We had a fun (and full) culinary experience on our trip to Las Vegas, St. George, and Cedar City. I’ll blog later about our activities, but first things first … restaurant reviews!
Mesa Grill – Caesar’s Palace 4 starsAtmosphere:
Spacious, upscale restaurant with a sophisticated southwestern flair. The theme colors were burnt orange, gem blue, yellow, and burnt red.
Food:
Blue Corn Pancake with Barbecued Duck + Habanero Chile-Star Anise Sauce
The presentation was fabo, but the bite was all bbq sauce -- all the time. I got the consistency of the blue corn pancake, but the flavor of the pancake was completely overwhelmed by the bbq sauce. I didn't get any duck flavor either. C’mon Bobby!
Pulled Pork Sandwich with Chipotle-Molasses BBQ Sauce, Cole Slaw +Bread and Butter Pickles
The pulled pork itself was pretty standard (albeit a little dry), but it was on really great ciabatta bread that was crusty and crackly on the outside, but soft and airy on the inside. The cole slaw was quite bitter, but it worked with the sweetness of the pork. Well played Bobby.
Kent got the Mesa Burger with Double Cheddar Cheese, Grilled Vidalia Onion + Horseradish Mustard served with Southwestern Fries.
The burger was probably 1-1/2" thick and was SO tender. I've never tasted a burger so tender! I was extremely impressed with the smoky, right-off-the-grill flavor that worked itself through the entire burger, from the meat, to the onions. Kent ate the entire thing and loved every minute of it. I’m sorry to report that the fries were somewhat lackluster, and lacked sufficient crispiness.
Coconut Cake
One word: wow! 4 layers of coconut cake between the most heavenly coconut cream. The bottom was soaked in coconut milk, and topped with a crunchy coconut cookie type crust and toasted coconut. The creamy consistency was reminiscent of Tres Leches. YUM!
Tacos & Tequila – Luxor 3.5 starsWe stumbled on this restaurant out of pure desperation. We had gone and seen the Lion King at Mandalay Bay, and by the time the show got out, nothing was open (surprisingly).
Atmosphere:
This restaurant was just a cordoned off section of the Luxor, so you looked up and the ceiling was the angled ceiling of the Luxor with hotel rooms lining the walls. They had speakers with music blaring (you could hardly talk across the table). The menu cover was 2 women in bikinis and I wasn’t too thrilled this was the only place open, but that was the only scandal around (yes – the waiters were fully clothed in black slacks and tees).
Food:
The star of the show at Tacos & Tequila was hands down the homemade tortilla chips and the two kinds of salsa (tomatillo and roasted tomato). Wow – honestly the best tortilla chips either of us has had, and Kent said he was tempted to drink the salsa. We ordered fajitas. I’ve actually had better presentation, (I’ve grown accustomed to my fajitas coming out on a sizzling skillet, which they didn’t do), but the flavor was impressive with a zing of lime. If I’m being completely honest here, the beans were a bit (dare I say) gluey, and the rice could have used some heat, but the chicken and tortilla chips made up for it.
Bellagio BuffetAtmosphere:
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Monte Carlo BuffetAtmosphere:
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Al Fornio – New York New YorkAtmosphere:
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Anazasi Steakhouse & Art Gallery – St. GeorgeAtmosphere:
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Sullivan’s Café – Cedar CityAtmosphere:
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