l'atelier de joël robuchon

L' Atelier is workshop in French. Used in the context of a restaurant, it refers to an open kitchen concept. Robuchon is most likely the pioneer of the open kitchen concept. Yes, I've been to quite a few counter seats at quite a few pop-ups. But Robuchon is the forefather of the casual-fine dining movement. But is it really so casual? Black lacquered wood layered like lego's emit a tone of formality. The sudden clash of rouge upholstery and sanguine lights add a hedonist appeal to the otherwise stark decor. The miscellaneous trinkets and shiny objects that appear to be misplaced, but artistically so, remind me much of a place called Bazaar. Quite bizarre..

To say Robuchon's L'atelier is sexy, is an understatement. From the Freudian color scheme to the cloyingly rich dishes..

This delicate amuse bouche of foie gras parfait with port wine and parmesan foam is one of my favorites of the night. It's deceptively airy foam leads suddenly to a punch of intense foi flavor. If an amuse bouche is foreplay, then Robuchon has a way with women.

This is yet another ingenious creation of Robuchon! Expecting little tubes of bone marrow, I suck on it, only to be had with melting slices of foie gras wrapped around beef stew gelee!

I've said it before and I'll say it again; nothing speaks of sexy food more than oysters. Especially little buds of oysters that spill an unctuous juice of lime and French butter.

This seared lobster on macaroni with wild mushrooms is probably my least favorite. Maybe it's the very al dente macaroni.

This isn't a show stopper for me either. It resembles too much of a pizza from Mozza with its smoked bacon, quail egg and shaved parmesan. I'm sure we have all seen versions of this somewhere at sometime. meh

                                          Oh look what the stork brought in! Jamon Iberico!

This quail may not look aesthetically pleasing as the other creations, but a little surprise awaits. Stuffed with foie gras and with a side of butter laden truffle-mashed potatoes, I'm on somewhat of a cloud nine.

I really did enjoy L'atelier, despite a few lackluster dishes. The chef used a heavy hand in everything opulent: hidden orbs of foi swimming in butter; golden uni peaking underneath truffle-mashed potatoes. Near the end of the meal, my vision blurred from excessive oils of all nature and my hopes of a simple John Dory, clean of superfluous cholesterol was smashed as I see it on plate, glistening and shining in a copious pool of animal fat.

Silly me.. Simple? Subdued? What was I thinking? This is Vegas after all.

L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon
MGM Grand
3799 Las Vegas Blvd S

Las Vegas, NV 89109

le comptoir

I have been the laziest food blogger ever. Sucked into a vortex of work and grinding my teeth daily against the soft, texture-less diet of cafeteria food.

my life

But what I really crave is this..

                                                                     and this..

Therefore the liberation of dining at Gary Mene's pop up, Le Comptoir, was beyond a treat. In LA, there are certain trends that will leave a mark in history, food history that is. As of late, there are the food trucks, pop up restaurants, foraging, underground restaurants and of course mo-ga. The pop-up is one of my favorite concepts. Chefs are more inclined to make small talk with patrons and the dishes tend be more innovative. With pop-ups, there is also the added benefit of less overhead on the chef, which also means you get more bang for your buck. Who doesn't like a good deal? Le Comptoir touches on all of these; innovation, quality, intimacy, and value. It is temporarily located in Tiara, a cafe of some sort, with a bar seating of 12. The  l'atelier approach works flawlessly sitting at the counter and watching Gary's team at work.

Up close and personal, with Gary Mene shaving fresh black truffles on my fettuccine.

The sunny side-up egg is an interactive dish that allowed us to fold in our own lettuce and herbs and sprinkle with sea salt.



"veggie platter" musque de provence squash, mustard frill, fennel, onion petals, roasted grapes, brussels sprouts, warren pears



heirloom shelling beans “pot roast”, haricots verts, romano beans, young celery, smoked scallions, sultana raisin-pine nut relish, truffle infused broth






j&j ranch grassfed strip loin, hearts of romaine, san marzano tomato marmalade, barbara's potatoes, carrot top vinaigrette






"lemon lush", graham cracker crust, chocolate, sour cream, vanilla tuille



The black truffles over home made fettuccine were procured that same day from the "truffle brothers". It was nothing short of rich and magnificent. A simple execution of a butter sauce paired symbiotically with parchment thin truffles shaved table side. Heaven. The opening dish of yogurt "soup" poured over pickled chanterelles and okinawan yam was velvety smooth and left me contemplating licking the bowl. I noticed Gary's obsession with seasonal ingredients halfway through the meal. He even announced that his inspiration comes from foraged vegetables and that he strives to keep the ingredients in its natural state, without tempering it too much, hoping to exaggerate the taste with the most minimal of torturing and handling.And that he did. Dinner concluded perfectly with coffee imported from Honduras, which I might add, was better than any Kona, Java or Costa Rican bean ever had. I questioned Menes on when this stint in Tiara was going to conclude. He replied "when the wheels fall off." So make the trek to Le Comptoir before "the wheels fall off" and you just might be able to catch Menes with his house made cheese infused with truffles. Unfortunately, I didn't catch him in that mood.

http://www.lecomptoirla.com/index.html

Saison

 Thinking back, it all seems so surreal. Much like waking up after a vivid dream only to be left with wispy images no matter how hard you squeeze your eyes shut. Saison did this.

 This event happened exactly 9 days ago. I had ample time to blog and recount my experience at Saison. But, frankly, I couldn't even muster a few phrases that would aptly depict the happenings and emotions of the night. What entails hereafter is a blur of color, taste, and textures that takes too much energy to recall.

But it went something like this....

Yet another obscure entrance -easily mistaken for an alley- leads the way, the only visage of Saison being a brightly lit "S" that initially seems mismatched against the provincial shrub and perennials.

A doll size dining area sits in the courtyard facing the open kitchen.  Only a moment goes by before the server beckons for us to sit and two flutes of amber bubbly magically appear!

.... a foliage with rabbit, foi gras and textures of crunchy grit- the essence of forest in each bite.

An assortment of toasted greens it seems. However, as the server pours a thimble size bonito broth into the plate, the once brittle leaves near the bottom of the bowl transforms into a soup. A soup with a myriad of textures dancing on the tongue.

 A single Santa Barbara prawn dusted with shrimp roe salt partners with one filament of sea urchin. Simple ingredients without razzle dazzle, allowing our amped up taste buds to settle down and pick up the clean notes of sweet and briny.

 

Squid done risotto style enveloped by its ink, Nuvola di pecora; Italian cheese tucked in a brioche ball sitting underneath a wild honeycomb,

and Meyer Lemon custard. I hate all things tart. I should hate the Meyer Lemon. Yet this is a slap in the face. It is almost as if Chef Joshua Skeenes is mocking me, you think you know..but do you?
Basically, it's effin' good. I can try to describe how good. But like squinting through fog:

 hazy.


Ta-Da~ last but not least, we have your Grade-A slab of meat- our star Chef.
Saison
2124 Folsom Street

San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 828-7990