Deep Fried Kudzu

This was true birthday love! Leslie and I made reservations for Gordon Ramsay Steak at the Paris the first night we were in Vegas…and she treated me as part of my birthday celebration! How sweet is that!?!

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Our banquette was upstairs, and this was our view of the ceiling installation. The neon tubes are a representation of Gordon Ramsay’s hand movements as he makes a beef wellington.
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An iPad listed the signature cocktails (the HK Antioxident, with Veev Acai Liquer, lemon, and blueberries was smooth and fresh), and almost everything else was listed in the hardbound menu.

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While considering the menu, our head waiter brought over the selection of meats (it may be hard to decipher exactly how this is set up, but atop each placement is a mirror so that one may view the marbling of each cut from above as well). The funny part is that as he got done making his presentation, he asked us if we wanted to take a picture. When I asked him about it, he said, “everybody wants to take a picture of this!”.
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He especially tried to interest us in the tasting menu, but as both of us would have to order it and Leslie didn’t care for a couple of the dishes, we passed. One thing that I found a bit cheesy but, well, cheesy in a sweet way, was that those ordering the tasting menu got to keep the signed photograph of the chef:
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That’s Leslie on the left, and me on the right…and heh, realizing just now I wore those sunglasses the whole time we were at the restaurant.

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Chef Ramsay, we’re not going to take your picture home with us, but we did want to include you.

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We knew we were having a big supper so we passed entirely on appetizers. You can imagine, though, this bread plate was devoured.
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Leslie’s beef short ribs — red wine braised, with potato puree and wild mushrooms:
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*Of course* I had to have the beef wellington. Not sure how big this comes across here, but it’s big. I had half. Know how people say they ate a steak that was ‘like butter’? This was like butter. It was the most tender piece of steak I have ever had. The mushrooms were delectable. And the pastry was soft on the inside and flaky on the outside. Perfect in every way. I want this for supper every night.
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And it may seem odd, but we completely should have passed on ordering sides. With the vegetables and starches that came on our plates, there was no need for the macaroni and cheese (blue, cheddar, parmesan, truffle, english peas) or the ginger-glazed shiitakes (with scallions and crispy shallots).
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But THIS. I read English magazines — delicious., BBC Good Food, and others, but I have never made or had a real sticky toffee pudding. And where better? Sweet pudding cake, brown sugar toffee, brown butter ice cream. It was so soft and so warm and so comforting. Just the perfect amount of sweet. Yes forever.
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When Av and I go to Las Vegas, this is the first place we’re going. It will make him endlessly happy.

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After our just completely amazing supper, Leslie and I headed over to the Mirage for the Cirque du Soleil show, Beatles LOVE. I have an appreciation for the Beatles and have been to a handful of Cirque shows, but this was a thousand times better than imagined. No pics are allowed inside the theatre, but this is the walkway in:

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Happy New Year!
It’s Las Vegas week on DFK!

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There are family vacations and there are date nights and there are girls days.

But of all these, Leslie and I — friends for over 15 years — have never gone off for a few days just the two of us (other than family vacations together, the furthest the two of us have gone afield is the time we took the day to visit Graceland Too, its own life-altering experience).

Leslie’s little one is two so she can, for the first time, get away a little bit now. So it was time: let’s make a grown-up girl trip. Aah-may-zinnng!

The last time I was in Las Vegas was over ten years ago, for a work conference. We stayed that time at Mandalay Bay and although I was open to whatever, it was the hotel we chose to stay for this trip. I think it was several hundred dollars less expensive that some of the more interesting hotels on the other end of the strip and I knew it was nice (plus with tram/walking/cabs/Uber, not a huge concern) so we were great with it.

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Not all of the rooms have been renovated, but we were lucky enough to be given one at check-in:

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We got here right at lunch and although had already made plans for almost all other meals, we wanted something quick, easy, and nearby for lunch. We saw that Hubert Keller’s Burger Bar was in the hotel and headed straight over. Okay, let’s see what Hubert Keller dreams up for hamburgers.

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Leslie had the eponymous burger, which turned out to be under-seasoned buffalo on ciabatta. I had a lamb burger which wasn’t seasoned at all, along with a little sack of fries (though the fries on their own were perfect). Ah, a little disappointing.

But that’s okay — while this wasn’t much, we weren’t looking for much. And the trip turned out to include three of the great meals of my life (seriously.). One of those on tomorrow’s post.