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Cod, Caviar, Champagne Sauce à la Joël Robuchon

🌺 Cod, Caviar, Champagne Sauce 🌺
à la L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon

Sooner or later the question was bound to be asked, “What is your favorite restaurant in Las Vegas?” So many great chefs, so many fabulous restaurants… But after much consideration, I chose L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon at the MGM Grand for several reasons. With 31 stars, he is The Most Awarded Michelin-Star Chef in the World.

But surprisingly far from being stuffy, L’Atelier is fun! As one would expect, the French-inspired dishes are second to none. Each one prepared with the exactness the Chef became known for, his relentless perfectionism; he famously said there is no such thing as the perfect meal – one can always do better.

With that black & red decor, intentionally designed to be the opposite of old-style French white & gold, the atmosphere is striking and modern. The service is simultaneously easy-going and top-notch. Wines are meticulously paired to elevate the entire dining experience. A seat at the counter often results in a genial and lively evening. Strangers become friends, there is a gregariousness in shared appreciation of the late Chef’s vision of stellar dishes, prepared in view of the guests, offered in a spirit of conviviality.

L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon

In 2003, the first L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon opened its doors in Paris, in the 7th arrondissement, and simultaneously in Tokyo. The success of L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Paris encouraged Joël Robuchon to develop its concept all over the world. The Las Vegas restaurant opened in 2005, followed by New York, London and Hong Kong, Taipei and many more.

Here, I re-create an exquisite dish and table setting from our most recent meal at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon – Cod with Caviar and Champagne Sauce.

Cod, Caviar, Champagne Sauce à la Joël Robuchon

L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Las Vegas

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Picasso’s Scallop, Potato Mousseline, Jus de Veau

Still Life with Fruit Dish and Yellow Vase by Pablo Picasso — The Original Still Life with Fruit Dish and Yellow Vase at The Bellagio by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)

Re-Creating Picasso Restaurant
At The Bellagio, Las Vegas

If you’ve been following Taste With The Eyes for a while, you know that I love to re-create dishes. Not just the food but the entire experience, including the ambience right down to the china, glass, and silver.

One of my most cherished creative outlets is to re-create historical events through food. The most popular by far is the re-enactment of Julia Child’s first meal in France in 1948 including her recipe for Sole Meunière.

Another favorite is the reimagining Julia’s kitchen in Cambridge, Massachusetts where we sneak a peek at her kitchen table with husband Paul as they enjoy a light supper that begins with Vichyssoise on a hot August night.

Our evening at Picasso Restaurant by Chef Julian Serrano in Las Vegas was worthy of re-creating. We had a fantastic meal where we enjoyed several fabulous courses, were awed by the ambiance and artwork, and thoroughly impressed by the service.

The Chef’s menu is drawn from his own background in the regional cuisines of Spain and France, and in honor of Pablo Picasso’s Spanish heritage and years the master artist spent living in France.

The Day Boat Scallop, Potato Mousseline, Jus de Veau course was especially captivating for its diminutive yet powerful presentation, combination of flavors and textures, and quality. If a restaurant is serving only one scallop, it had better be perfect!

Picasso's Scallop, Potato Mousseline, Jus de Veau — Taste With The Eyes Re-Creation of Picasso’s Scallop Course

icasso Restaurant, Bellagio, Las Vegas

Picasso’s Scallop Recipe

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Cabillaud aux Asperges

Cabillaud aux Asperges (Cod with Asparagus)

🌿🌼🌿 Cabillaud aux Asperges 🌿🌼🌿
(Cod with Asparagus)
Asparagus Cream Sauce, Balsamic Reduction

This lovely fish and asparagus dish was inspired by one of several fabulous courses we enjoyed at Picasso Restaurant by Chef Julian Serrano in Las Vegas.

The Chef’s menu is drawn from his own background in the regional cuisines of Spain and France, and in honor of Pablo Picasso’s Spanish heritage and years the master artist spent living in France.

The fish course was particularly memorable for its simplicity, harmony, and quality. A beautiful fillet of seared Chilean Sea Bass sat on a raft of perfectly cooked asparagus spears, covered with a light blanket of sauce hollandaise. The brilliant element of the dish was the Chef’s addition of a balsamic reduction, which juxtaposed intense sweet and tangy notes with the rich fish and buttery sauce.

For my version, I serve a pan-seared Wild Alaska Pacific Cod with its pleasant, slightly sweet, mild clean taste and lean flaky texture. And here, hollandaise is replaced by an Asparagus Cream Sauce made from the surplus of my Asparagus Soup for a delightful springtime dish.

Cabillaud aux Asperges (Cod with Asparagus)

Recette de Cabillaud aux Asperges

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Hell’s Kitchen & Crispy Skin Salmon

Hell's Kitchen & Crispy Skin Salmon

Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen Las Vegas
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
And His Crispy Skin Salmon Dish

Gordon Ramsay made a surprise visit to Hell’s Kitchen at Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the restaurant, which was the first of his six Hells.

We were there, but unfortunately just missed him by exactly one week! The one word we used to describe our lunch at Hell’s Kitchen was FUN! It was super enjoyable from the buzzing energy, to the studio-set atmosphere with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Strip, to the relaxed yet experienced service, and it felt like the guests were all there to have a good time, too. And we enjoyed the crispy skin salmon dish so much, that I decided to re-create it at home.

Hell’s Kitchen in Vegas is on track to hit $55 million in annual sales, Ramsay said, a figure that places it among the highest-grossing independent restaurants in the world. The 300+ seat restaurant is open more than 12 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks of the year. Just like casinos, Ramsay staffs Hell’s Kitchen in three eight-hour shifts. In fact, there’s a team dedicated to making Wellingtons throughout the night. (from Las Vegas Review-Journal here)

Hell's Kitchen & Crispy Skin Salmon

🔥 Hell’s Kitchen Las Vegas 🔥

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Camarones con Rajas

Don’t get me wrong. We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch at Javier’s in Las Vegas, but I simply wanted to serve the dish with more shrimp, and more rajas! So here I re-create a version of that fabulous Camarones con Rajas at home. It’s overloaded with succulent Alaska spot shrimp atop poblano chile strips and onions smothered in a garlic butter cream sauce.

Rajas con crema is a popular Mexican dish consisting of strips or slices (rajas in Spanish) of roasted poblano peppers in a cream sauce.

At Javier’s, we dined on aguachile del rey with bay scallop, shrimp, and octopus; empanadas de camarón; chile verde with braised pork and tomatillo sauce; and the camarones con rajas – all accompanied by their hand-shaken signature margaritas. This stunning upscale Mexican restaurant is located in the Aria Resort right next to the casino floor where hundreds of rope strands form an impressive canopy in the bar area.

Javier's Las Vegas — Javier’s dishes with Camarones con Rajas (top right)

While Javier’s prepares their dish with Mexican white prawns, I am elevating my dish with Alaska spot shrimp.

Alaska Spot Shrimp are sweet and plump. And if cooked correctly, they are luscious and much more tender than the Mexican prawn variety. With their slightly briny hint of the sea, spot shrimp taste like a sweet-buttery cross between lobster and Dungeness crab. They are just heavenly served over the poblano garlic butter cream.