I'll let pictures tell the story of my dining journey at this exquisite one Michelin star restaurant at the Bellagio, Las Vegas, NV.
Before diving into the feast -
Macallan 18 -
Le cirque is a French word for circus -
Bread and butter (salted/unsalted) -
You can choose from a wide selection of bread of course, I picked the one infused with some fresh herbs.
"Champagne, Ruinart, Blanc de Blancs, Reims, MV" -
Gazpacho -
"Santa Barbara Sea Urchin, Yuzu Gelée, Panna Cotta, Fennel Cream, Osetra Caviar, Seaweed and Sesame Tuile" -
"Poached Farm Egg, Osetra Caviar, Lemon Crème fraîche, Scottish Smoked Salmon, Fingerling Potato, Pepper Mignonette" -
Egg yolk close up -
"Roasted New Zealand Langoustine, Jamón ibérico, Asparagus, Parmesan, Petite Mustard Greens, Citrus Sabayon, Jus de Veau -
Paired with "Puligny-Montrachet, Jean Chartron, Burgundy, 2011" -
"Sautéed Foie Gras, White Chocolate and Raisin Brioche, Roasted Almonds, Kirsch Glazed Cherries, Crème de Cassis Gastrique" -
Paired with "Maury, Pla del Fount, Roussillon, 1939" -
This was divine, by far one of the best pairing combinations I've ever had.
"Wild Pacific Barramundi, Baby Leeks, Braised Celery, Artichoke, Rutabaga, Lardon, Vitelotte Potato, Barigoule Sauce" -
"Gevrey Chambertin, Vieille Vignes, Marc Roy, Burgundy, 2009" -
"Japanese A4 Kobe Beef Rib Eye, Pommes Confit, Caramelized Cipollini, Tempura Spinach, Maitake, Bone Marrow, Hearts of Palm, Bordelaise Sauce" -
Tender beefy paradise -
Camembert -
View of Bellagio's dancing water show from our table -
Towards the end of the night -
Ready for dessert?
"Chocolate Ball" before -
After -
Friend's dessert and petit four in the foreground -
"Mango and Passion Fruit Macaron, Tapioca Pearls, Coconut Sorbet and Croquant" -
Petit four again -
Tea -
Little gift box with two truffles -
Le Cirque
3600 South Las Vegas Boulevard
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 693-8865
(866) 259-7111
http://www.lecirque.com/
http://www.bellagio.com/restaurants/le-cirque.aspx
Hours of operation:
Tuesday to Sunday 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
*Currently holds one Michelin star as the date of September, 2013
As a food blogger,
It is pretty expectable when I'm saying a few of my favorite TV shows are from Food Network and Travel Channel,
But there's one more indelible series I've got to watch,
Bravo's Top Chef!
Check the link here if you're not all familiar with it.
They even brought the show up to another notch a while ago called - Top Chef Masters,
Several already well-famed, world renowned chefs competing for their choice of charity and the title of top chef masters.
Man, that was such a fun season,
The show provides a chance for a closer look of these usually behind-the-scene chefs.
After following many tough competitions and high level challenges,
Hubert Keller, one of the last three remaining chefs, totally won over my heart.
I've turned myself into Hubert's little fan ever since.
Music fans support the musicians by buying their music,
So what about food fans?
We DEVOUR chefs' creations!
Fleur by Hubert Keller (Las Vegas, inside Mandalay Bay) -
It was a light lunch occasion,
Our waiter was wonderful, not the hostess though,
She was having a stinky face the whole time.
As we sat down and ordered some food,
The waiter informed us that our food will be sending out based on light-to-heavy flavor profile.
They offer chopsticks too -
Since we're having lunch,
Our dining area is located on the first half of the restaurant open to the hotel area,
There's the other half of the space for dinner only with a large wine selection display along the wall.
Pan con tomate -
Toasted ciabatta, tomato, garlic, with a thinly sliced manchego.
Gnocchi -
San marzano fondue, pesto.
The gnocchi was indeed light and fluffy, which matches the heavy pesto sauce brilliantly.
Italian style meatballs with minestrone garnish -
Sadly three was not enough,
I myself can eat at least 10 of it!
Skirt steak -
Chimmichurri, roasted fingerling, créme fraiche.
Additional order: croque monsieur -
Smoked ham, gruyere, béchamel.
Cheesecake lollipop -
White chocolate, kumquat,-gingerbread, strawberry coolie.
Overall the food was pretty good,
Light tasting, but definitely not bland,
Somehow these dishes gave me an "elegant" flavor profile,
It's like that pleasant aroma keeps lingering in my mouth even long after the meal.
Dessert was the low-light of the day,
The presentation is fun and playful, however the taste was not quite there,
It felt a wee bit sour cream overload.
Anways, not sure about Fleur's dinner items,
But absolutely worth the try for lunch!
Fleur by Hubert Keller - Las Vegas
*Inside Mandalay Bay
3950 Las Vegas Blvd (South)
Las Vegas, NV 89119
http://www.mandalaybay.com/dining/fleur.aspx
http://www.fleurdelyssf.com/
