Scarpetta (Las Vegas, NV)

Posted on by July 25, 2016

Scarpetta
Cosmopolitan Hotel
3708 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
Dining date: 4/28/16

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This was my first time dining at the Las Vegas location of Scarpetta after dining numerous times at the Beverly Hills location. In fact, I had just dined at the BH location twice in the prior two months, just before it closed. I normally wouldn’t have paid a visit here so quickly; however, my dad promised my aunt he would take her here (she had heard about chef Scott Conant’s spaghetti many times and never tried it). My family was in town for Vegas Uncork’d with one dinner slot available so we came here. This would be the first time for my aunt and grandmother, although my parents have been here before.

An a la carte menu and a six course tasting ($110) is available here. Given we had a party of six, we went with the tasting for ease of ordering.

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Little Sister (Los Angeles, CA) [2]

Posted on by May 15, 2016

Little Sister
523 W 7th St
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Dining date: 4/10/16 and 4/16/16

Little Sister

I’m not the only one that has been frequenting Little Sister, it has been one of the hot restaurants downtown drawing crowds for its modern Asian cuisine. This post recaps two of my most recent meals – a breakfast and a dinner, as I’ve explored more of what the restaurant has to offer.

Bar

Interior

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Charcoal Venice (Los Angeles, CA)

Posted on by May 8, 2016

Charcoal Venice
425 Washington Blvd
Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
Dining date: 4/1/16

Charcoal Venice

Charcoal Venice (though technically I think it may be in Marina Del Rey) opened at the end of last year, a modern meat-centric concept from chef Josiah Citrin. Citrin is most notable for fine dining Melisse which is still going strong after 15+ years. The vibe here is much more casual and approachable, anchored around its flame-grilled meats.

Charcoal Venice is more than just beef and potatoes, though it has plenty of that. Two of its most notable dishes are a baked cabbage and a half of a duck. We ordered both of these, as well as a sampling of other items throughout the menu.

Interior

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Vegas Uncork’d 2016: Grand Tasting (Las Vegas, NV)

Posted on by May 1, 2016

Vegas Uncork’d Grand Tasting
Caesar’s Palace: Garden of the Gods
3570 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89109
Dining date: 4/29/16

Grand Tasting

This past weekend marked the 10th annual Vegas Uncork’d event by Bon Appetit, a large event covering 24 individual events over four days. They spanned “Master Series’ dinners/luncheons, cooking and wine demos, and tasting affairs. I attended this year’s Grand Tasting, my fifth in a row (six total). The Grand Tasting featured dozens of restaurants and many more libations from wineries to spirits to handcrafted cocktails sprawled around Caesars Palace’s Garden of the Gods pool area.

There was no way to sample or even see everything at the all-you-can-eat/drink event, but I tried. Below is the recap of what I came across during the 2.5-3 hour event.

Grand Tasting

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T’ang Court (Hong Kong)

Posted on by April 24, 2016

T’ang Court
The Langham Hong Kong 1/F and 2/F
8 Peking Road
Hong Kong
Dining date: 3/13/16

T'ang Court

While planning meals over the last couple of days in Hong Kong, we wanted to fit one more dim sum lunch in. T’ang Court, a Michelin three star restaurant at The Langham, was just a couple of blocks down from the hotel and had a last-minute reservation available.

Like fellow three-star Lung King Heen, the menu was extensive even for lunch. We planned to go for one of the set tasting menus, but they were only offered for tables of 2 or 4. Oddly, neither could be tailored for a party of 3 so we went a la carte.

Dining room

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L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon (Hong Kong)

Posted on by April 17, 2016

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon
Landmark Atrium
15 Queen’s Road Central
Hong Kong
Dining date: 3/12/16

Robuchon

I’ve enjoyed dining at Joel Robuchon’s various locations around the world and was happy to make a lunch stop here. Hong Kong’s version of L’Atelier is rated three Michelin stars, the only restaurant in the chain to hold this distinction. This restaurant is actually split into two parts – the signature wraparound bar surrounding the kitchen (L’Atelier) and a more formal dining room with tables (Le Jardin). Same menu, same kitchen, just a different type of atmosphere. We dined at the bar for a view of the action.

View

Easter

Lunch is composed of a 3-5 course prix fixe; between my parents and I ordering the 5-course ($858 HKD), we were able to try quite a bit of the menu.

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