Bon Appétit Vegas Uncork'd - Restaurant Guy Savoy Las Vegas

In May Mr Z and I visited Las Vegas for the first time…yes Vegas baby. This coincided with Vegas Uncork’d, a culinary event hosted by Bon Appetite magazine. We were fortunate enough to attended one of the Master Series hosted at Restaurant Guy Savoy Las Vegas located at Caesars Palace. This was my second time meeting Chef Savoy, my first time was at his main establishment in Paris. It has been too many years and I still fondly remember that meal. Particularly the crayfish dish I had, which was grilled with a creamy buttery spiced sauce, and the lemon dessert that utilized at least five different lemons. Or the trolley of breads wheeled out with every dish from which they provided a slice of the most complementing bread much like a finely matched wine. So with those salivating memories I came to this meal with great expectations.
First bite

We started with some champagne and the amuse-bouche to get us salivating. The sun was just beginning to set making it the perfect way to celebrate first day of our vacation.

Line caught whiting and langoustine in cold steam

The first dish of whiting and langoustine came with a bit of a flare. This is Vegas after all. The fish was displayed on a plate that sat on a pool of melting dry ice creating a morning mist over a cold stream effect.

Lobster, Avocado and Wild Mushroom Consommé

We then warmed up to chunks of lobster served with creamy avocado and wild mushroom consommé. The avocado’s mild flavour and smooth texture provided a nice contrast to the bite of the lobster and strong mushroom taste.

The artichoke and black Truffle Soup

Then came one of their signature dish, the artichoke and black Truffle Soup, a celebration of the king of mushrooms, truffle. This was served with toasted mushroom brioche and black truffle butter. The soup was creamy, mildly salty and the combination of the truffle and scattered cheese tickles both the olfactory and the umami senses.

Poached Guinea Hen, Morels, and Asparagus

The Poached Guinea hen with asparagus and morels was the most disappointing meal of the night. I think part of the problem was serving something so pedestrian right after the truffle soup. Any subtle layers of flavouring in the preparation of the guinea hen and asparagus was completely lost.

The other problem was that mushrooms were heavily used in several of the dishes. I’m not aware of any mushroom orientated theme and given that it was spring heading into summer this was an unexpected choice of produce to focus on.
Grapefruit Terrine, Earl Grey Tea Sauce

Despite complaining about repetition I certainly would not protest against more than one dessert, which started with a very light semi-frozen grapefruit terrine with a mild Earl Grey tea sauce. This plate helped refresh our senses and almost felt like an opening act for the main dessert.

Jasmine and Chocolate Dessert

Chocolate upon chocolate and with a dash of jasmine hidden in the ice cream. This was very intense chocolate and probably would have been a bit heavy after such a large meal if not for the revitalization by the grapefruit dish.

Is there such a thing as too much wine?

One thing I completely missed when I made the booking was that the five course meal would be accompanied by matching glass of wine for each dish. Unfortunately I’m an extremely lightweight drinker so this is what I had remaining still at the end of the meal. My favourite though was the Albert Bichot, Beaune ler cru “Les Epenottes” 2009 which was served with the Black Truffle Soup. It was a very robust wine and despite the overwhelming aroma of the soup the wine brought out unique undertones to the soup without one overpowering the other. Tip of my hat to the sommelier.

Petit fours

This wasn’t quiet as awe inspiring to me as when I first visited Guy Savoy in Paris but perhaps over the years my memory of it has been augmented by whistful longings or I naively like to hope that perhaps I have developed a more discerning palate. All in all it was still an extremely enjoyable and filling meal. We waddled around Las Vegas enjoying the night lights perfectly satisfied.

Sidebar
Food: Modern French with Vegas flair
Must try: Black truffle soup
Setting: Fine dining
Service: Fast...a bit too fast. Had to ask them to slow the dishes down so we could actually enjoy it.
Damage: This was a special but don't expect a meal to be less than $100
Hot chocolate: None
Visit if: in Vegas.

Restaurant Guy Savoy Las Vegas
Caesars Palace
3570 S Las Vegas Boulevard
Las Vegas, NV 89109
U.S.A.

Restaurant Guy Savoy (Caesars Palace) on Urbanspoon

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