Trip report

[chrisdds98]

Wed Lunch - got in @ 5PM Austin time which meant I had 4 hours till my dinner reservation at le cirque that evening and I was starving. seemed like a great time to check out the secret pizza joint. had a slice of white and pepperoni. While very good, I wouldn't call this earth-shattering or the best pizza I've ever had.

Wed Dinner - Had the tasting menu at le cirque. The amuse was great. Langostine with caviar and a little gold (that was superfluous). Tasted great. The sea urchin "ice cream" was very creative and tasty. The risotto was frog leg and morel mushrooms. another winner for me. The bouillabaisse was very flavorful. My one dish that didn't live up to expectations was the A5 Kobe tenderloin. didn't taste buttery at all. in fact, tasted like a choice steak. The table next to me ordered the same dish and had similar issues with it. i let the manager know my feelings and they removed the $35 supplemental charge from my bill. The cheese course was fine, nothing remarkable. Then came the deserts. I ordered the coconut souffle. first time having a souffle and it was amazing. they then gave me a grand marnier souffle to make sure that I went into a diabetic coma! By this time I was pretty full, but the 2nd souffle was very nice as well. I believe the diner adjacent to me was a food writer so I got to witness her interview with the head chef. Pretty cool night and a lovely dinner. I'll definitely be returning here on my next vegas trip. Note that this was an older demographic. when I arrived I think I was at least a decade younger then all of the other patrons.

Thurs Lunch - Milos. since my conference was in the cosmo this made a lot of sense. I had the grilled octopus which was fantastic. My sea bass was not deboned very well (not just in the collar either). Other then the bones, the fish was prepared beautifully and tasted great. desert was the greek yogurt which was ok.

Thurs Dinner - e by Jose Andres. I'd been there last year and a few of my favorite dishes were still there (highlights being the hand of Jose course and the apple/blue cheese creation). I preferred last years dinner but there were plenty of hits and a few misses, which is to be expected when having so many courses.

Sat Dinner - Joel Robuchon. The dining room was beautiful. all the other patrons received exceptional service. It seemed as though my waiter may have thought of me as an afterthought. Perhaps it was because I was a solo diner who didn't order wine or maybe because monsieur did not wear a sports coat! I had le homard which was ok, the pea soup which was fine. le canard which was pretty good, and le sucre which was very good. surprisingly my best bite of the night was from the desert cart and was the strawberry champagne cupcake. Also, they had the most expensive Iced tea I've ever had. $7 and a second $7 for a refill! as if the $10 bottle of water weren't rip off enough...

My favorite dinner was Le Cirque (also the least expensive) followed by e by Jose andres. Robuchon was a distant 3rd for me. Didn't get a chance to try Sage or Bouchon but they are definitely on my list for next year.

[Larry]

Thanks for the detailed trip report! Le Cirque sounds great. Somehow I never get around to going there, but maybe next trip...

I was sorry to hear about your experience with the "Kobe" beef. I looked at Le Cirque's online menu, and at least they have the decency to put the name in quotes, since it isn't the real deal. Since the beef was from Australia (if the online menu is correct), that also calls into question the "A5" rating, which I believe is a Japanese grading standard. Lastly, quality level 5 covers a fairly wide range. I've tried some Australian beef which may have been similar (it was available at restaurant CUT), and it was a step below the quality that was available from Japan (a couple of years ago, before the Japanese outbreak of foot-and-mouth prevented imports into the U.S.).

[ellenost]

Agree with you about the Australian cut of "Kobe" at CUT. I had it last year, and it wasn't as good as the Kobe from Japan that CUT served in 2010. Parts of my beef had gristle. It was priced just as high though which is one reason I did not return to CUT this year.

[ellenost]

Great report! Le Cirque was my best dinner this year too. I did e last year too. Was the foie gras still on the menu for this year? Robuchon was a bit disappointing this year for me. I was dining solo, but was treated like royalty. My beef was rather tough. After reading that your beef at Le Cirque was also tough, I think I'll skip beef in LV except at a steakhouse. Sage and Bouchon are excellent.