Photo: Barry Sweet/Bloomberg News
Two of us stare down at our first courses: a shot glass layered with green and white purees called L’Avocat. On top of the final, snowy stratum, a ring of tiny, perfectly shaped bottle-green dots encircle the glass. “It takes one chef 20 minutes per order to complete those dots,” whispers our server.
We sink our spoons through layers of avocado, herb gelée and fresh curd cheese anointed with pungent olive oil. The combined flavor hits almost too intensely before it unfurls in a surge of tastes as orchestrated and clear as a four-part harmony. Never has my palate received such a wake-up call.
Every aspect of Joël Robuchon feels this rarefied.
MGM Grand president Gamal Aziz reportedly gave Mr. Robuchon, one of France’s most celebrated chefs, carte blanche to create the extravagance of his dreams. The art deco-inspired room is decorated in purples so deep and regal that one needs a better word to describe them: violet, maybe, or aubergine. The restaurant produces wondrous breads in its own bakery. There are 25 cooks in the kitchen preparing food for a 60-seat dining room.
Two menus are offered: a six-course and a 16-course. (A cheese course is extra and dazzles with the ripest specimens.) High rollers shouldn’t hesitate to go for the full 16. Executive chef Claude Le Tohic and his staff execute Mr. Robuchon’s culinary vision with unwavering devotion.
Even with a menu in front of us, the ride through the dishes reveals one surprise after another. Tradition-minded creations such as a caviar tasting and a small rectangle of kobe beef with horseradish segue into wild cards such as oat velouté (yes, think oatmeal) revved with roasted almonds and chorizo, and amadai (a Japanese fish in the carp family) bathing in a broth made from lily bulbs.
By the last bite of yuzu soufflé with banana ice cream, I know this is the best French meal I’ve had in the U.S.
A final treat for the senses: We step into the restaurant’s side room, featuring a wall of ivy that glows an otherworldly green. Breathing the pure air near the plants refreshes us — an unexpected but idyllic ending to our remarkable evening before we walk back through the hotel’s smoky casino.
Joël Robuchon
MGM Grand, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd. South
702-891-7925; www.mgmgrand.com/dining
Article by: Bill Addison/ Restaurant Critic – Dallasnews.com
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