I seriously am a lucky girl. First we saw Boyz II Men. And then on Sunday, we dined at Joël Robuchon Restaurant. I have already been lucky enough to go to L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon (the first time with the girls, the second time with Taro) and the food was stellar then. However, it could not prepare me for the restaurant itself. To say that it was amazing does not give it enough credit. From the rich, luscious purple decor – sofas, summer place settings with gold shells, a giant chandelier – to the incredible staff constantly at your service to the flawless presentation and flavors presented in each dish, I was in heaven. I finally understand why Joël Robuchon Restaurant is a 3 Star Michelin restaurant and why it has all the other accolades – Forbes Five Star Award Winner and AAA 5 Diamond Award Winner. It is for the incredible attention to detail from the staff, both in the kitchen and on the floor, and the experience was just one of a kind.
The menu at Robuchon is either the Le Printemps (Menu 16 Courses) or the Composez Votre Menu Selon Votre Appetit (Create your menu following your appetite). There was no possible way for the two of us to tackle the 16 course menu – the thought alone made me stuffed beyond belief – so we opted for the 4-course menu: L’Amuse-bouche, Entree, Soupe, Un Plat Au Choix, Dessert, and Moka – Thé. The menu is seasonal and initially, I wasn’t bold enough to take out my camera to shoot photos of the food. However, after asking politely with the waitress enthusiastically responding “Of course,” I documented the rest of the evening (after the l’amuse-bouche) and our culinary experience. To begin, the l’amuse-bouche was Le Caviar. It was absolutely delightful – caviar on top with crab beneath it. I think with each bite, I just sighed…literally. During the caviar, a waiter rolled a cart filled with bread to our table. There were probably at least 15 different varieties to choose from and I didn’t even really know where to begin (I love bread!). After we made our selection, the waiter (The entire staff is constantly aware and waiting on each and every table.) warmed up the bread for us. Warmed it up! I was baffled and to top it off, once we were done with our bread, someone would constantly come around to check if we wanted more. That is what I mean by impeccable service.
For the appetizers, I chose Le King Crabe – un blanc-manger d’asperges, fleurie d’un bouquet de légumes aux couleurs de saison (king crab and asparagus blancmange, medley of season vegetables) while Taro ordered the La Langoustine – truffée et cuite en ravioli à l’étuvée de chou vert (truffled langoustine ravioli with chopped cabbage) The ravioli was definitely the favorite between the two of us, especially since each one had a large piece of lobster. What was nice about the dish was that the truffle was not overwhelming; it was so subtle that it didn’t take away from the dish as a whole.
On the menu there were two choices for soup, so we had one of each: Le Tofu – en fin velouté aux zestes de yuzu sur une gelée d’algue chaude à l’anguille fumée et caramélisée (delicate tofu veloute on warm smoked eel seaweed gelee) and Les Petits Pois – soupe crémeuse rafraîchie à la menthe poivrée sur un voile d’oignon doux (light green pea cream with a hint of peppermint, sweet onion cloud). The Le Tofu felt like it had some Japanese influence, especially with the pieces of eel (Yum…unagi.) layered on top of the broth and pieces of tofu. The green pea soup was definitely one of a kind, especially with the sweet onion cloud. It almost seemed to have a hint of bacon as well and digesting the cloud was interesting. It felt like it just fizzed and dissolved in your mouth. Between the two soups, the Le Tofu was the more outstanding one.
With the l’amuse-bouche, appetizer, and soup, along with the countless bread, Taro and I were headed into a comatose state. That is when our entrees came out. I ordered the Canard – et foie gras à l’aigre doux de cerises et amandes fraîches (duck and seared foie gras with cherries and fresh almonds). It was perfectly medium-rare and the foie gras melted with each bite of duck. The duck was rich, but again, not overwhelming. I liked that I was able to taste the duck flavor alone. Taro ordered the Le Veau – les joues confites avec une semoule végétale aux brocolis et un bouillon Thaï (braised veal cheeks in Thai broth, vegetable couscous with broccoli). All I can say is wow. I really enjoyed the fusion aspect of the dish and the cheeks just collapsed at the touch of the fork. There was that tang and lemongrass flavor of the broth mixed in with the beautifully braised veal cheeks. I’m not sure which was the winning dish because both were oh so good.
Our meal didn’t end there because we still had dessert! I chose the La Myrtille – une compotée rafraichie au citron, milkshake à la violette (blueberry compote and lemon brulee, finished with a violet milkshake) while Taro had the La Framboise – à la fragrance de Brandy, gelée frappée à la noix de coco (fresh raspberries and raspberry brandy granite, light coconut foam). We were in dessert heaven. The violet milkshake was definitely one of a kind (Taro wasn’t a big fan of it.) and I liked the mix of sweet (blueberries and violet) with the hint of sour (lemon). The La Framboise was very refreshing and both the desserts helped to end the dinner on a light, summer note…but we weren’t done yet! The waiter rolled another cart and this time it was filled with chocolates and pastries made in-house. There were 45 different items to choose from! 45?!? As she was explaining what each chocolate/pastry was, I was lost – completely lost in the madness of the cart. In the end we chose four different items and they all went well with our coffee and tea.
That was Joël Robuchon Restaurant. It was a treat beyond a treat, amazing, spectacular, utterly devine and romantic, a one-of-a-kind culinary experience, and just absolute goodness. I have really learned to appreciate food and also, great service at a restaurant. I think it comes with age and right now, Taro and I are at that stage where we can really appreciate hard work and service and good food. And what is even better is that we can appreciate it together.
Thank you, Taro, for making Vegas a super awesome trip. To end it with Robuchon…a girl couldn’t ask for anything more.
