The Cafe, Las Vegas

So over the weekend, I got the chance to spend Hoe-lloween in Vegas, as one of my friends was getting hitched on the strip! It was my first Vegas wedding, and I wasn't sure what to expect, but in the end, it ended up being a fun time, and we all had a blast, dancing, drinking and of course, EATING.

The majority of the food I had in Vegas, however, was a travesty. We went to "Red White and Blue" on Friday night (first night there). Red White and Blue is an All American eatery in the Mandalay Bay, and I had the Chicken Pot Pie which was sorely disappointing. We then proceeded to go to Blush @ the Wynn, thanks to my buddy Chris who helped us get in and hooked us up with free drinks! We then visited Tryst, mostly because we could, but our feet hurt so badly that we had to call it a night. Before doing so, however, we stopped at some bad Vietnamese restaurant at the Wynn (I think), for overpriced yet under-flavored pho.

The next day, I woke up craving some carbs and for some reason, had fond memories of spaghetti and meatballs at the coffeeshop at the Bellagio. The last time I had their spaghetti was at Binder's bachelorette party in 2005, and in some odd sentimental moment, that's ALL I was craving. I dragged the Onoda sisters over, and triumphantly ordered their pasketti. It was not what I remembered at all. At first glance it appeared to be good, slightly al dente, topped with a big dallop of marscapone.

The garlic bread and the marscapone were the best part of the meal. The sauce was WATERY, and when I got to the bottom of my bowl, I was faced with a giant puddle of water. The sauce was flavorless, in spite of me dousing it with salt and crushed red peppers. And perhaps the saddest part about it was that it was supposed to be a "hearty," bolognese, but it had maybe 5 pieces of ground beef in the sauce, but there were lots of carrots. Blech.

Needless to say, I was quite disappointed and realized that I actually had the delicious spaghetti at the cafe at Caesar's Palace, not the cafe Bellagio. This is what 3 years and alcohol will do to your memory: erosion at its worst.

Since I had horrible spaghetti, I was quite happy to have lunch part two at The Cafe with Jessica. Located in The Hotel, this place is definitely my speed. Very dim lighting, very quiet and relaxed, and the pricing was not bad. They had a lot of delicious looking options, such as the black cod and lamb. However, because I had JUST had lunch, I had to have something much lighter, which is why I opted for the "stack of tomatoes and mozzerella" (I was assuming it would be like a caprese salad. It actually blew me away, because it was ten times better than a caprese salad. It was a milieu of tomatos, fresh mozzarella, pickled red peppers and olives, all served with a well seasoned vinagarette. It was a phenomenal and light lunch fare.

Even better was Jessie's "moco loco," a chef special that day. Moco Locos are one of my favorite guilty pleasures when I go have Hawaiian food. Usually, it is rice, covered with a hamburger patty, topped with a sunny side up egg, then covered in gravy. I know, it sounds horrible, but it is actually delicious. Jessica's Moco Loco was SO GOOD. They put the local twist on it by serving it with shrimp fried rice, and a sirloin burger patty. It was perfectly cooked, and the rice was the perfect texture to complement the patty and egg. YUM.

The last meal I had in Vegas was the dinner at the Paris Buffet, which was okay. They had a random dish that I pigged out on, which consisted of Saurkraut and German Sausages. Next time I'm in Vegas, I will opt for Michael Mina! (yeah right =P)

Wine Review, aka What I'm Drinking Lately

I LOVE finding phenomenal wines under twenty bucks. Lately I've been on a kick to try as many reds under 20 that I can. I've found quite a few that are very very good.

One particular favorite of mine to pick up while at Trader Joe's is Robert Hall's 2005 Cab from Paso Robles. It was released in June 2007, and each time I open it up, it tastes better than what I remember. Immediately, your tongue is introduced to black currant, cocoa and an almost honey-like aroma. I like it because it is also chocoatey and smooth. Because Robert and Margaret Hall fell in love with Southern French wines, this one is quite reminiscent of a softer blend from the Rhone Valley. I opened up this bottle over some Chicken Tikka Masala and Lamb Saag, and believe it or not, it was quite nice. However, I think this wine would go much better with any rich pasta dish or lighter meats. So good, so cheap...

Robert Hall
2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
Paso Robles
Price: ~$11-19

If you haven't tried it already,Concha y Toro's Casillero Del Diablo Chilean Cab from (shockingly)
2007 is also an excellent buy at about 8 dollars a pop. In a true Cabernet sense, it is well rounded and balanced with a lot of pop. It is definitely woody and heavy on the berries. It also has slight chocolate undertones and ends with a nice dry and crisp finish. This wine tastes much more than $8.00, and it is surprising that it is so full bodied and well balanced for being so young. Definitely serve this wine with short ribs or steak.

Concha y Toro Casillero Del Diablo
2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
Chile
7.99 at Trader Joe's

Another fantastic buy for about $12.00 is Rosenblum's Vintners Cuvee XXX Zinfandel. I love Rosenblum's cellars because they are an unassuming and unpretentious cellar located in Alameda, California (located very close to Oakland). Upon entering the cellar, you are greeted with friendly folks who encourage you to do their tastings, and will let you try all sorts of other varietals. They are pretty well known for their Zins, as well as their dessert wines. They have this phenomenal dessert wine called "Desiree," which literally tastes like melting chocolate over your tongue. I get their quarterly shipments and have been pretty satisfied with their selection.

This particular one is one of my favorites for many reasons. It is a blend of 2000 and 2001 vintage Mourvedre and Zinfandels. For the price, it drinks much more expensiver, as it is pretty complex, berry-forward, Oak-y and definitely (my favorite) Vanilla! I have also tried the XXIV, which is also excellent for its price.

Rosenblum Cellars
Vinter's Cuvee XXX
Zinfandel
Napa Valley, Alameda
~12.00

Cut, Beverly Hills

I have been M.I.A. lately, as my life has drastically changed. Part of my disappearance is that I was recently kicked to the curb, and then I moved to Westwood. But here I am, still firmly rooted on the Westside, and excited to try new spots in my Northwest corner of the Westside.

Before all of that went down, however, I spent my 30th birthday at one of the best steak spots in Los Angeles, Wolfgang Puck's "Cut," at the 4 Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. It was an amazing dining experience, and a perfect way to start off a new decade of FabulouSlappy!

The restaurant is very different from your run-of-the-mill steak place. Unlike its competitors, Mastro's, or maybe Michael Mena's StripSteak, it is not a warm space with dark woods and deep leathers. In place of deep bold colors, the space is brightly lit with luminous windows and contemporary black furniture. It almost feels like a fun, modern cafeteria. Giant posters with close up photos of celebrity faces staring off into space (I was accompanied by George Clooney's 40x50 face) don the space.

We started with a bottle of one of my all time favorite vinos, Plumpjack's 2005 Oakville Cab. I have a couple bottles of this at home that I have been saving for a special occasion and was thrilled to see it on the menu. What better time? You only turn 30 once. PlumpJack is a small boutique vineyard in Napa, owned by the PlumpJack group, Gavin Newsome's umbrella company of sixteen enterprises. Their two wine labels, PlumpJacke and Cade have consistently been very good producers of Cabs. I love this cab because it encompasses all the things I love about cabs, big, bold, full of berries with a nice chocolatey finish.

As for the food, we had two starters, the tuna tartare, who the waiter insisted was the best tartare I would ever have. That's a big expectation to fill! The second starter, was a bit more daring, it was a bone-marrow flan. The tartare was just aight. It was served with a thin layer of avocado, scallions and ginger. It was good, the tuna was obviously very fresh, but was a bit heavy on the sauce. I thought the flavor was a little overwhelming and it would have been better if they let the natural flavor of the fish, avacado and ginger speak for themselves.

As for the bone marrow flan, I have to say, I had my reserations about trying this dish, as it just sounded......... weird. But honestly, it was one of the most amazing dishes I ever tried. Two bones were hollowed and cleaned out, and the marrow was transformed into a gelatinous filling. It was served with a small spoon and slices of home made toast. We were instructed to spread the marrow on the toast. It was fantastic. It tasted creamy, meaty and savory.

After our yummy appetizers, I had the Wagyu Kobe steak, and J had the rib eye. We also split the soft polenta with parmesan. The steak was very very very soft. It almost melted on my tongue, which to be frank, I was not in throes of ecstasy over. I must not be a steak connosieur because I tend to like my steak a little more chewy, and the texture of the Wagyu was just... too much. I felt as if I had a mouthful of butter, and to be frank, that kind of grosses me out. J's rib eye, on the other hand, was phenomenal. The polenta is also a must-have. It is fantastic, creamy, cheesy and ooey and goey. I could have had mouthfuls of it.

We finished our meal with their Valrhona Chocolate Soufflé, served with a Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Glace. Do I need to say more?



Cut at the Beverly Wilshire
A Four Seasons Hotel
9500 Wilshire Blvd.,
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
310-276-8500

Wine Review, aka What I'm Drinking Lately

A couple months ago, I ordered four bottles of Turley's 2003 zinfandels from one of my good friends. We saw each other at a wedding, and he delivered my wine in a metal suitcase which I had to drag from OC to LA. He insisted that the metal case was crucial to "protect the goods."

After having the Zin this past weekend, I can see why he wanted to protect the goods. The wine was PHENOMENAL in the classic zin sense. The reason I'm such a fiend about zins are that usually they are all just okay. Berry forward and easy to drink, zins are pretty much good to drink with everything. But sometimes, because they are so berry-forward, they can be really overbearing and jammy. But when you have the perfect zin, it is like an amalgamation of all good things in your mouth-- and I mean that in a purely non-sexual way. ;)

The wine was full-bodied, with plenty of punch coming from berries with an earthy, honey undertone. It had a slight black licorice feel, without being overbearing on the flavor. It was almost jammy, but delicious. The finish was long and smooth, and it was virtuously without tanins... but that might be because it was five years old. Lucky for me, I have 3 more Turleys just waiting to be opened on another special occasion...

Turley
2003 Zinfandel
Tofanelli Vineyard
Region: Napa
Price Range: ~$140.00

Citron, at the Viceroy, Palm Springs

For my 30th birthday (yes, 30, yikes!) J planned a lovely surprise of a nice relaxing weekend at the Viceroy hotel in Palm Springs. J planned a nice day out by the pool and a couples spa treatment, a very nice dinner at Citron (where we consequently also had breakfast the next day) and shopping the next day. Needless to say, I came back ready to face the world after a weekend of relaxing in a fantasyland in the middle of the dessert.


We pulled into the Viceroy on Saturday mid-afternoon and were mildly disappointed to see that the actual infrastructure of the hotel was a bit old and haggard. Essentially, the Kor group went in, bought a run down motel (the type of motel that has old school amenities such as wall unit a/cs), and re-vamped it in the classic Viceroy fashion of old Hollywood glamour. Thus, when walking into the Viceroy, Palm Springs, one is reminded of the Black and White decor of Viceroy, Santa Monica, but it has a more boutique feel to it, not unlike the smaller hotels in beverly hills, such as The Crescent.


The pool area is nice, there are three pools on the property, and the servers are attentive and pleasureable to talk to. We enjoyed the bar b que lunch outdoors by the pool, where I had a seared ahi club, and he had a chicken sandwich with chipotle mayo. Maybe it was the dessert breeze, or being poolside, or the fact that the meat was freshly grilled, but everything tasted delicious!


After swimming and lounging , we our spa treatments (massages, feet treatments and facials), and then got ready for dinner at Citron. The food was incredible, and I don't say that very often.

We started with a bottle of wine that I actually brought from my collection, a 2003 Turley Zin, from the Tofanelli Vineyard (review to come). This was the perfect opener for an orgasmic meal. We started with the "bucket o crab and shrimp," six kilpatrick oysters, a tomato and cucumber salad, and I had the filet with tomato risotto and he had the pork chop with the same risotto.




I tend to favor Kumamoto Oysters, that are chewy, not gooey, so when the waiter said that the only oysters they had were the kilpatrick, I was a bit apprehensive, but they ended up being very fresh and delicious. They were on the smaller side anyway, so were a nice refreshing way to start the meal, especially right before our crab and shrimp, both which were fresh. The tiger prawns were large and filling, and the crab was also served in generous portions, albeit a bit on the salty side.
I think my favorite part of the meal was the filet (which I rarely order) with the tomato risotto. The risotto was perfect in texture, not to mushy and not too hard. It was flavorful and creamy and delicious. The filet was grilled to perfection, and not overly marinated.

The waiter was super nice, and came back and chatted with us several times about this and that. He made sure our wine never ran low and that we always were well taken care of.


The food was so good that the next morning, J and I had to go back for breakfast (well, that and there aren't a lot of other options available on the main street). We both ordered the "Viceroy Breakfast," a simple but delicious combination of eggs, sausage, smoked applewood bacon and homestyle potatoes. Everything was delicious, and the service was almost too nice.

This is the perfect mini-vacation getaway for LA folks that want to escape LA for a few days. Ironically, almost everyone I talked to was from LA as well.


Viceroy @ Palm Springs
415 S Belardo Rd
Palm Springs, CA 92262
(760) 320-4117

busy busy bees at geoffrey's

Once upon a time, a long long time ago, I was about 12 or 13 years old and relegated to my older sister's definition of what it meant to celebrated mother's day. We had to dress up, my mother, the most extravagent wore something in either pink or white, with very big shoulder pads and probably fluffy sleeves. Being that it was the early 90's, the previous decade had left some bad habits among middle class women's styles, including white pantyhose (oh yes, you rocked them, just own up to it.), High high hair (thanks to the advent of aerosol cans that doused god-knows-what into your hair), and chiffon/lace sleeves on business-structured jackets. its like lingerie meets the boardroom. A jacket for all occasions. Feminist? probably not. Practical? Bet your cruxifixes on it.

But I've digressed. One such occasion of celebrating mother's day, we piled into my mom's 3 series BMW, an event that NEVER happened, as we had the buick park avenue as our daily driver, the Beemer was our "special occasion car." My father was not present, he was at work-- this was a recurring theme in my life that bears no significance now, but perhaps I'll re-visit it in another time and space. So my sister, brother, mother and I squeezed into the itty bitty bmw. My sister decidedly took the wheel and drove us north. And north. And north. I wasn't sure where we were going, but I sure was hungry, and I wanted to eat something like chicken fingers or Korean stews (Sadly my palette hasn't shifted much from childhood).

After a relentless drive that lasted about 1.4 hours, we finally were escorted out of the car and faced a beautiful restaurant overlooking the ocean in Malibu, CA. I don't remember much from that meal, but I do remember how expensive everything was, and how my sister told me to order iced tea because they would charge you for refills if you ordered anything else. My brother and I had 7 iced teas each. My sister was appalled. She was even more apalled when I told her the lobster bisque tasted "weird" and I didn't like it.

Speed forward about 2 decades later, after I've been around the block a bit (the restaurant block that is), and have come to learn a lot about fine dining and have, hopefully expanded my tastebud horizon. Jae and I put this to the test over the weekend when we checked out Geoffrey's in Malibu, in commemoration of my mother's day brunch nearly 2 decades ago. (Also, we wanted to go for a drive through the canyons after). Luckily we had the foresight to call in earlier to see if they had a good spot for us to sit at, and the server found us a lovely ocean-view seat behind a plexiglass fence.

Much to my delight, our brunch was excellent. I had a bloody mary (actually 2), and the crab cake benedict. He had some mojito of sorts and french toast. We shared the tuna tartare. The tuna tartare was perfectly seasoned, a nice blend of heat, fresh fish , black sesame seeds, and mayonaise, Additionally beneath the tuna were nice large chunks of avacado, which complemented the tuna and the heat-- and not to mention my bloody maries, which were perfectly seasoned with a variety of peppers, a nice generous portion of olives (3!), lemon and a healthy splash (if hurricane katrina had a splash, it was probably in the same range as that) of Goose.

The entrees were also very lovely. My crab cake benedict was nice and meaty, and I thought the texture of it went quite nicely with the softness of the eggs and creamy ness of the hollandaise sauce. My meal was fantastic.

Jae's meal, on the other hand left something to be desired. He ordered French toast for some reason, which looked ok, but it wasn't anything special. And with his french toast came these "cumin sausages," which indeed, tasted like a taco sausage. It was not my favorite.

Would I go back? Of course!

Geoffrey's Malibu
www.geoffreysmalibu.com

27400 Pacific Coast Hwy

Malibu, CA 90265

(310) 457-1519

Holy Macaroni! Drago

For my "cousin's" birthday, we checked out Drago on 26th and Wilshire. Given the consistently high reviews Drago received on yelp, gayot and other restaurant review sites that I lurk on, I was curious to see how the food actually was.

We started with a bottle of one of my favorite cabs, the Groth 2005 Oakville Cab (retails for about 50-60), a "buratini," and our respective dishes. I love risotto, so I tried their squid ink risotto. Tenacious D had the Linguine alla Mare, and J had the rib eye, which was marinated with rosemary and served up with a potato puree. We ended the night with some sort of dessert, which escapes my mind at the moment.

If I were to rate Drago on a scale of 1-10, I would give it a 7.5. The food was average, the service was above average and the ambiance was average. My squid ink risotto was a bit too al dente, and J's rib eye was too salty and over marinated. D's linguine alla mare was a little overwhelming in flavors.

On the other hand, I love burata, and they added an interesting twist to the creamy cheese with avacado and heirloom tomatoes, and a creamy basil puree.

And of course, the wine was very delicious. :)

Drago Ristorante
2628 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90403
(310) 828-1585