I spent the last few days in Las Vegas on a business trip, where the temperature was in the triple digits the entire time, even at night. Despite the oppressive weather, I really enjoyed the trip. I love Las Vegas. The sheer spectacle of the strip and the 24-hour sensory overload is ridiculously entertaining, and plus, there's the food! It seems that every big name chef in America has set up shop in Vegas, and the array of high-quality restaurant choices there is mind-boggling. I came across some great new food finds, including a fun little place off the beaten path.I was staying at the Venetian Hotel, a hotel I particularly like as much for its large suites as for the Bouchon Bakery that can be found down in the casino. I allowed myself one macaron each day, trying the lemon, coffee (pictured below), and raspberry flavors (the other choices were chocolate, vanilla, and orange). These perfect little cookies are chewy heaven. Plus, the $3.50 macaron practically paid for itself, because at least for the time being, a receipt from Bouchon Bakery is good for 15% off your breakfast or dinner bill at Bouchon Bistro (also at the Venetian).
I did visit Bouchon Bistro a couple of times, for breakfast and brunch. I couldn't resist ordering the chicken and waffles selection from the brunch menu; I wanted to see the French bistro version of what I consider a soul food standard. The dish includes a bacon, chive, and sourdough waffle, a roasted quarter of white meat chicken, and sides of Tahitian vanilla bean butter, maple syrup, and a Chasseur sauce made from chicken jus, mushrooms, bacon lardons, and white wine. I asked my very nice waiter Damien if I could get dark meat instead, and after checking with the kitchen, he said that the chef would make my plate with the standard serving of breast, but would also give me the leg and thigh. The roasted chicken was one of the best I've ever tasted, extremely juicy with a very crisp and flavorful skin. Also, the epi baguette that came served with homemade strawberry jam as part of the standard brunch service was warm with a deliciously chewy crust. Yum!
I also tried a couple of Japanese restaurants off the strip that I found on Yelp. Always on the hunt for a good bowl of ramen, I tried Togoshi Ramen (855 E. Twain St., Suite 107), which was hugely disappointing. The soup was greasy and the noodles were tough. The most memorable part of my lunch there was the soundtrack of Michael Jackson tunes that was playing at the restaurant.For my final dinner in Las Vegas, a colleague and I tried Ichiza (4355 Spring Mountain Road), a hole-in-the-wall Japanese restaurant in Chinatown that offers an enormous selection of small plates. The printed menu is augmented by handwritten specials on placards covering most of the walls, which range from the creative (baked potato with butter and cod roe, japaleno fried rice) to the bizarre (salmon and mozzarella tempura -- we tried it on the waitress's recommendation, and it was as disappointing as it sounds). We also had ramen with pork belly (much better than Togoshi Ramen, but still a far cry from Momofuku), a spicy tuna roll, shrimp dumplings, chicken meatballs, and grilled fish. Having read the reviews on Yelp, I knew to order "Honey Toast" for dessert. The dish is listed nowhere on the regular menu or wall specials.
At $7.95, this turned out to be the most expensive dish we ordered at the restaurant, but oh my goodness, this has to be one of the best desserts I've ever had. This thing is enormous. It's a half a loaf of Japanese bread, heavily toasted and warm, with honey and vanilla ice cream. The center of the loaf has been cut away from the crust, so part of the inside of the loaf is also toasted. I'm not sure I can clearly articulate why this dish was so captivating. The bread itself was dense and slightly sweet. The warmth and toasted texture of the bread was terrific, and along with the slight sweetness of the honey and the creaminess of the ice cream, it was a big plate of comfort. And I do mean a big plate. This was a very large dish for two (the waitress brought it out with extra plates and a steak knife so that we could cut it to share), and you could easily feed an entire family with this dessert. I am still craving one right now. It just goes to show you that sometimes the simplest dishes are the sweetest delights!
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