Tony Getman, Contributing
Editor
My friend Steve and I recently
made our biannual trip to Las Vegas. This
time, instead of our standard trip to
Morton’s for steak, we decided to
take advantage of one of the many new
restaurants by some of America’s
great chefs. We chose Emeril Lagasse’s
Delmonico Steakhouse, because we still
wanted our beef fix, but we wanted something
with more sophistication and creativity
than your standard piece of meat.
Delmonico
is at the Venetian Hotel and Casino
-- for more on the casino, other restaurants,
and accommodations, check out their website.
So, for dinner – after a Grey Goose
with olive on the rocks, we were seated
for our meal. We were seated in a corner,
facing one of the two large glass-encased
wine rooms, where the bottles reached
the 15’ ceiling. I spotted a 1982
Latour ($1,300) and a number of other
beauties. I’ll tell you more about
the wine in a minute, but first, here’s
Steve to describe our memorable dinner.
Steve --
BAM! I used to think I knew something
about good food. I’d eaten in a variety
of "upscale" restaurants, my
mother and grandmothers are good cooks,
heck I can even throw together a pretty
good meal. Now I know there’s a whole
level of food above anything I’ve
ever tasted, and man is it good! In fact,
it was without a doubt one of the best
meals I've ever had.
I started with a salad of lettuce, tomatoes,
blue cheese and fried oysters in a light
vinaigrette. Tony began with the Hudson
Valley Foie Gras, which features a Daily
Chef Creation. Both appetizers were good,
but did little to prepare us for the quality
of the entrees.
Tony ordered the house specialty, the
Bone In Rib Steak and Country Smashed
Potatoes. Simply but, the best steak either
of us had ever tasted (sorry Morton’s).
The steak was so juicy we had to keep
reminding ourselves it wasn’t a roast
-- even if it was the size of one. The
smashed potatoes were the perfect texture,
and had just the right amount of butter
and other seasonings. We could’ve
easily made a meal of just these potatoes
alone. Of course, we didn't...
I had decided to wander further down the
menu and ordered the Seared Beef, House
Cured Bacon and Maytag White Cheddar En
Croûte, served with Charred Onion Asparagus
Relish and Worcestershire Sauce. When
the waiter put down the dish in front
of me, I was nearly overwhelmed by the
barrage of aromas, and had to resist the
urge to just sit there and smell the dish
all night. The first forkful was absolutely
the equivalent of the first sip of a quality
wine. As the food made it’s way over
my palate, I swear that I could taste
each and every ingredient. More importantly,
they all blended together perfectly in
a most satisfying overall taste experience.
No single taste stood out, but it was
clear that every ingredient played a part.
I don’t know how anybody could compose
and season a dish any better than this
one. In fact, I joked to Tony that there
were snipers hidden in the walls of the
restaurant in case any diners reached
for the salt shaker.
All in all, this was by far the best tasting
meal I ever had, and (in combination with
the wine, before/after dinner drinks,
cigars and service) the best overall dining
out experience. Back to Tony for the wine
info --
At a place like Emeril’s,
with so many wines to choose from, I wanted
an expert to help us with our selection.
And, who better than the guy that does
the wine buying? In this case, it was
Kevin Vogt, the Master Sommelier at Delmonico.
Since Steve had been doing well at the
tables, we decided to go for a wine in
the $200 range. Once we mentioned that
and told Kevin what we had selected for
dinner, he disappeared into the wine room.
He
came back with three choices. One Chilean,
one Californian, and a Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
As many of you know, this French Rhone
Valley blend features up to 13 grapes,
including Syrah -- one of my favorite
varietals. We went with the Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Specifically, it was the ($175).
The wine did not disappoint and was a
nice compliment to the meal. This is a
full mouthful of a wine with clear black
cherry and other fruit notes. The tannins
are evident but not overwhelming and there’s
a nice spiciness to the finish. The color
indicated it has more cellar life remaining,
but is very drinkable now. This wine stood
up well to the complex flavors provided
by Emeril’s recipes.
To
top off our evening, we retired to the
lounge where we savored our Arturo Fuente
cigars. I accompanied mine with a glass
of Dow’s 1977 Vintage Port. Steve
chose the Dahlwinnie single malt scotch.
And the beef feast was complete. (10/00)
Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702.414.3737
Located in the Venetian
Resort Hotel Casino
