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 ~~

Ketchup Burger Bar

Saturday night a group of us went to check out Ketchup Burger Bar. It's a pretty new burger joint that just opened in Uptown, by the same people that opened Farnatchi. Initially I suggested Elevation Burger, which is also on my list of places to try, but was persuaded to go here instead. hehe.

Ketchup Burger Bar
3028 N Hall, Ste 179
Dallas, TX 75204
(214) 922-8222
http://www.ketchupbar.com/
Price: $

Ketchup Bar offers a variety of specialty ketchups made in-house. Green Tomato, Spiced, Chipotle, House, etc... They also use local organic ingredients. They also have a full bar.

It's a pretty small place...a few tables in the front area with the bar and a small dining area in the back. You order at the counter and they bring the food out to you. If you want water/sodas, there's a self-serve area towards the back of the restaurant along with all the different types of condiments and silverware.

They offer a wide variety of fries. So we started off with 2 of the Fry Trio...which is a great deal!

Fry Trio (from left to right: Spicy Buffalo Fries, Onion Rings, Zucchini Fries) $6~ The zucchini fries were the ones I really wanted to try. They were sooo good! They were all hot and freshly fried. The zucchini inside was super tender and paired well with the crispy batter. The onion rings were good but kind of generic, I would've liked the rings to be thicker. The buffalo fries had a nice spicy kick to it, but were a little soggy from the sauce.

Fry Trio (from left to right: Sweet Potato Fries, Garlic Chive Fries, White Truffle Parmesan Fries) $6~ All of these were good. I loved the sweet potato fries. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and nice and sweet. :) I also liked the cut of the garlic and truffle fries...slightly thicker and fried perfectly. The Garlic Chive one kind of got lost among the other fries. I didn't taste much of the seasoning. The truffle fries were flavored with truffle oil, not actual truffles, but you still get the flavor. I liked these a lot too. If you can't decide from all the yummy options, definitely get the Fry Trio!

We tried out all the different ketchups with the fries. The chipotle is pretty standard chipotle flavors. The spiced tasted like normal ketchup.. My favorite were the Green Tomato and House. The House had a bit of sweet and tang in it, almost like they mixed some dijon mustard in there? Dunno...but it was yummy. The Green Tomato was just different, and I liked that a lot! One of my friends said to me, " how can I ever go back to Heinz ketchup now?" hahaha. Agreed! :P

I got the The Blue Burger (Gorgonzola, pickled red onion, arugula, tomatoes, and our Mission Fig Spread on fresh baked Brioche) $9~ I liked it a lot! Dieting on the weekdays has me deprived of meat and this burger definitely hit the spot! haha. The fig spread was definitely interesting. It wasn't too sweet when I tasted it on its own, but paired with the rest of the burger, the sweetness came out more. I love the sweet/savory combo so this was great! The figs were sweet and fruity and the beef was juicy. The fresh arugula and tomatoes balanced out the meat and cheese. The brioche was amazing as well and really held up against the filling...didn't get super soggy. :) It wasn't really greasy either...so I didn't feel heavy at all eating it. The only think is I couldn't really taste the gorgonzola. I got a bit of creaminess of the cheese but was lacking the flavor. But overall, it was definitely what I wanted.

Other people ordered...

My bf got this. Wild Mushroom Burger (Sauteed mushrooms, aged swiss, arugula, tomato, roasted garlic aioli on fresh baked Kaiser) $9~ He loves the classic mushroom and swiss burgers so of course he had to get it. He liked it a lot. I got to try a bite. There were lots of mushrooms in there which is good.

Ketchup Burger (Tillamook Cheddar, red onions, lettuce, tomato, mustard and our signature House Ketchup on fresh backed Brioche) $8~ This looked really good. My friend said it tasted great and the bread was awesome.

The Roadhouse (Gruyere, Cherrywood smoked bacon, onion rings, garlic mayo and tomato on fresh baked Brioche) $9~ I almost got this.. I would've liked to have some greens on it though. But my friend said it was also really good.

They also offer several different kinds of milk shakes. One of my friends got the Creme Brulee Shake $5~ This was highly recommended by the guy at the register. It looked really good with the roasted marshmallow on top. It tasted good too. Rich and creamy just like a creme brulee. If only it could have the torched sugar on top!

Vanilla Bean Shake $5~ This was their other recommended shake. My sister got it. I liked the vanilla wafers garnished on top. It was a little melted/runny though. Her bf said he saw them leave it at the bar for a long time before they brought it out to her. That kind of sucked. But it tasted like a regular vanilla shake...nothing too special about it....

I was pretty full but I wanted to try their desserts. They were all $4...that's pretty cheap! I got the Mississippi Mud Pie $4~ When it came out, I was a little surprised. It was basically a chocolate ice cream pie. My expectations of a Mississippi Mud Pie is more like gooey, messy, maybe some mousse...kind of a like a 'dirt cup'...the ones with the gummy worms in it. The chocolate ice cream was good and the chocolate cookie crust was good, but it was just an ordinary ice cream pie... It looks like there's layers of something in it, but I couldn't taste the differences between the layers. It was a slight disappointment. :( Next time I'll try something different.

I'm really glad we went there, it was just what I needed and everything was delicious. The service is pretty non-existent aside from them bringing the food to you. Since we were newbies we didn't know we had to get everything else ourselves in the back. The waiters weren't too friendly when they told us to get it ourselves either... But the guy taking our orders at the register was really nice. I would definitely go back. It definitely gives Village Burger Bar (my favorite burger place in Dallas) a run for it's money. They should open a second location in Plano!!

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~