Las Vegas - Mon Ami Gabi

For dinner with the bachelorette party, we had a 7PM reservation at Mon Ami Gabi in Paris hotel. I have yet to try there. It's supposed to have some great views of the Bellagio fountains across the street. We were seated in the enclosed patio area where we got part view of the fountains. However, it was next to a doorway so there was a cold breeze that kept coming through. Saturday in Vegas was quite cold too.. Brrrrrr. The place was quite large, dimly lit, and a bit crammed. I felt like they stuffed too many tables into the space they had.

Mon Ami Gabi
(in Paris Hotel)
3655 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 944-4224
http://www.monamigabi.com/
Price: $$$$

Our waitress was friendly and greeted us. We started off with waters and also ordered their riff on a Sangria (with Gran Marnier). A pitcher was enough for about 7 full wine glasses. It was quite tasty! I normally hate sangrias because I don't like wine, particularly red wine, but the addition of the other flavors masked it quite well. :)

Then we got a whole Baguette (with whipped butter). We just ripped the bread with our hands. It was warm and crusty but still soft on the inside. The whipped butter was awesome. I think all butters should be whipped.

It also came with a Radish/Jicama? Slaw. It was light and refreshing. I really enjoyed it. But is this a normal French thing? Some sort of slaw with your bread? I didn't really understand the combo...

For starters, I got the Arugula and Butternut Squash Salad (frisee, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, sherry brown butter vinaigrette) $11.95~ 

It. Was. Delicious. I think one of the best salads I've had in a long time. There was nothing super unique about each element but the combination of everything together was perfection. The butternut squash was cooked perfectly. The combination of arugula and frisee provided some interesting texture. The pumpkin seeds were the crunch element and the cranberries were tart and sweet. It was perfectly dressed too. It wasn't drowning in dressing. You could taste the dressing but also each component. I almost thought of cancelling my entree and getting a second salad.

One friend got the Soup du Jour (English pea and potato; served hot) $9.95~ 

I wanted to get this too, so I got to try it. I was surprised it was warm because normally pea soups are served cold. I guess with the addition of the potato made it hot? It was rich and creamy... my kind of soup. It was poured table side, which I always love that kind of presentation. Quite filling, I'd imagine.

Frisee, Kale, and Warm Bacon Salad (soft poached egg) $11.95~ Two girls split this salad. It looked amazing. If my salad was that good, I'm sure this one was delicious too.

The entrees:

One friend decided to get an appetizer plus a side dish. Sea Scallops Gratinees (caramelized fennel and onion marmalade, mussel cream) $13.95~ It looked good. She said it was good but not great.

Garlic Spinach $5.95~ (in the background) Quite bland... Needed more salt.

Caramelized Sea Scallops (butternut squash puree, fall mushrooms, sage) $25.95~ Looked yummy, I didn't get to try it.

Poisson du Jour (daily fresh fish) $29.95~ 

This sounded interesting. I forgot what the fish was but it came on a butternut squash and coconut puree. Unique combination! I tried a little of the puree, it was weird at first but then you let it set in, and I think it works! I'm sure it would pair with the fish well.

Chicken Paillard (root vegetables, arugula, chick pea croutons, grana padano) $20.95~
I got this because I've heard of chicken paillard before, sounded very French. But it was basically a seared piece of chicken breast with a side salad. The chicken was bland. It needed seasoning and some sort of a sauce would've been great. The salad looked very similar to the one I just had, but was nowhere as good. I ended up dipping some of the chicken into my friend's merlot sauce for her steak which made a world of difference. It was a very disappointing dish. I left more than half the chicken uneaten. What a waste of 20 bucks. :(
-- While trying to take pictures of all the other dishes... I forgot to take one of my own. *Face Palm* But it wasn't worthy anyways... 

Apparently they are known for their steaks so several girls got different kinds of steaks.

Classique Steak Frites (maitre d'hotel butter, served with signature hand-cut frites) $26.95~

Merlot Steak Frites (red wine sauce, merlot butter, served with signature hand-cut frites) $27.95~ 

My friend next to me got this so I got to try it. It was delicious. Mainly because of the sauce. The steak was large but fairly flat, which I tend to like instead of a thicker filet mignon or something. It was cooked well and had a lot of flavor with the sauce. This was the sauce I kept dipping my chicken into. It was sooo tasty. The frites (fries) were different.. almost like chips because they were flat and crispy. Soaking in the sauce was so addicting!!

Filet Mignon (merlot butter, red wine reduction, served with signature hand-cut frites) $36.95~ Sounds like the same sauce as the previous steak. So I'm sure it was pretty awesome.

We were all pretty stuffed after the entrees but then the waitress brought the dessert menus. Well... I probably wouldn't come back in the future so might as well try the dessert too. haha.

I shared a Lemon Tart (sun-dried cherries, brandy, tarragon) $8.95~ 

It was really good. I used to hate lemons but I'm getting more and more used to them. The tartness was right on.. and was a good ending to a heavy meal. The custard consistency was smooth and creamy. The crust was delicate and buttery. The best part was the cherries in brandy. A lot of flavor and countered the sourness of the lemon.

Two other girls shared the Chocolate Mousse (light semi-sweet chocolate mousse) $7.95~ 

It had crispy chocolate balls on top which added the crunch factor. The mousse was rich and velvety. The chocolate was dark so it wasn't too sweet. Good dessert.

Everything was pretty good other than my entree. One of my friends said the steaks were the best part. I'd agree (with the exception of my salad), but the steaks weren't the best I've had by far. Maybe that merlot butter sauce was though. haha. Service was good and attentive. Not sure if I would return though, maybe just for the salad, but there are so many other good places in Vegas I've yet to try.

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~