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| - Chef Eric has a fun reputation when it comes to teasing his food over the Internet via Twitter by Tweeting lots of pics. These aren't just normal food pics, but pics that make your mouth water like Pavlov's dog. I had to make time and try out his restaurant inside of the quirky Artisan Hotel. Having been in the hotel only once before, I wasn't too sure what I was getting myself into. But I literally wear the scent of Adventure, so I decided to throw caution to a Vegas strong Winter wind and trek across town.
If you've never been to the Artisan, it is a veritable hipster paradise or a First Friday art exhibit that never closes. With mostly valet parking, except for a few sports round back, it gives you an upper crust boutique hotel feel right as you arrive. Stepping inside and trying to process the decor is fun. It looks like a tornado hit an art gallery and placed pieces everywhere, including the ceiling at weird angles. All of this is to tell you that they don't take themselves too seriously and you're there to have fun and try something completely different. The hotel itself is close enough to the Las Vegas Strip without all of the usual hustle and bustle.
Then you arrive in the back of the hotel where the lounge and restaurant is located. At first, I was confused at what to do sans any greet staff. It took me a solid minute to ask a waiter if anyone was going to seat me. He promptly replied that I take any seat I wish. So I sat at a four top. We in the food biz call a table for four a four top.
My waiter presented himself a few minutes later asking if I'd like a glass of wine or alcoholic beverage. I ordered a soft drink so as to not disrupt my tasting abilities. I was there to enjoy a chef's tasting menu.
The first course included watercress salad with truffle sauce, a fried calamari with a cherry pepper compote that was unusually delicious. The pepper worked well to balance the sweet of the cherry, a nice idea that taste good.
The second course was a larger spoon that included a tasty farm raised striped bass with cous cous and truffled watercress. I haven't had a fish with it's skin still on in a while, but was easy to remove and presented well. The cous cous was cooked properly and was a nice balance to the bass, since the fish is usually so rich.
The final course was the entree. It included a braised short rib (veal demi-glaze) that was cooking for five hours in a port wine reduction. It was served with baby carrots and roasted potatoes. The entire veal demi-glaze was so tender I easily pulled it off of the bone with my fork. The sauce was just enough and not over powering. Even as a smaller tasting size, it was quite filling. Thanks to chef Eric and Mood Restaurant for the fun taste test.
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