Vegas Trip: Holsteins @ The Cosmopolitan & Top Chef Just Desserts - Part 2

This is part 2 of my amazing experience with Holsteins and the chefs.

On Sunday I made sure that we made time to go by Holsteins for a meal. I texted Chef Carlos to let him know that we were planning on stopping by in the afternoon. Unfortunately he was at their other restaurant so he wasn't going to be there. He offered to make us a reservation though. :)

At 3:30 we arrived and were seated in the main dining room. The waiter was really nice. We looked over the menu and quickly decided what we wanted.

We got Tiny Buns (served in orders of 2): Crispy Pork Belly Bun (Asian flavored wrapped in a Chinese steamed bun with Hoisin sauce, cucumber & pea shoots, wasabi mayo) $9~

The plating was simple and cute in the little cast iron skillet. The pork belly was really juicy with a great sear on it. The greens were really fresh and the buns had a great texture. Just like how Chinese restaurants make their steamed buns. And one of my favorite things was the wasabi mayo. It was great in the pork buns, it was great on fries. Soo good!

Big Buns (served with choice of shoestring or steakcut fries): The Steakhouse Burger (beef patty crusted with black pepper, Holsteins creamy steak sauce, marmalade onions, tomato confit, wild mushrooms, Swiss cheese) $16.50~ We chose the shoestring fries.

This is one of Chef Carlos' favorite burgers on the menu. This burger was AH-MAZING! By far one of the best burgers I've EVER had, and my bf agrees. The beef patty was beyond juicy and cooked perfectly. There were so many different flavors and textures going on in there. The onions, tomato, mushrooms and sauce all added a level of complexity. My favorite part was the crushed black pepper that was basically pressed into the patty and the cheese. Every bite you get that fragrant and hint of spice from the black pepper. And I see why they have the buns custom made. It was able to hold up to the juiciness and amount of toppings in there, never once got soggy. We shared a burger, but I could've easily eaten one on my own! And I wasn't even that hungry!! I'm wishing there is a Holsteins in Dallas just so I can go right now...

We also ordered the Campfire Smores (chocolate fudge, roasted marshmallow, graham crumble, Gosling’s Dark) $11~ Since we got 2 shakes the day before, we got one to share this time.

Now this is where the SUPER DUPER FANTASTIC-NESS begins... After finishing the burger and waiting on our shake, we see Chef Craig walk towards us with 2 plates. There was a trio of their Bam-Boozled milkshakes on each plate. From left to right: Campfire Smores (chocolate fudge, roasted marshmallow, graham crumble, Gosling’s Dark); Strawberry Cheesecake (Cheesecake chunks, graham crumble, strawberry swirl, Absolut Vanilla Vodka); Drunken Monkey (Reese’s pieces, banana, malt, Frangelico).

Oh wow!! We were definitely surprised and happy. Chef Craig was super nice and introduced the different shakes to us. We dug right in and finished it all!!

Little did we know.. this was only the BEGINNING...

After finishing the shakes, we see Chef Craig walk out again with more plates! OMG! He presented us a sampler of their Dessert Lollipops ($15 for all):
Lemon Meringue $3.5~
Birthday Cake $3.5~
Strawberry Cheesecake $3.5~
Blondie (macadamia nuts) $3.5~
Brownie (with chocolate crispies) $3.5~

We started working through the Lollipops... We took a bite of each. They were all really good but the Lemon Meringue was our favorite of the bunch.

AND... he also had a little bucket with smoke billowing out. He spooned out a small blue meringue and gave it to my bf. He put it in his mouth and immediately started sprouting smoke from his mouth and nose. It was soooo freaking coool!!!!!

The blue meringue was bubblegum flavored and was in a pool of liquid nitrogen. It was such a neat experience. At this point, the tables around us were like "oh cool", "what's that?" and just watching us. It was pretty epic!!

We only got through one bite of each one before Chef Craig brought out two MORE plates. WOW!! We were floored. This was just surreal! We got another sampler in these cute little jars. Mini Desserts ($14 for all):
Butterscotch Pudding with Shortbread $4~
Lemon-Yogurt Blueberry Panacotta $4~
Black Forest Cake $4~
Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble (olive oil gelato, tarragon foam) $4~

The jars were super cute. Everything had an interesting twist to it. Like the Panacotta had this spicy tuile on it. It was really spicy!! And the panacotta was cooling. The Black Forest Cake had a layer of tapioca inside that added a different layer of texture. And the crumble, which Chef Craig called a soup, was topped with olive oil gelato and tarragon foam. How interesting is that?!?!?

The other plate was sooo fun! It's a dessert twist on “Slider & Fries” (peanut butter macaron “burger”, churro “fries”, raspberry “ketchup”) $8~

The little burger container was super cute. And the peanut butter-chocolate-banana macaron inside looked like a real burger!! And he used the little squeegee of the raspberry sauce and squeezed it over like ketchup. It's soo fun I couldn't stop smiling. :D We were really overwhelmed with all the different desserts. There was only 2 of us!! haha. Too bad our friends couldn't make it, we really needed them there!

And it wasn't complete until the final presentation...
The Candy Store ($14 for all):
Drumstick (Raspberry sorbet, white chocolate, pistachio) $2~
Push Pop (banana cremieux, crunchy peanut butter layer, chocolate covered pop rocks) $2~
Guava Gummy $2~
Huckleberry Polenta Cake $2~
Doughnut (maple, bacon, cream filled) $2~
Strawberry-Lime Float (strawberry soda, lime sorbet) $2~
“PB&J”, Infused Milk (peanut butter & jelly macaron) $2~
(The Nitro Meringue from earlier is actually part of this sampler. $2~)

The platform it came on was unique on its own. Chef Craig told us that Chef Carlos actually had this platform as well as the one for the cake lollipops specially engineered just to display the desserts. So creative!! Again, all the different desserts had a cool/interesting twist and were so whimsical. We were seriously on a sugar high!!

I was totally on cloud 9! This is truly one of my life dreams coming true. I've always wanted to be a judge on Top Chef or Top Chef Just Desserts and here I am getting a private tasting from 2 of the contestants. O.M.G. There's nothing really else I could say. I can die happy now...

I just want to thank Chef Carlos and Craig again for the amazing hospitality and creative desserts. This was a once in a lifetime experience and I will never forget it. Holsteins will be a must-visit spot whenever I go to Vegas. Chef Carlos told us they are planning on opening many more locations in the next few years, so keep an eye out if they go to your town! And I definitely hinted at opening one in Dallas!!! hehehe.

I wish the Chefs best of luck on all their future projects and businesses. With the level of creativity and innovation, I have no doubt they will be even more successful in the future. Hopefully I can visit them again soon! And I will continue to cheer them on in Top Chef Just Desserts as the season goes on!! :D

Of course this deserves 5 cookies in ALL aspects!!!!!!!!

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Vegas Trip: Holsteins @ The Cosmopolitan & Top Chef Just Desserts - Part I

So this next entry is actually going to be 2 parts because there's just sooo much and sooo freaking AWESOME!!!!

Where do I even start?!?

After I booked my trip for Vegas I started looking up great food places to check out. One place that caught my eye was Holsteins, a burger and shake place in the new Cosmopolitan Hotel. The main reason it stood out to me was because they make spiked milkshakes! And they sound amazing!!

Holsteins Shakes and Buns @ The Cosmopolitan
3708 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
2nd Floor
(702) 698-7940
http://www.holsteinslv.com/
Price: $$

But the cool part is when Top Chef Just Desserts Season 2 started I noticed that Holsteins' pastry chef, Carlos Enriquez is one of the contestants!! Sweet! That just made me want to go to Holsteins even more!

As the season went on, Chef Carlos quickly became one of my favorites. He's mellow and drama-free and makes some great looking stuff!

Anyways, on Saturday in Vegas we were going from New York New York to Bill's Gambling Hall and decided to walk through Cosmopolitan since we haven't seen it yet. I took the opportunity to stop by Holsteins for a shake to go. While waiting to flag down the bartender...I see Chef Carlos walking out from the back. OMGGGGG!!! I was hoping I'd see him but didn't really expect to. So I stopped him and asked if I could get a picture with him and that I was a HUGE fan! Of Top Chef AND him! He was SUPER nice, very down to earth and easy going. We chatted a bit and he told me that he actually hired Chef Craig Poirier after the show wrapped up. That's so cool!

So he had some business to attend to so we went back to ordering our shake. My bf was like "you should give him your blog card.." And I was so nervous to... I was still in shock that I got to meet him. haha. Finally, after I paid at the counter, I saw him walking back towards us so I approached him with my card. He thought it was great! :D It made me a little less nervous. hehe. Then he was like "you got some time? Do you want to tour the kitchen or something?" Of course I'm not busy!!! I've got all the time in the world!!! hahaha. OMG. OMG. OMG!!! This is by far the coolest thing to ever happen to me.

He was so easy to talk to and gave us a whole bunch of information about the restaurant and some upcoming projects he's working on as we toured the kitchen. I also got to meet Chef Craig in the kitchen. He's super sweet~ It was so cool getting to go behind the scenes in a restaurant. But it didn't end there. He continued the tour to the other kitchens in the entire hotel!! We went up and down elevators, met other chefs and kitchen employees, saw different kitchens for catering, pastry, etc. Went into large freezers and saw the produce and already made desserts and soo much more. We even got to sample some of the desserts that were already made! YUM!

We learned so much that it was a little overwhelming, just trying to take it all in without having this shocked look on our faces. haha. I saw that they use super fresh ingredients, all their buns are specially made just for them as well as the ice cream for the milkshakes. Blue Bunny makes a special vanilla ice cream just for them. How cool is that?? As we were wrapping up the tour, Chef Carlos had the kitchen make 2 shakes for us (even though I only ordered one earlier). Yay! :)

Bam-Boozled Shakes:
Drunken Monkey (Reese’s pieces, banana, malt, Frangelico) $11~ This was the one I originally ordered. It was awesome! The shakes were thick and frothy. The banana flavor was so prominent and fresh since they use fresh bananas. The peanut butter added a bit of saltiness and nuttiness. It was a great flavor combination and you get chunks of reese's and banana every few sips. :) And you totally wouldn't know these were alcoholic...you don't get the bitterness of alcohol at all. It was just pure deliciousness.

Cereal Bowl (Cap’N Crunch, Absolut Vanilla) $11~ The Cap'N Crunch shake is also one of their top sellers. It was yummy as well. The vanilla flavor was bold with a slight roasted nuttiness from the cereal. If you don't like chocolate, this is definitely a great alternative. I liked both of them but the Drunken Monkey just a teensy bit more.

As we were leaving, Chef Carlos said that if we had time to go back and eat, to text him and let him know. :)))) I told him FOR SURE we're going to go back.

This is definitely the highlight of the trip AND probably this year! haha. Not only do I get to meet two Top Chef Just Desserts contestants but I also go to tour the kitchens of Holsteins and Cosmopolitan AND sample food and shakes!!! What a great moment. After we left, my bf and I just looked at each other in disbelief and then I started jumping up and down. hahahaha. I'll never forget this awesome experience.

Oh. and the shakes were really really really good!!!!  

Definitely go check them out!! :)

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Vegas Trip: Table 10 @ Palazzo

Our last dinner was at Table 10 in Palazzo Hotel. And it's also the last day of Vegas' Restaurant Week. It's owned by the famous celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse. The menu looked really tasty online!

Table 10 - an Emeril Lagasse Restaurant

3327 Las Vegas Blvd, South Suite 2900

Las Vegas , Nevada 89109
(702) 607-6363
http://www.emerils.com/restaurant/11/Table-10/
Price: $$$$$+

We had to push our dinner back a few times because we were running late and also not very hungry. We finally made it there around 9PM which is their last seating time. The restaurant was pretty empty by then but they put us in one area of the dining room with all the other diners. The area we were sitting felt a little cramped. One of my friends basically said that we could just reach over and take the bread off the table next to us. hahaha. And it's true... The decor was nice. Warm tones, tall ceilings and I liked the wall of wine bottles we sat by. It was just kinda too close to the other tables.

I was super full from earlier in the day so I opted not to do the Restaurant Week again. Everyone else did.

They started us off with an amuse bouche. Salmon tartare over a baguette topped with avocado. The bread was a bit too hard but the salmon was fresh.

We also got some bread...

FIRST COURSE:

Iceberg Salad (with buttermilk dressing, shaved radishes and bacon).

The lettuce was fresh and the bacon was good but it was pretty basic.

New Orleans Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo (with steamed rice).

They brought out an empty bowl and a pot with the gumbo in it and poured it in at the table. That was a cool presentation. The gumbo was good, the rice was cooked well but wasn't memorable either.

Carlsbad Aqua Farms Black Mussels (steamed with Fat Tire Ale, caramelized shallots and crusty baguettes).

One of my friends got this and I actually ordered this off the regular menu as my entree since I wasn't very hungry. All the appetizer portions were quite big. The mussels were cooked well and the broth was light. I thought the broth could've used a bit more seasoning or herbs or something though. The flavors weren't that exciting...

So during the first course, the manager came by and introduced himself and said he was a friend of Jason, our waiter from Sage. And brought out some Thick cut Bacon with Bourbon Maple Syrup (on the house) for us. Awwwwesome!!

The bacon was thick cut, sweet and salty and really delicious. It was sweet enough so didn't need the Bourbon syrup. But I tried a bit of the syrup and you can really taste the Bourbon, it added an interesting kick to it. Yummy~

SECOND COURSE:
Whole Roasted Suckling Pig "Porchetta" (with Wiser farm heirloom carrots and roasted garlic sauce).

I've been thinking about this dish since we made the reservation. It sounded so interesting and delicious and I was eager to see how it actually turns out! It was a big disappointment. The giant slab of meat actually looked really impressive and the waitress described how it was cooked. Basically they take the pig and remove all the bones then put it back in the skin and roast the entire thing for a really long time. Sounds yummy right? Well the meat was surprisingly dry... :( And there was no difference in texture so it was pretty boring. I think if they had crisped up the skin (like how I had imagined it would be) it would've been sooo much better. It was very one dimensional, both texturally and flavor wise. My friend also said it was really heavy. Both the meat and carrots were heavy... it needed some greens to lighten it up I think. Booo...

Braised Beef Short Ribs.

This was a heafty plate too. I was very surprised by the big portions in every course! I only got to try a bite. The beef was a little salty. My friend finished it all but wasn't particularly impressed with it. I think he was just hungry since we ate so late. haha.

THIRD COURSE:
Emeril's Banana Cream Pie.

Now this was definitely the best course in my opinion. But by then we were all super stuffed! This was my favorite dessert out of the 3 but the other ones were good as well. The banana pie was super tall, very cool looking with all the layers of bananas in there. The bananas were fresh and the whipped cream was light and fluffy. I particularly loved the crust. It was different than your typical pie or graham cracker crust. It seemed more crunchy to me. It wasn't overly sweet either. If I wasn't so full I probably could've eaten the whole thing!

White Chocolate Malassadas.

This is basically like a filled beignet or donut and then dusted with sugar. It was quite sweet and didn't need the creme anglaise that came on the side. But tasty!!

Hawaiian Vintage Chocolate Mousse and Raspberry Parfait.

This was the biggest glass of mousse I have ever seen. The mousse was creamy and chocolatey, but not too sweet. And of course chocolate and blackberries are a great combo. But the portion was definitely too big. I think they could've easily reduced it by like 60% and still have a great dessert. So most of it had to go to waste since we were leaving the next morning and can't really take anything to go... :( Such a waste...I was sad. haha.

So it was another disappointing meal, other than the desserts. They earned some points back for that course. hehe. But yea... didn't meet expectations for the most part. The service was good though and the bacon was a nice gesture.

Quality of Food:

Service:

Ambiance:

Value (for RW):

Overall Experience:

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Vegas Trip: Sage @ Aria

2nd night in Vegas we went to Sage at the Aria Hotel. Both of us girls wanted to go there and it was definitely a great choice!  :)

Sage @ Aria

3730 Las Vegas Blvd. South,

Las Vegas, Nevada 89109

(702) 590-8690

http://www.arialasvegas.com/dining/sage.aspx

Price: $$$$+

We arrived on time for our reservation only to find that there was a mix-up and our reservation had been changed to an hour earlier. :/ But they sat us in the bar and said they will see what they could do. We didn't wait very long before they led us to our table.

The decor was very nice. It was dim with rich dark colors, velvet accents, very luxurious feeling but yet modern and hip. It was definitely a younger feeling than Michael Mina. The only complaint is that it's a little too dim cuz it made some of us sleepy. hahaha. That COULD be the lack of sleep too! hehe.

I have to mention our waiter Jason, who was fantastic. I normally don't mention people by name as you all know. He was very friendly and knowledgeable about the menu and preparation of the dishes. The other waiters helping were great as well. Very attentive and aware. When one of my friends went to the restroom, they put a cloche over his food to keep it warm!! Wow. I've never seen that before! And they knew when he was coming back so they could remove the cloche for him. Impressed we are!! haha.

We started off with some bread. I chose the bacon wheat bread which had just a hint of saltiness and the whipped butter was really nice.

Then we were given an amuse bouche. Smoked Pork Pate with Toasted Pistachio.

It was yummy, the pate actually tasted like some sort of Asian sausage I've had in Asia. The flavors were light but well balanced.

So everyone else chose the RW menu and I opted to order off the regular menu since I wasn't very hungry and didn't want 3 courses...

Restaurant Week courses first... All 3 of them ordered the same appetizer and entree.

FIRST COURSE:
Charred Baby Octopus (Smoked Potato Puree, Padron Peppers, Preserved Lemon, Sylvetta Arugula).

They LOVED it!! The octopus was cooked perfectly, not at all chewy... We were all very impressed how they were able to get it so tender. All the elements worked together and the flavors were great. They all said it was probably the best octopus they've ever had.

SECOND COURSE:
American Wagyu Hanger Steak (Crispy Potato Pave, Honey-Glazed Baby Carrot, Black Truffle).

This dish was amazing! The Wagyu stead was cooked to perfection, super tender it was like butter. It had just the right amount of truffle on top and kicked the flavors into high gear! But that's not even the best part. The best was the crispy potato pave. Such a cool technique where they layer thin layers of potato and then cut it into a thin strip and then sear the edges. The crispy edges were amazing and when the flavors of the meat and truffle on top get absorbed into the potato....YUM. That's the best bite right there!

THIRD COURSE:
Blackberry & Chocolate Cremeux (Chocolate Fudge, Blackberry Mousse, Powdered Chocolate).

This was my favorite dessert of the night. The textures of the fudge and mousse were sooo creamy and silky and just a slight difference in the textures to create that layer of complexity to where it's not all mushy. Blackberries and chocolate really are a great flavor combination. And it wasn't too heavy since the mousse was so light. Delish!

Coffee Cream Cake (Caramel & Candied Walnuts).

The presentation was so nice on all the dishes. The coffee cream cake wasn't what I expected since it had a layer of soft caramel on the OUTSIDE of the cake. Really decadent looking. It was a little sweet for me since I'm not a big caramel person but it also had different layers of flavors and textures inside.

I ordered A LA CARTE:
Crispy Rainbow Trout & Green Beans (mustard vinaigrette, farm egg, pickled cauliflower, almond tuile) $15~

I wanted some veggies so I chose a salad to start. It was sooo pretty. I loved the presentation. It was playful and colorful and it was bigger than my entree at Michael Mina!! hahaha. This was an awesome dish. The egg was cooked perfectly on top. The yolk ran out when I cut through it was it wasn't too runny. The green beans were nice and crisp and had good flavor. I find that most times when you have green beans in a salad it's very bland. Not at Sage! The fish was barely cooked thru as you can see in the picture but it was perfect... so tender and I liked the crispy outside they wrapped it with.. my friend thinks it's thin strips of potato. The dressing was just enough and the pickled cauliflower added that touch of acidity which brought out the other flavors. Awesome!

Sweet Corn Tortelloni (lobster mushrooms, pancetta, swiss chard) $25~

This plate was beautiful as well. All the different colors and textures on the plate. Delicious. I loved the chunkiness of all the corn. They also did pancetta two ways. One is cubed and another is thin layers crisped up, both added different textures to the dish. The tortelloni was cooked well and the chard and mushrooms added a bit of earthiness. The only thing is that it was a hint too sweet, with the sweet corn and the sauce which I thought was like butternut squash underneath the pasta or something, not completely certain. All in all, another great dish.

So after the entrees, Jason asked me if I wanted to get a dessert since everyone else was getting one. I said I'd take a look but didn't plan on ordering anything since I was already so full. When he brought the menu he recommended the Peanut Butter Tart. While I was looking over the menu, one of my friends mentioned to Jason that I had a food blog and that led to more chit chat about foods and restaurants and food TV. haha. It was awesome. So I declined ordering a dessert but he brought me one anyways! haha. Now, how did he know he could buy my love with free goodies?!? hahahahaha jk. :p

Crunchy Chocolate and Peanut Butter Tart (Cassis sphere, toasted marshmallow sauce) $12~ 

It was beautifully plated. Very simple and delicate. The chocolate fudge had bits of crunchy nutty pieces in it and was super rich. The peanut butter on top was also very rich and creamy and full of pb goodness. The Cassis sphere was the most interesting. We had forgotten the description on the menu so we were trying to figure out what the fruit flavor was. It was bright red but tasted like passion fruit to me. Other people guessed blackberry and raspberry. When Jason came around, we asked him and he said it was Cassis liqueur and similar to a raspberry. Anyhoo, it was yumm~

They ended our meal with this small Mint Chocolate Drink.

Kind of like an after-dinner digestive or something. It was like rich, warm minty drinking chocolate if you've ever had drinking chocolate it's much richer than hot chocolate. Tasty!!

 It was a fantastic meal. Exceptional food and service. My bf said it was one of the best meals he's ever had in his life and pretty much everyone agreed. This is a must try when you are in Vegas! My friends are already talking about going back for another trip! haha.

Oh.. we were also talking Jason about other good restaurants in Vegas and mentioned we were going to Table 10 at Palazzo the next night. He took our information and said he would call up his buddy there and take good care of us. Sweeet! It's great to meet people that are well connected in the food world. :)

Quality of Food:

Service:

Ambiance:

Value (for RW):

Overall Experience:

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~