A new era in my life has started. I no longer look forward to the wild partying, excessive drinking, and artery clogging buffet eating in Vegas. Now when I think about Vegas, I get excited by the thought of eating something fancy and delicious. Welcome to old age, right? So the real reason behind my summer Vegas trip, aside from enjoying the company of my wonderful friends The Pouter, Teety, and Soprano Man, who shall now be renamed Yums (because that's what he always says when he eats something tasty), was to finally eat at the world famous Jöel Robuchon. We planned our trip around this very meal. Yums was such a good sport because he actually ate there a few weeks ago, but knew all of us wanted to go there so just shelled out another $$$$ to eat there again with us. We love you Yums! Jöel Robuchon is actually the only 3 star Michelin restaurant in the Los Angeles area. However, the Michelin guide has not revisited Los Angeles since 2009 so how relevant are those 3 stars now 5 years later?
Bread Cart
The French people love their bread. While a selection like this is almost like an adult version of a "kid in a candy store," I would opt for fewer breads that are warm. Nothing beats warm bread.
Le Chou Kale cream of kale cabbage, vegetable gelée
The vibrant green color jumped out at me from the get go. The deeply vegetal savoriness impressed me for packing so much punch without a bit of meat.
L'Artichaut Violet violet artichoke, foie gras salad, parmesan shavings
I guess the artichoke was the heart of the dish and the foie was but a tease with just 2 thick shaved curls to add just a touch of organy-ness. It brought out the more umami notes in the dish. Taken in 1 bite, the chips, heart, cheese, and foie made for a delectable morsel.
Le Caviar (Symphony of Caviar)
osetra caviar, king crab, crustacean gelée
I loved how the caviar symphony was considered one course, but really felt like 3 small separate dishes. The crab meat was sweet and suprisingly did not bring out more fishiness from the caviar. The gelée provided some smooth cooling texture. There was no shortage of decadence here, as you can see by the amount of caviar.
osetra caviar, salmon tartare
This might have been the best bite of the night. I usually enjoy my foods in many small bites, but Yums recommended just popping the whole thing in my mouth. It was AWESOME. Of all things, I felt like the potato really stood out.
osetra caviar, asparagus, tumeric vinaigrette
The asparagus was nice but was nowhere near as delicious as Raku's caviar.
L'Oeuf de Poule semi soft boiled egg, florentine, comté cheese sauce
This was probably my least favorite dish of the night, but it's not like it was bad at all. Me and eggs again. At times I find its lusciousness very appropriate, and at other times I find that sulfuric eggy smell to be offputting. I felt the latter opinion on this dish. Plus, my yolk was not runny enough. It also did not help that the dish looked ugly relative to the previous other show stoppers.
La Saint-Jacques seared scallop, lemongrass, broccolini and soybean sprouts risotto
It's interesting that this was described as "seared" because it was as pale as my sun starved behind. I actually thought it's preparation was similar to the scallop I had at Per Se, which I did not enjoy. Robuchon's version was better, but I still missed the caramelized sear from a traditionally prepared scallop. The bean sprouts were an interesting ingredient since I've never tasted it any sort of establishment with Michelin stars and a wine pairing that costs as much as the food. I appreciated the modern incorporation of lemongrass in the foam.
Les Crustacés
roasted spiny lobster, green curry, fresh coriander
The trio of langostine was to die for. Again, I was really impressed by the use of Asian flavor profiles with the green curry. Yums complained the lobster was overdone and I might have to agree that it was tougher than $$$$ worth of lobster should be.
sea urchin, potato puree, "blue mountain" coffee
I LOVE uni and this was an interesting take on it with potato and coffee.
truffled langoustine ravioli
The langoustine ravioli was amazing. Seriously, I wish all ravioli could satisfy me in just a single ravioli. I didn't crave 6 more like I usually do at restaurants.
L'Asperge Verte green asparagus velouté, ricotta and herb tortellini, virgin vegetal oil
Ok, back to the veggies. Teety seemed to really like this simple "cream of asparagus" soup. It really channeled the vegetable very well, but I'd probably like a cream of broccoli better. Even in America, the French do everything better with cream. The one piece of crimini mushroom, fried shallot, and tortellini were delightful. When things are done perfectly, quantity does not matter.
Le Black Cod caramelized black cod, malabar pepper sauce, bok choy
Things were getting to an explosive level by this point in the meal. I was bursting, but the fish was soo good and so hot! I've noticed that with tasting menus in larger parties, sometimes the food can err on the side of lukewarm. Again, the Asian influences kicked in with the bok choy and miso. This was probably one of the best versions of miso fish I've had.
Le Bouef grilled beef rib eye, black olive and bone marrow condiment
I was so full to the point of being sick. I couldn't take anymore! I had less than half of my beef, but I still appreciated the richness and beefiness. The little medallions of marrow had such distinct taste to it. There was no mistaking that was bone marrow, rather than blobs of unappetizing fat.
La Fraise strawberries in mascarpone, basil gelée, olive oil ice cream
Simple. Seasonal.
La Mangue "perroquet" mango, caramel mousse, exotic coulis, crispy tuile
The mango was a bit fiberous which surprised me. I wouldn't think a place like this would serve any subpar ingredients. The caramel mousse was fashioned into the green stem of this beautiful flower like dessert. Quite lovely.
Mignardises Cart
It was only fitting that we ended the meal the same way we started it, with another smorgasbord selection of indulgent treats.
Overall, I was pretty happy with my meal at Robuchon. What I was not happy with was the hefty price tag. I'm not even going to divulge it because it's simply heinous. On the one hand, I am embarrassed to admit I would spend THAT much money on one meal. On the other hand, I'm like "BOOYEAH!" I can afford to spend THAT much money on one meal. Eleven Madison Park was a superior meal at almost half the price, but Robuchon definitely delivered without much disappointment. I figured that with so many outposts of his namesake restaurant, the quality might suffer as it tends to at some of the other high end restaurants of many of the celebrity chefs in Las Vegas. The food was a perfect merriment of the classic and inventive. I would definitely go back here. I can only say this now, because the major offense to my wallet is but a faded memory now. I'm not sure Teety or The Pouter would say the same. In any case, the 3 stars, though 5 years old, are well deserved even to this day.
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