Before the end of the year, Patrick and I managed a week away to relax amid the busyness of the holidays. We chose to go to Las Vegas,not to gamble, but to eat where the gourmet-inclined locals eat. In a previous column, about two months ago, I did a review of restaurants that were truly homey and down-to-earth affordable, all places away from The Strip.
I’d reserved a couple of restaurants to talk about that were actually on The Strip. Each of them held special meaning for us and I am sure they will come through for you.
Tao in Las Vegas opened two years ago and is situated in the luxurious Venetian. Like the lauded New York location, it is a hotbed for celebrity sightings, yet it manages to make everyone melt seamlessly into the Zen feeling that flows in an all encompassing blanket of sensibility,at least during regular dining hours since after 10 p.m. it turns into an ultra-sophisticated nightclub.
Lush velvets and silks, the Zen factors of water, wood and stone mingle with the romantic light of countless candles. The upper level dining room, my favorite, floats out toward the front of the restaurant and overlooks a replicated 16-foot Buddha that sits atop an infinity pond stocked with koi. Overhead, ceilings are made of massive panels painted in Chinese characters and interior walls sport Asian themed art.
The food is Pan-Asian. And while every casino may look somewhat the same in this city, the artful presentation and interest factor of this food is in a realm of its own. Another surprise is that for all this unique kind of glamour, the price of the food is quite reasonable. After a dinner that included several appetizers, entrees, a shared dessert and two glasses of wine, the two of us spent just more than $150 and that included a 30% tip because of the extraordinary service and the helpfulness of our waiter.
We began with a lovely corn and crab soup that came with some extra crab impaled on a bamboo stick. Next time, we’re having the miso soup with mahogany clams proclaimed to be outstanding by nearby diners. When we returned to Orange County, the first thing I tried to do was replicate the baby bok choy cooked in tempura batter that had been recommended by our waiter. It was so delicious, but their version far surpassed my attempt. We also had the lobster stuffed wontons with a snappy shiitake and ginger broth as part of our first courses.
From a slew of entrees that all jumped off the page, we had glazed salmon with udon noodles and spinach and Hong Kong XO Shrimp (XO is a slightly spicy and sweet sauce) featuring eight large shrimp with a pile of al dente long beans and aromatic jasmine rice. Dessert was a dramatic, huge fortune cookie, one side of which was filled with chocolate mousse, the other with a custardy vanilla mousse.
On our next trip, we’re definitely taking more people with us as we want to try so many things. I’m imagining the taste of the duck spring rolls, yuzu dusted avocado, lacquered filet of pork, usu zukuri (thinly sliced Japanese snapper with a splash of chile sauce), even New York steak with Szechwan potatoes.
To say that we are very fond of Tao is an understatement. Tao is among the Grand Canal Shoppes in the Venetian. Call (702) 388-8338 for reservations. It’s a good idea to make reservations about three weeks ahead of time. Appetizers are $4 to $14, entrees $24 to $48.
Trader Vic’s Finds New Home
Although we did not plan it, we just happened to arrive in Las Vegas two days after Trader Vic’s opened on The Strip. The iconic restaurant is directly across the street from the Bellagio, all the better to see that luxurious hotel’s waterworks and the dramatic lighting after sunset (especially from the patio and the upstairs Tiki Club Lounge).
We grew up with Trader Vic’s at the Beverly Hilton hotel. The back story of this empire, which now includes restaurants around the world, is interesting.
Victor Bergeron’s father was a waiter in San Francisco and owned a grocery store in Oakland. Victor Jr. acquired his father’s love of the food business. With a small savings of $700, the younger Bergeron opened a little pub across the street from the family store that served his take on Polynesian drinks and Americanized Polynesian food.
Subsequently, the pub, which opened in 1932, became known as Trader Vic’s and Bergeron became known as “The Trader.” He created the mai tai cocktail there in 1944 and followed that with a whole list of island-style drinks. He opened Trader Vic’s in Beverly Hills in 1955 and since then has just kept adding to the restaurant collection.
Like all Trader Vic’s, this new one in Las Vegas has some South Seas accents, but with modern touches, combining thatched shingles with up-to-date tables and the bar itself. It’s a very gentle kind of South Pacific decor.
The restaurant empire is now overseen by the third generation,Victor’s son Lynn Bergeron. He’s as adamant as his father about keeping the spirit of the food, but with the highest quality ingredients and a few new Thai-inspired menu items.
Starters of crispy coconut-dredged chicken in a spicy pineapple sauce, lobster dumplings with orange-soy dipping sauce and amazing ahi and hamachi poke (sashimi cubes of both ahi and yellowtail tuna dappled at the last minute in the chef’s special poke dressing) were our starters.
Wokked dishes include a superb beef tenderloin in a mango-chile sauce and Cantonese lobster, a dish that has disappeared from Chinese menus but used to be so popular. Here it is mingled with broccolini and shiitake mushrooms and a tempered black bean sauce. We were in nostalgia heaven. The sea bass over braised choy sum was paired nicely with a thin cloak of miso-orange essence.
Kobe short ribs, tuna tataki with mizuna greens, Hawaiian style pork chop, lomi lomi salmon, steaks, wahoo with green papaya salad and Szechwan prawns remain on my “next time” dinner list.
We did try some of the sweets. Think of things infused with rum, chocolate, bananas and passion fruit and you’ll have the right vision of the menu.
Although it seems a bit over the top to mention that you must order fried rice at Trader Vic’s, I am doing it anyway. The all-in fried rice is studded with prawns, chunks of chicken, lobster and char sieu pork. With all the other added profundities of this dish, it could be a meal on its own. There are a few side dishes on the dinner menu to complement meals and I’d lead you toward the curried rice noodles, a very interesting starch alternative, and the lobster mashed potatoes. The latter is ridiculously inexpensive at only $7 with generous chunks of lobster.
Lunch salads and sandwiches $8.50 to $13.95. Dinner appetizers $7 to $12, dinner entrees $17.95 to $34.95.
Trader Vic’s: 3663 Las Vegas Blvd. South (702) 405-4700.
Curbside Service
As the happy and & #252;ber creative chef Alan Greeley would say, “Here’s the deal.” It’s curbside to go offered for your utmost convenience at his Golden Truffle restaurant in Costa Mesa.
Considering that many people do not have time to cook, don’t like to cook or are not always in the mood to have a restaurant sit-down meal, this may be just the ticket. You call the restaurant and order from a special menu and tell them what time you will pick up the food. Voila! It’s brought out to you curbside and you drive right off with everything in perfect order for serving as soon as you arrive home.
Knowing Alan’s penchant for wonderful presentations and sublime food,just call him Mr. Perfectionist,he’s adamant that this being not your ordinary take-out thrown into a box, which you reheat or eat cold. This is food within the comfort zone and more simply conceived than his extrapolated restaurant menus, but it’s of equal importance to him that it represents his restaurant and himself well.
Things on these curbside to go menus change, but currently I see that he’s offering a quart of soup du jour for $8. For $10, there’s the Golden Truffle Caesar salad or Mexican meat balls with green chile broth. A prime burger with fries is $11, while at $14 there’s a special salad with sweet shrimp or his signature macaroni and cheese. Prime boneless brisket of beef jardini & #269;re, with whipped potatoes and natural jus is $22.
You might take home Juan’s raspberry cheesecake,for two,as dessert. And, Alan even suggests that for $8 he’ll add a half bottle of Cote du Rhone red wine to your order. Of course, he’s perfectly fine with you ordering any other wine on his list too.
This kind of service really makes life easier. I’ll be rolling up to his curb soon to get my meal to go.
While chatting about Golden Truffle, I guess I could mention the meal I had and most of you didn’t. Two weeks ago, Alan rolled out one of his special menus. They are things in addition to his regular menu that comprise regional, seasonal, festival or whatever kind of food or fun that strikes his fancy at the moment.
We went for lunch to try his Soul Food Week specialties. Gullible gourmets that we are, we managed to taste the collard greens, crab-stuffed okra, duck and sausage gumbo, chicken liver beignets, ham hock and beans, chicken with white barbecue sauce and St. Louis spare ribs and a tad of lavender ice cream. We washed it down with a lovely Diogenes Sauvignon Blanc.
While that menu is history, this is my reminder to you that throughout the year Golden Truffle has various culinary specialty weeks. Upcoming are lobster week and mushroom week when Alan will prepare the main ingredient in more inspired ways than you can imagine.
You need to get your name on their mailing list to be apprised of all the special menus, wine dinners and other culinary activities, plus the menus for curbside to go. Call (949) 645-9970 and you’ll be all set.
Golden Truffle serves lunch Tuesday through Friday and dinner Thursday through Saturday. It is at 1767 Newport Blvd. in Costa Mesa.
