible to ignore its existence as you walk by the restaurant.
 
  Even though, it is described as classic Spanish tapas.  It actually has elements from all over the
world.  It has round table that allows ease of sharing.  Due to flight schedule, I didn’t have time dive deep into the menu and think about what I want.  I start the meal with apple manchego salad.  Sliced green apple with manchego cheese is dazzle with chives and mix in balsamic vinaigrette.  It is such a refreshing dish for the summer.  The sourness in the vinaigrette instantly activate your appetite. This reminds me a lot of the famous Thai papaya salad. If there is a spicy kick to this dish, I think it can goes into another level. 


  Next is the Ahi tuna tempura. Ahi tuna tempura is Tataki tuna wrapped with crispy battings and seaweed.  The fish was fried til perfection. You can still taste the tenderness of the raw fish while the battings is wonderfully crispy. However, the avocado mango ensaladila on the side isn’t as spectacular.



 

This is a lunch special going on when I visit, “Seafood rice”. We were here mainly for their paella (which required 35 min of prep, so make sure you have enough time) but again due to time constrain I ordered the next closest thing. The seafood risotto is wonderfully flavored, the sweetness of the seafood is brought forward and all the fishy smells are left behind, this makes great contrast to typical Spanish restaurant.



I will be looking forward to visit this restaurant again, and go for the more advanced dishes. By the way, compared to the rest of the fine dining in Las Vegas. J.S. is priced very affordable. Therefore, it is definitely worth it to make a trip to here if you are visiting the new City Center, Las Vegas.
 

 

Food: 23/30
Interior: 27/30
Price: $20~50
(based on appetizers and lunch special)

B.B. King’s Blue Club @ Mirage

Visited 6/25/2010

The Legendary B.B. Blue Club sits at the back of the one of most classic hotel Mirage is greatly honored by many visitors. The stage it self has the most classic southern jazzy look to it, just like Legend used to play it on.

The music played by the PJ Barth does not lived to the standard of B.B. King on the night I visited. The band is very skilled but somehow lacks charisma.
The restaurant offers comforting southern food which basically means that everything is fried. (Especially at the late night menu). I was drawn to this place by a Review I saw on the airplane naming its appetizer fried pickle “Epic” and recommended the sampler.

The fried pickle as you can see in the picture above is an interesting experience. Sourly with the texture of a potato chips in combination with the rich ranch sauce makes it a wonderful drinking treat. But it is hard for people who are not used to eating pickles to take on a whole basket of it. (Unless you are very drunk). I would recommended just get the sampler and have a few pieces of it and be sure you are accustomed to it.


The other two dishes I had are B.B.Q wings and the Prawns. Though they claimed the southern styled food are packed with spices all over the world. I really didn’t feel the Zing from it.

The drink menu is really limited in the restaurant as well. You have a option to ordered an 22 oz beer and bring home the glass. It’s a little bit pricy but at least the glass has a very classic B.B. King logo on it. I actually really like it.
Food: 18/30
Interior: 18/30
Price: $30
(based on late night menu only)
Notes: Not recommended as a great late night eaters.
Definitely check the event calendar before going.

The Gem of Las Vegas – Ellis Island Restaurant

Visited 6/29/2010

Las Vegas is no longer a place with cheap eats, crazy comped or special promotion. It is now officially a high-end resort capital that wants you to pay $ for everything. All hotels now include something so called the “Resort Fee” which charging a big waping of $10~20 + tax DAILY!!.
If you are a budget traveler that are here just for the shiny neon lights and paying your tribute to all the spectacular hotels. And you don’t particular enjoy the overpriced foods. Forget Denny’s or Fast food! Ellis Island will be the oasis for your budget. By the end of the meal you will feel you just experienced a Mirage phenomenon.
When you arrived to Ellis Island, which is on Koval street two blocks behind Paris and Planet Hollywood, don’t get shocked by how run down the place looks like. (beside a super 8 hotel) I am not trying to trick you. This may be the best steak experience you ever have.
Grab a sit at one of the leather sofa booth or a table. It is a typical old fashion family restaurant setting. A waiter would hand you a typical family restaurant menu which includes all sorts of items from sandwich, pasta to breakfast items.  The waiter here may look intimidating but they are very friendly and sweet.
 
You may be tempted to order some regular items from the menu or even the 3 dollar breakfast special. But Just ignore all those and order the “Steak and Beer dinner”. (Which IS NOT on the menu, and again Yes they have it) The waiter would ask you if you want soup or salad, then choice of bake potato, mashed potato or rice. I typically go for soup + mashed potato but the salad is nice too. (The baked potato is a bit plain so i don’t recommend it). Then you will need to choose a beer that you want. Ranging from light to dark you can see the “Beer chart” on the dining table.  They actually have similar taste it just the darker the beer is the stronger the taste it is. For those who absolutely don’t drink you can have root beer as well. (Why are you in Vegas?)
 
The beer is very tasty and smooth with a strong accent of rye taste. As you can see this is no small glass of beer.

The soup is always rich and flavorful and not over Iodized. I say it is 50x better than your typical Campbell soup. You also get a nice dinner roll to go with it.

Last but not least the Steak. I have to apologize that I already devoured well more than 1/2 of the steak before I realized i forget to take a picture. The steak is weight more than 10 oz and it is not your typical Denny’s or Sizzler’s dry up steak. It’s tender and nicely aged. The only down side is with the strong air conditioned room the huge steak gets cold quite easily. If you like your steak to be hot for a longer period you might need to order medium-rare.
Oh I haven’t mention all these are only $6.99????? Is this a Mirage or what!
Food: 26/30
Interior: 13/30
Price: under $10
Notes: Highly recommended as a late night go-to spot. Opens 24/7! Hack it is a Must go spot, your Vegas trip isn’t complete without this. After your night out in the town you need your piece of quiet here.

The American Fish (lounge)

Visited 6/28/2010

I am never big on the western seafood cuisine. I believed seafood must be hot and only be steamed. Dressing should be minimal to reflect the original flavors of the freshness of the seafood. However, the latest Michael Mina establishment in City Center might just be the turning point for me.

I came across this restaurant while I await for the newest Cirque du Solei innovation "Viva Elvis". I have about 1.5 hour to spare so I thought venture into the American Fish's lounge area and sample Michael Mina's creations.

The interior is modern with a very calm vibe. It felt like you are in a mysterious lake side ready to reel in some fish. We only ordered some appetizers from the bar menu and a dessert.

($8 for each appetizer but if you are here from 5~7pm, the food is $5 a dish)

I have ordered the "Blue prawns baked in Sea salt" as well as the "Truffled Mac & Cheese" with two drinks "Suffering Bastard" and "Peach blow".

The blue prawn is simply baked with a touch of sea salt. Then presented on top of pickled bits and aioli sauce brings out the sweetness of the shrimp completely. The sourness of the pickled bits harmonize with the juice from the shrimp making it a interesting combination.

The Mac and Cheese on the other hand is just superb. The creaminess of the cheese in combination truffle oil along with perfect tenderness of Mac. I have to say this just might be the best Mac and Cheese I have.

A meal is hardly complete with a desert. I thought we tried the Mascarpone Cheesecake.

It looks very delicate and simple. Yet it delivered a shocking experience for me. The cheesecake melts away your whole body as soon as you take a little bite. The cheese cake taste almost like Amuse Bouche, very milky and soft. As my friend has commented that it might easily surpassed the famous cheese cake shop Eileen's in New York.

After the brief introduction to Michael Mina, I now think I have to make a trip to San Francisco for his legendary main restaurant which is rewarded 1 Michelin star.

Food: 25/30

Price: $30~$50

Interior: 25/30

Notes: Highly recommend as a quick hang out spot before events