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| - The BF and I shared the meal of our lives at Restaurant Guy Savoy in Paris on Valentine's Day 2006. It was also the most expensive meal of our lives with the MIDDLE priced tasting menu, two cocktails and a bottle and a half of moderately priced wine coming in at $1,800 (thanks in part to an unfavorable exchange rate). The meal was absolutely worth every dime and it was perfect in every way. Chef Savoy came by our table that night no less than four times to ensure we delighted.
Based on our exemplary experience in Paris, I was reticent to try Restaurant Guy Savoy in Las Vegas. I was afraid it would be a shadow of the flagship in the City of Lights. I was delighted to discover that Franck Savoy, Guy's absolutely adorable son, has done his father proud. Franck runs the Vegas restaurant with the same level of quality as in Paris.
If you've been to the restaurant in Paris, be prepared for a few differences in Las Vegas. The service is a bit Americanized. In Paris they just automatically pair the housemade bread with each course of your meal. In Las Vegas they pull up an admittedly impressive cart with 14 housemade breads and offer them to you or they give you the option for them to pair them with your dishes. I preferred the more subtle approach in Paris. However, I fear some of the subtleties of French service are lost on Vegas.
The other advantage is that you're paying in US dollars at the Las Vegas satellite. We took the BF's brother along with us on this trip to Vegas to celebrate his birthday. After enjoying the fabulous Better Midler show, we were just going to have drinks and appetizers in the bar. However, we glanced at the dinner menu and mentioned that we had been to the original in Paris and then Franck said, "Welcome home" and we were on our way to a table.
The Menu Prestige was priced at $290 per person and it was absolutely worth every penny given the quality of the food. The meal was comprised of:
* An initial bite from the kitchen of foie-gras and toast
* A dual amuse bouche of seasonal squash soup and a bite of pate -- note that the novel plate for this dish is made exclusively for Guy Savoy in Limoges; many of the Guy Savoy exclusives are designed specifically for the dishes being served
* Oysters in Ice Gelée -- this was good, but the decorative carrot slices (meant to resemble flower blossoms) under the gelee kept sticking to the roof of my mouth
* "Colors of Caviar" -- the decadent layers of this dish are a delight for the eyes and the tongue
* Crispy Sea Bass with Delicate Spices -- the preparation of this dish is elaborate as they cook the scales on a hot rock to make them edible while the flesh is separately cooked to perfection; the mushrooms on the side were wonderful as was the vanilla sauce
* Foie-Gras "en Papillotte" and Radish Bouillon -- the tableside presentation of this dish is something else; they bring it out in a pillow of clear plastic on a bed of hot rocks so that you can savor the aroma before they take it back to the kitchen and plate it for you
* Artichoke and Black Truffle Soup with Toasted Mushroom Brioche, and Black Truffle Butter -- there's nothing in the soup but artichokes and water, really.
* Since we had been to the flagship in Paris, they brought us a fantastic "bonus" course of white fish in a veal reduction (!) over perfectly crispy potato slivers; it was one of my favorite savory dishes of the meal
* Muscovy Duck "Poached-Roasted" with Autumn Root Vegetables -- and they've tucked some foie-gras under the duck skin, of course
* Sélection de Fromages Affinés -- the cheese cart is fabulous and the charming French lad who served the cheese to us was nearly seven feet tall; we asked him to put together a selection of the most interesting cheeses on the cart and they were all great
* We then enjoyed a palate cleanser of mango and avocado sorbets; they were perfectly sweet and provided another great transition point
* Textures of Blood Orange -- this was really blood oranges four ways; I love blood oranges, but it tasted sour to me. It needed a bit of sugar, especially after the sweet sorbets served right before it.
* Chocolate Sphere -- I thought this would be a heavy truffle and I was delighted to see what Chef Savoy had in mind. You need to experience Restaurant Guy Savoy for yourself to see what they do with this dessert
* Finally, they brought over the "treat cart." It contained delights I have been dreaming about since Paris. The highlights included:
* Cotton candy rice pudding (they call it "pink praline" -- it was very good, but it's ethereal in Paris)
* Housemade blood orange marshmallows; the marshmallows at Guy Savoy prove what a triumph this simple confection can be
* Macarons just like you'd savor in Paris
* Fruit gelees -- so simple and so perfect
* Lollipops that are a testament to the art of sugar
This restaurant is utterly amazing and it's worth the price. Merci, Franck!
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