umamimart

In Vegas, every other thing that came out of my mouth was, “Let’s go to Robuchon!” My parents were not so enthusiastic, as they are growing tired of overly rich french cuisine in their old age (ok fine, they’re not that old, but French Laundry totally ruined French food for them).

But come on, he’s the “Chef of the Century”!!! They refused to go last year when they were visiting me in NY, where Robuchon recently opened up his namesake joint inside the Four Seasons, and the executive chef is a Japanese dude. I was sad.

But I don’t back down easily- I spent the entire last 6 months prepping them on Robuchon in Vegas. Although I didn’t make a reservation, I figured that at some point, I could veer the fam into the Robuchon direction.

We had tickets to see Cirque du Soleil’s KA at the MGM (awesome!) on the last night. This would be my last chance to get into Robuchon, which is conveniently located in the MGM also. There’s the fancy schmancy Joel Robuchon at the Mansion, and L’Atelier right next door, which is his more casual, tapas style restaurant. We walked by L’Atelier, liked what we saw, asked for a table, and were politely declined.

HELL NO.

I begged a little, told the maitre d it was my birthday (it was not). He said he had no more seats at the table or overlooking the kitchen, but he did have a little side bar he could seat us at. SWEET!!! Oh, what a little begging (and lying) can do.

Here is our gorgeous meal in its entirety. They have a tasting menu, but opted out of that and decided to just choose a variety of their “small plates”. They suggest 3-5 plates per person. As usual, we just ordered the entire menu… almost.

They were good about pacing the meal, and first brought out the cold plates, then warm seafood, then warm meats. You know they are paying attention.

Enjoy!

Crispy baguettes with cute pointy ends.

Cold, hard, creamy butter. You know how important this is to me, right?

L’AMUSE-BOUCHE
crémeux de foie gras au Porto et son émulsion au parmesan
Foie gras parfait with port wine and parmesan foam
We all licked this clean.

LES ANCHOIS: frais marinés à l’aubergine confite
Fresh anchovies marinated with sliced eggplant confit.
GORGEOUS!

Sardines on a toasted baguette with tomato spread and cauliflower

LE FOIE GRAS
frais de canard cuit au torchon
Traditionally poached cold foie gras served with toast
A bit too rich- half of this would’ve been perfect.

Jamon Iberico!

LA LANGOUSTINE
dans une papillote croustillante au basilic
Crispy langoustine fritter with basil pesto

LE SAINT-PIERRE
à la plancha, accommodé d’une fricassée acidulée de supions et d’artichauts
John Dory filet with baby calamari and artichoke

LES HUITRES
de Kussi pochées dans leur coquille au beurre salé
Poached baby Kussi oysters with French « Echiré » butter
OMFG!!!!!! AMAZING.

LE KAMPACHI
mi-cuit aux rouelles d’oignons croustillantes
Lightly seared kampachi with crispy onion rings

LE BURGER
au foie gras et aux poivrons verjutés
Beef and foie gras burgers with lightly caramelized bell peppers

LE RIS DE VEAU
clouté de laurier frais à la feuille de romaine farcie
Calf’s sweetbread with a sprig of fresh laurel and stuffed romaine lettuce

I think this was the…
LE BŒUF
en tournedos au poivre noir de Malabar
Beef tenderloin au poivre

LE PORC FERMIER
la poitrine fondante au confit d’oignon doux
Braised pork belly with confit sweet onion

Robuchon’s famous mashed potatoes. Fluffy creamy divinity.

Interior shots of the open kitchen, with all the lively bright accents.

The meal was, by Akabori standards, quite impeccable. Imaginative foods (that actually tastes good), great cocktails and wine list, beautiful presentation, and helpful service. Perfect for a fun date or a special occasion.

My father, the most critical eater, said it was in his top 2 meals of the year (the other was a sushi joint in LA). So glad we got in!!!

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon
MGM Grand
3799 Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV
T: 702.891.7925