We chose this restaurant because it was rated #1 of all restaurants in Vegas for this year and boasts the “chef of the century”. I am always interested in tasting the best, and in Vegas there sure is a lot of it. This restaurant in particular stands out from all the others, The Mix, Fleur de Lys and all the others by its more casual atmospheres. Reminisant of sitting in mother’s kitchen, small parties of fewer than four sit at the counter while the cooks pass you dish after dish over the black marble top. The kitchen it open and all its mysteries laid bare. Its amazing how clean, organized and mesmerizing sitting at that counter can be.
On this occasion we elected the discovery menu, ten courses featuring the chiefs personal favorites. We started out with a pallet opener, L'AMUSE-BOUCHE. It was amazing you could actually taste the parmesan in the froth top!
Next we hadLA TOMATE: en gaspacho aux croûtons dorés Chilled gazpacho with croutons. It all sounded like it would be very exotic but really it tasted like breakfast. It tasted like a soft boiled egg with a little soy sauce; you basically have what has been the breakfast staple of china for hundreds of years. It did have a new twist on it though with little chopped mushrooms and croutons. It was some how it was green too.
Some thing new! I have never had LA LANGOUSTINE before. The French name didn’t really mean anything to me, so I asked what it was. The chief described it as a shell fish between a crawdad and a shrimp. And it in fact tastes very like raw chilled crab meat, very fresh, very sweet, cool and a little on the slimy side but delicious. I especially liked the sea salt and poppy seed dressing.
One dish we didn’t really like was the Halibut. It was a covered in a caper and vegetable salsa with a lemon thyme sauce, I normally love capers but this combination did not really agree with me. What’s more, I’m not really a fan of this particular fish, because of its gamey texture, indifferent flavor and white color. I didn’t eat more than three bites. My husband had even less. So we tried to skip this course. The chief found this particularly offensive and prepared us another fish dish. This one was much better, and more to my liking because it was a grouper and had a different kind of relish on top.
The Atmosphere gets a 10. I give it a super A++ for romantic atmosphere. Couples who are even a little low on conversation will find the night quietly relaxing and the counter seating becomes very conversationally stimulating.
For taste alone I will give L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon a 10. I can’t really be upset about the Halibut. And I think the chef thought me either very critical or ignorant. I’m not really sure which of the two I would prefer but I appreciate that he took the time to re-impress me.
According to their website, on average people spend about $$$$$$ per person, I believe the two of us managed 3x$$$$$ after the ten courses, and a glass of the champagne at the beginning.
Over all I really loved this place, its simplicity, beauty, sophisticated but not extravagant style. L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon reflects taste and class in everything from the décor, the champagne menu, the espresso and dessert at the end. It rates a 10 out of 10. But in the future I will just request something other than Halibut.
Some advice! Always make a reservation, no matter what it says about it being casual seating and not needing to make one, call anyway.
MGM Grand Hotel & Casino
702-891-7925
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