We also stopped off at a place in our hotel called Isla something or another. (I know great help huh?) I had some awesome queso and a yummy mojito. Oh and on the video poker at the bar I won $120. The only thing I won all weekend. Yeah!
Needless to say we cashed out and got ready for the mack daddy of dinners. So here we go...
Saturday, October 11th Dinner
Guy Savoy at Caesar's Palace
Before I begin this review I need to say that I am in love with this place. If I could afford to eat there every weekend I would. It was pricey, but I would pay it again and again to have that fine of a dining experience. The only (and I mean only) thing that was wrong, was that I was way too full to eat every bite of everything! Frustrating but not such a horrible problem to have.
So service...untouchable.
I fully expected to have a little snobbery going on amongst the servers but I was mistaken.
From the hostess, to the sommelier, to our French waiter, to the bread cart server, to the petit fore server, to the lady that opened the bathroom door-absolutely down to earth and fantastic.
I love food, but some of the fancy French terminology is lost on me. All of the servers explained the dishes and wines in technical and proper terms then in a regular Joe sort of way. I could go on and on, but lets just sum it up by saying it was the best service I have ever received.
Atmosphere: clean cut, dark wood, beautiful view and a purse stool! I know this might not seem very important to the fellas out there, but a purse stool at your table is awesome for the ladies. It was a comfortable environment that made you feel incredibly special.
Food: I called and made the reservation letting the reservationist know that I did not eat red or pork. The server straight away asked about dietary restrictions and allergies. There was no problem substituting dishes in any of the tasting menus.
We both ordered the Prestige Tasting Menu with the wine pairings.
I must now apologize for my lack of detail and proper labeling.
I have no idea what the wines were named and frankly all I wanted to do was concentrate on tasting and experiencing. But here is what I do have:
Champagne: the sommelier has a cart of champagne of which he was pouring six champagnes that you rarely, if ever, see by the glass. I had a 1999 'smokin' champagne and Marvin had a Krug that was too die for.
*Note-these glasses of champagne are not included in your tasting and wine pairing menu and can be pretty pricey. Mine was $59 and his was $75. Worth every penny though.
Olive crostini-Amuse
Eggplant soup with lemon confit, croutons and basil powder served in a wonderful dish, which hid a tuna tartare underneath it. The soup was creamy and combination of the basil powder (which you added yourself as it was part of the presentation) and the lemon confit was killer.
Oysters in Ice Gelee-I do not like shellfish. But I thought if I was going to try them this was the place. Unfortunately, I did not care for them. The taste was really fishy, which of course is what is supposed to make oysters tasty. I only ate one of the three and the server asked if I wanted something else instead. I refused, stating that I had had a feeling I wouldn't care for them but wanted to give them a try. See me here:
I then had the most delicious chestnut soup with porcini mushrooms. I have not had too much experience with chestnuts, but I am now a chestnut lover. It was amazing.
Marvin did have the colors of caviar for this course. He had strong reservations going in, but after the presentation and tasting, had only glowing things to say.
Next was Crispy Sea Bass with Delicate Spices. Two small pieces of flaky and mild fish. The crispy portion was actually sea bass skin. It freaked me out a bit but I did try it and it was tasty.
Neither of us were interested in the foie-gras. So the substitution was a Dover sole dish. Again, the fish could not be matched. By this time I was getting rather full, but the dish was awesome.
We moved on to the Artichoke and Black Truffle Soup with Toasted Mushroom Brioche and Black Truffle Butter. Decadent, velvety, rich and scrumptious. The brioche was flaky and the shaved black truffle and Parmesan cheese was just topping on the cake.
Did I mention that with every course we were not only given very generous tastings of wine, that changed with the substitutions, but also a piece of bread to pair with each new course? Well, we were and it rocked!
Back to the meal.
Next was Poussin Roasted a la Broche (on the bone), Chantrelles, Arugula and Potato Galette. I asked to have the bone removed before presenting and there was no problem. I was bursting at the seams, but the chicken was moist and delicious.
And with my stomach stretched to the max, cam e the glorious cheese cart. After explaining in detail every cheese on the cart at my request (not only to learn about them to make a decision, but to try to buy some time to get hungry again), we each chose 5 cheeses. I stuck with mostly goat cheeses, which were fresh and creamy. Unfortunately, I had to leave some of each on the plate because my eye caught the dessert cart.
First came the Summer Melon dish. [see video] Small shaped melons on top of what looked like a trivet over a bowl. Then came the spectacular presentation. Hot chamomile tea was poured into the bowl through the holes surrounding the melon hitting what we later found out was dry ice. The steam came up and the aroma of the tea was tantalizing as we ate the melon. It was an excellent palate cleanser and light enough to move to the chocolate course.
Next was Chocolate Fondat, Crunchy Praline, Chicory Cream. Yummy. I could have lifted the gorgeous plate and drank the chicory cream.
And just when you think it might be over...nope, here comes the petit fore cart.
I ordered a hot tea that came in a great yellow ceramic teakettle and Marvin got a cappuccino. The cart was full of small, dangerously sweet bites of mouth-watering goodness. We each took six at the cajoling of our server and were not disappointed.
The reviews I read prior to choosing this restaurant said one thing I want to echo as loud as possible. Expensive? YES. Value for the food, service, atmosphere and experience? ABSOLUTELY!
Go to Guy Savoy if you are looking for a beautiful and fantastic evening and want to be treated like a king and queen.
