Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
Thanksgiving Dinner at Bouchon in Las Vegas
HopAlong and I decided to spend Thanksgiving in Las Vegas. HopAlong has never travelled out of state and he's always wanted to see Vegas so off we went for 3 days and 3 nights.
We were back and forth about whether we wanted to do the buffet for Thanksgiving Dinner. If you haven't been to Vegas during Thanksgiving, the buffet lines during this time are ridiculously long, lines stretch for what seems like miles and the wait is at least 4 hours. I learned this the hard way when I went to Vegas with girlfriends a few years ago. So I booked us dinner at Bouchon and we're so glad we did because after being on your feet all day, standing in a long line when you're famished is the last thing you want to do!
I've always wanted to eat at one of Thomas Keller's restaurants. Thomas Keller is one of the most famous chefs in the world and boasts the best restaurant in the world, The French Laundry. To book a table at the French Laundry is a 3 year waiting list, people from all over the world make the trip just to dine here. Bouchon is the closest I will ever get to The French Laundry. Bouchon Bistro is like French Laundry's little brother. It's a casual atmosphere, food simple, and unpretentious. When I saw Anthony Bourdain do a segment on Bouchon, I was sold!
Bouchon Bistro is located in The Venetian and is hidden away from the madness that is Vegas. We took the elevator and walked down a long beautiful elegant corridor. Immediately, we felt as if we were transported to a palace somewhere in Europe...
The long corridor walk seemed like forever. Low and behold, there it was nestled in a quiet corner. It felt like we were part of a secret society club (invite only)...
«More on the Bouchon experience...»
We walked in and was greeted by the maître d'. She welcomed us to have drinks at the bar while we wait for our table. The ambience wasn't what I had expected it at all. I thought it would be stuffy and pretentious but it was a informal, relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
After 10 minutes we were finally seated and were escorted by the second hostess. Our waitress comes by and hand us a rather long wine list. She proceeds to tell us if we have more specific questions about wine and wine pairings, she would be happy to send down the sommelier.
She continues to tell us in GREAT detail about the specials of the day. She even had a little notepad in her hand to read off the ingredients of each dish. This is what we ordered...
Hors-D'Oeuvres:
Rillettes aux Deux Saumons: fresh & smoked salmon rillettes served with toasted croutons. They weren't kidding when they said the 3 secret ingredients to French cooking is butter, butter, and butter. The salmon rillette basically is comprised of salmon in solidified clarified butter and herbs. I couldn't get enough of it!
HopAlong had the Soup du Jour, pumpkin soup. He said it was awesome!
Plats principaux:
For the main course I had Poulet Roti, roasted chicken with heirloom squash, rainbow chard, pomegranate seeds & sage infused chicken jus. This dish lives up to its hype, the chicken is so moist and juicy, you'd have to wear a bathing suit to eat it.
HopAlong had the Steak Frites, pan-seared prime flatiron served with maitre d'hotel butter & French fries. Reviews say Bouchon's french fries are to die for! HopAlong and I weren't impressed, they tasted like McDonald's fries. Not bad, not good, just mediocre. Fries are fries everywhere. The steak on the other hand, HopAlong said was the best he's ever had, the meat was cooked to perfection and melted in your mouth.
Desserts:
I had the custard cream filled beignets with maple brown sugar ice cream.
And HopAlong had the Mousse au Chocolat Noir: dark chocolate mousse.
A sign of a good dessert...
The damage...
$139.19 sans gratuity. Not bad considering the amazing food and first class service.
They even gave us goodie bags full of caramel nut popcorn from their bakery...
This is by far the best dining experience we've ever had. I'd give this restaurant 100 stars if I could. I'm so in love, if Bouchon were a man, I'd put a ring on it!
We were back and forth about whether we wanted to do the buffet for Thanksgiving Dinner. If you haven't been to Vegas during Thanksgiving, the buffet lines during this time are ridiculously long, lines stretch for what seems like miles and the wait is at least 4 hours. I learned this the hard way when I went to Vegas with girlfriends a few years ago. So I booked us dinner at Bouchon and we're so glad we did because after being on your feet all day, standing in a long line when you're famished is the last thing you want to do!
I've always wanted to eat at one of Thomas Keller's restaurants. Thomas Keller is one of the most famous chefs in the world and boasts the best restaurant in the world, The French Laundry. To book a table at the French Laundry is a 3 year waiting list, people from all over the world make the trip just to dine here. Bouchon is the closest I will ever get to The French Laundry. Bouchon Bistro is like French Laundry's little brother. It's a casual atmosphere, food simple, and unpretentious. When I saw Anthony Bourdain do a segment on Bouchon, I was sold!
Bouchon Bistro is located in The Venetian and is hidden away from the madness that is Vegas. We took the elevator and walked down a long beautiful elegant corridor. Immediately, we felt as if we were transported to a palace somewhere in Europe...
The long corridor walk seemed like forever. Low and behold, there it was nestled in a quiet corner. It felt like we were part of a secret society club (invite only)...
«More on the Bouchon experience...»
We walked in and was greeted by the maître d'. She welcomed us to have drinks at the bar while we wait for our table. The ambience wasn't what I had expected it at all. I thought it would be stuffy and pretentious but it was a informal, relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
After 10 minutes we were finally seated and were escorted by the second hostess. Our waitress comes by and hand us a rather long wine list. She proceeds to tell us if we have more specific questions about wine and wine pairings, she would be happy to send down the sommelier.
She continues to tell us in GREAT detail about the specials of the day. She even had a little notepad in her hand to read off the ingredients of each dish. This is what we ordered...
Hors-D'Oeuvres:
Rillettes aux Deux Saumons: fresh & smoked salmon rillettes served with toasted croutons. They weren't kidding when they said the 3 secret ingredients to French cooking is butter, butter, and butter. The salmon rillette basically is comprised of salmon in solidified clarified butter and herbs. I couldn't get enough of it!
Plats principaux:
Desserts:
A sign of a good dessert...
The damage...
They even gave us goodie bags full of caramel nut popcorn from their bakery...
This is by far the best dining experience we've ever had. I'd give this restaurant 100 stars if I could. I'm so in love, if Bouchon were a man, I'd put a ring on it!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
And The Winner Is...
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Please Help Choose HopAlong's Thanksgiving Outfit
We went to Napa Premium Outlets today...
Craig went crazy and bought 2 jackets, 3 shirts, a pair of jeans, and shoes...
He did a little fashion show when we got home. It took me awhile to convince him that he would look better with his shirt tucked in. I don't know what it is with men in the UK and not tucking in their shirts. It was a real pet peeve of mine while I was there. Button down shirts should always be tucked in, it looks neater and sharper. Untucked button down shirt + beer belly = SLOB!
He looks quite good, I must say (thanks to my good taste..ahem). I do give him credit for the shoes though, he picked those out all by himself! Although, he can't decide what to wear for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday...I can't either!
Outfit #1: (Chocolate brown blazer, blue patterned shirt over white, jeans, brown shoes)
Outfit #2: (Chocolate Brown blazer, brown pin stripped shirt, jeans, brown shoes)
Outfit #3:(Navy blue velvet blazer, white pinstriped shirt, jeans, brown shoes)
Craig went crazy and bought 2 jackets, 3 shirts, a pair of jeans, and shoes...
He did a little fashion show when we got home. It took me awhile to convince him that he would look better with his shirt tucked in. I don't know what it is with men in the UK and not tucking in their shirts. It was a real pet peeve of mine while I was there. Button down shirts should always be tucked in, it looks neater and sharper. Untucked button down shirt + beer belly = SLOB!
He looks quite good, I must say (thanks to my good taste..ahem). I do give him credit for the shoes though, he picked those out all by himself! Although, he can't decide what to wear for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday...I can't either!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
When One Thinks of Oakland....
these images come to mind:
Last night HopAlong and I headed out to Oakland. Yes, Oakland ranks 5th among the country's crime rate and one of the highest murder rates in California. Yes, this is gangland. Yes, sometimes riots breakout here. But this didn't stop us from exploring Oaktown's hidden gems like the Paramount Theatre, the finest remaining examples of Art Deco design in the United States. It is a beautiful venue to watch extraordinary musical talent such as The Swell Season. I surprised HopAlong with this nice gift since he is a big fan of Glen Hansard and the movie Once, one of the best Irish films ever. Hands down he said this Swell Season concert beat U2 when he saw them at the Botanic Gardens. I agree, it was an amazing and religious experience! I was stunned the whole time.
Last night HopAlong and I headed out to Oakland. Yes, Oakland ranks 5th among the country's crime rate and one of the highest murder rates in California. Yes, this is gangland. Yes, sometimes riots breakout here. But this didn't stop us from exploring Oaktown's hidden gems like the Paramount Theatre, the finest remaining examples of Art Deco design in the United States. It is a beautiful venue to watch extraordinary musical talent such as The Swell Season. I surprised HopAlong with this nice gift since he is a big fan of Glen Hansard and the movie Once, one of the best Irish films ever. Hands down he said this Swell Season concert beat U2 when he saw them at the Botanic Gardens. I agree, it was an amazing and religious experience! I was stunned the whole time.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
City Escape
«More Pics..»
This is holiday season in union square...
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