Following on from a rather packed schedule in the last Las Vegas blog, this is the first review of two from two of Las Vegas’ excellent eating establishments. I am still somewhat confused as to how the retention of a Michelin star is arranged when a whole city is effectively mothballed for the Red Guide (due to the recession in the US, which has hit many countries, which has been slowing all business since 2008) since 2009*1. The website at the Bellagio for Mina’s restaurant, which opened in 2004 following a changing of the guard with his previous 1998 opened establishment, Aqua, shows the awards are still held (indeed, the two-starred Picasso displays its stars) and mindful of this, the anticipation of eating there was almost tangible. Amusingly, I did manage to raise some eyebrows by booking in person, wearing a tee shirt and shorts, clearly from day of wandering the city; although the maître d' was more relaxed on my assurances I would be properly attired on return for our booking. There was little complication with ordering, as the waiter’s explanation of the a la carte choices and two tasting menus definitely pointed in the direction of a tasting experience, with his effervescent enthusiasm directed at the Signature Tasting. We were informed that this is the menu; which effectively gave Mina’s restaurant its elevated standing in Las Vegas. The restaurant is located at the edge of a display area, which had a showing of a harvest festival, with giant autumnal leaves hanging from above, pumpkins lining walkways and water fountain/garden areas. Mina’s establishment itself is set out with adequate dining room and carried by warm lighting in the evenings, nothing offensive or too challenging for the eyes. You will dine in comfort here, although there is something of a new-build house showroom feel to the interior, not that this is necessarily a bad thing. The ’Domestic Caviar Parfait’ was the first salvo of Mina’s classic taster menu and a neatly impressive sight it was. Layers of shallots and potato, salmon, caviar and crème fraiche neatly placed to a tower, providing a combination of clean and enticing flavours that were mainly dominated by the barbecued earthiness of the smoked salmon. Although there were no real fireworks with this opening dish, it segues perfectly into the following course and shows the level of consideration given to this menu as a signature package. The ‘Tartare of Ahi Tuna’ was an interesting and brilliantly textured dish, although the flavour was somewhat one-dimensional thanks to either unbalanced recipe or heavy-handness of a chef in using sesame oil. Back to the texture, the asian pear, chilli oil and pine nuts gave an array of entertainment for those who get excited about mouth feel of a dish. Finely chopped ahi tuna is presented in a cake, crested with an egg yolk, the waiter then proceeds to fold the components of the dish together at the table. Whilst this is something that the chef has obviously incorporated into his dish, I found it a rather unnecessary and actually unwelcome aspect of the dish, as I would have preferred to combine the elements in my own ratios to explore the plate in front of me. The toast with the dish was a fine foil for the rest of the moist components of the dish. The ‘Miso glazed Chilean Seabass’ was a very well put together Seabass dish, silky, moist and delicate flesh was mixed with a miso dashi broth and a shellfish dumpling, adorned with peashoots and a sliver of radish. All the flavours and components were pretty much perfect, the salt tang of the broth almost enough to encourage brazen behaviour of lifting the plate to lips to ensure not a drop was wasted. The ‘Lobster Pot Pie’ was an interesting dish. After the waiter sets down the pot pie, he cut open the pie crust to expose generous and glistening chunks of lobster swimming in a buttery cream sauce. Essentially, the dish is a very well cooked openface pot pie. The crust/pastry was flaky and doughy in equal measure, making it perfect to soak up some of the sauce in the pie, but also with enough resistance to present some texture to contrast the sauce and lobster meat. Although this dish is possibly too rich and heavy for a tasting menu, I wouldn’t complain too much, as the flavour is excellent if a little basic. Pie, sauce and lobster. Satisfying. The 'American Wagyu Ribeye 'Rossini'' came with the waiter regaling us of a tale about the Japanese Prime Minister presenting a Wagyu beef cow to the US government many years ago, with this cow then used to breed further cows with some of the Wagyu character. Some of this has pleasingly found its way onto the menu at Mina's Las Vegas establishment and makes up the headline course of the taster menu. The ribeye was cooked perfectly and slices places atop foie gras and a light vegetable puree. The dish was finished with some black truffle shavings. A very simple, but highly flavoursome dish prepared as well as it could have been; the main draw for this dish though is the excellence of the sourced ingredients. The ‘Lincoln’s Candy Bar’ was the final course and based on Mina’s penchant for presenting his dishes with a ‘trio’ of main elements, this dessert certainly falls into the category for his concept. The main element is a chocolate bar, which I was informed is reminiscent of a ‘Butterfinger’ bar although done in very impressive manner; the soft chocolate, caramel and fudge layers are paired with a freshly prepared if slightly underwhelming chocolate chip cookie and a root beer float with a chocolate straw. Alas, the straw didn’t work very well and root beer is an ingredient that can throw some people off a dish, with its sharp wintergreen flavour. I am not totally sure that this dish worked as a concept, as it was a little disparate and fiddly. The flavours worked reasonably well together, but there were simply no fireworks on this course.
This was, overall, a very good experience, with some courses on a much higher standing than others and some slightly unwelcome elements such as the demolition job of the tuna course; the sourcing and preparation could not be faulted otherwise. Service was assured and intelligent, with suitable recommendations made by waiting staff; as would be expected given the location. On a relatively flat note, the wine menu was fairly eyewatering; with wine priced upward of $75 a bottle for the lowest rung of the ladder. Symptomatically, a lot of the Californian wines on offer were vastly overpriced, as seems to be the case across the city and indeed, anecdotally across the US. Given the sales tax and tip over the $115 per head tasting menu (which IS value for money, as outlined above), things do mount up and mark-ups on wine exacerbate this unfortunate situation. That said, the extensive nature of the list is truly something to behold, logically set out and with some notably excellent wines; it is a shame that they were out of reach on the occasion. Given the sheer choice in Las Vegas on the strip of upmarket restaurants, this is definitely a solidly competent option for fine dining with a couple of exciting culinary flourishes. Very good, Perhaps not the best of the Michelin awarded establishments on the strip, but at the least it will not leave you feeling short changed, despite the gaps left in your wallet. Pedro. ----------------------------------------------------------- *1 – During the course of research, I have been unable to find any definitive answer about Red Guides for Las Vegas (or Los Angeles) since 2009. [http://www.lasvegassun.com/blogs/culture/2009/jun/26/michelin-bad-economy-means-no-2010-guide-las-vegas/]
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