trust me, it's paradise.: September 2009

once in a lifetime foodie experience. check.

for our trip we decided to book the only 3 michelin star rated restaurant in vegas, Joel Robuchon at the Mansion.

the experience alone was remarkable.. and made us feel like a million bucks. which was good.. because the experience is not cheap.

the night began with a limo pick up from PH to the Mansion at MGM. apparently this is the private entrance to a few private villas that will run you 5k a night.. we got to look around and sit in the waiting area in the gardens while a hostess came to lead the way to the restaurant.

it happened to be fight night and i could overhear the crowd around us that 'those two must be going to the fight' so money.

the doors opened to a gorgeous setting and we were seated in the main 'indoors' dining room in a perfect corner booth.

after briefly glancing at the menu we figured we're only going to be here once. go for it. and we did. and even had a few stares from other patrons.. possibly trying to figure out if we were some famous asian poker players.. but moving on. all meals begin with the famous bread cart. so much selection that it was very hard to choose. of course each one we picked was so delicious that we had to resist getting any more so we wouldn't stuff ourselves before our meal even began.

saffron focaccia, cheese brioche, bacon bread

brioche, basil focaccia, cheese bread

Le Caviar Osciètre Caviar on top of a bed of lump crab meat and a gelée of lobster coral.

incredibly delicious and great start to the meal. plus presentation so good.

La Tomate tomato salad infused with basil olive oil and tomato gelée topped with mozzarella dots.

the presentation of this dish was a bit bizarre.. it looked like a bunch of eyes looking back at me.

FYI - the gelée was clear and the bottom of that dish is black. This dish sounded a bit boring to me.. with such simplistic ingredients.. but preparation was exceptional.. very flavorful and interesting textures.

Les Asperges asparagus three ways - panna cotta with citrus oil, scrambled egg and toast, morel royal with yellow wine.

the panna cotta with citrus oil had an incredible mix of flavors while the panna cotta balanced out the sour notes of the citrus oil. the scrambled egg toast was classic french on a buttery crust. while the asparagus 'soup' was by far my favorite with it's earthy aroma it was soul cleansing.

La Grenouille crispy frogs leg with garlic/parsley puree, fried watercrest

this was so delicious that i ate it before i could take a photo (i had to find this one online) the texture was perfect along with the puree.. and the fried watercrest? who knew something so simple could taste so good.

Les Crustacés roasted lobster in green curry, truffled langostine ravioli, uni on mashed potato and coffee

the truffled langostine sounded much better than how it tasted.. the truffle was hardly noticeable at all but it was still decent. the roasted lobster skewered on a piece of lemongrass was over a bed of couscous and mixed with the green curry was very asian-esqe and enjoyable.

the best of all and possibly my favorite of the night was the uni on mashed potatos mixed with ground coffee. srsly who thinks of this?? the texture was wonderful and the coffee was not overpowering but just hinted so you knew it was there.. and the potatoes balanced out the seawater taste that scares most people away from uni.

Les Petits Pois pea velouté topped with an onion foam.

i was never a big fan of peas in general but this was pretty good.. i especially liked the flavors of the onion foam and the hints of smoked ham throughout this dish.

L’Os à Moelle bone marrow with sweetbreads, corn and ginger cream

a playful dish with a mix of corn and popcorn and an abundance of sweetbreads inside the hollowed out bone. the piece of marrow can be seen sitting atop the bone itself the most delicious part of this dish.. while everything else could be paired with it the sweetbreads overall were a bit salty for my taste, but the pieces of ginger and corn mixed made this even more interesting. but call me simple.. i prefer my bone marrow as is.. served with some sea salt, pickled cabbage, and grilled baguettes.

Le Bar pan fried seabass with baby leeks and lemon grass foam

with more lemongrass in this dish, it made it very thai-inspired. cooked perfectly but not as flavorful as i had hoped.

Le Veau veal with herb gelée and zucchini wrapped almonds

omg veal so delicious. we were initially a bit disappointed at the lack of wagyu beef on the menu, but this veal was incredibly flavorful and cooked to perfection. possibly best veal i've had.

Les Racines Maraîchères stew of spring root vegetables over argan oil couscous

light and a perfect end to the main dishes. simple.. yet not. and i cleaned out this bowl.

La Fraise strawberry compote infused with lime and tequila sorbet.

so delicious! incredibly fresh and flavorful, the lime balancing with the sweetness of the compote. and the mix of textures was perfect.. there was a crisp flower on top that i had crunched into the mixture prior to taking this photo.. (could not wait)

Le Chocolat nyangbo chocolate cake, light gianduja cream

decadent dark choclate. was a good mix of creamy and crunchy layers.

after this course was the petifores cart i have no idea how we were able to eat more.. but we did. another fantastic selection of goodies that i wanted to try them all!

after we left they sent us home with a rather large rasberry/pistachio cake that lasted us a few days.. as well as a few personalized menus of the evening.

overall the experience was good. service was top notch, decor was opulent, food was good. so why was it just good.. and not great?

although we were expecting the MOST AMAZING MEAL OF OUR LIVES, we were a bit underwhelmed.. but i guess that can happen with such high expectations. we had previously had the best meal ever at l'atelier in NYC, so perhaps the difference between the two is that Joel Robuchon is much more classic french as l'atelier is a bit more fusion/modern french. both were delicious, but perhaps our taste buds weren't accustomed to the flavors of classic french... plus we were a bit where's the foie gras and truffles? still it was a good night.

french noshing in houston at it's best.

over a month ago i had the opportunity to go with the MIL to dinner at this quaint french cafe set amongst shops in Rice Village.. the wait was a little long but doable as we sat outside sipping on a cold glass of white wine..

once we were seated we glanced over the chalkboard menu and decided quickly on what to order...

we started with the foie gras pâté.. i'm generally a seared foie gras kind of girl.. but this was one of the best foie gras pâté (besides in paris) that i've had.. it was melt in your mouth goodness.. this delectable dish was soon followed by escargot... and oh how i love my escargot in delicious garlic/parsley butter... that i continued to dip my bread in long after the tasty morsels were gone..

for our main course we split a bowl of mussels along with a side salad.. needless to say we were quite stuffed after.. with barely room for a cappuccino for dessert.

i need a return visit sometime soon... and also need to visit their sister restaurant Max&Julie.. for some steak tartar.

cafe rabelais

2442 Times Blvd

Houston, TX 77005