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| - After being disappointed with Carnevino and resigned to Bouchon, possibly that my expectations for the food town that is Las Vegas were a wee bit too high. It casted doubts on my Joel Robuchon, which is not something I will readily admit, considering it's a 3-Michelin star place, and one of his only restaurants in the States. But I did, because I knew I needed to choose between his place at the MGM Grand, or Raku, the sushi place off strip that Anthony Bourdain dinedwith Penn Jilette on Parts Unknown.
So Raku is the choice I made - a sushi house that does take reservations, but not for the bar - a sushi house that is dark and small, with some hidden doors that I can only assume meant deliciousness.
We sat in the back for around 10 minutes before being seated at the sushi bar - the bar one of the more unusual ones I've seen. There is no glass case of already sliced fish, a display to choice from, but instead a display behind them like a fish market - whole fish that were recently purchased, staring at us while we're served.
They were polite until the hostess and one of the chefs realized that while I was no expert or aficionado, I wasn't an amateur either. After that, they were curious and attentive. They serve not one single roll - which was something I delighted in - so I ordered omakase. Mr. V choose small a la carte meals.
He ordered a range of dishes that both swim on this earth and walk its hard grounds.
-One scallop dish that was seared very softly served in its own shell, with a mixture of soy sauce, ponzu, and scallions.
-Mushroom wrapped in bacon - not very Japanese like, except for the ponzu basted on the mushroom tops, and devoured nonetheless.
-Kobe beef skewers in a dark, sticky sweet plum sauce, each bit just a morsel bigger than a bite, hot and soft, like butter in your mouth.
-Foie gras over house made tofu, swimming in a miso-like broth, topped with impossibly thin sliced scallions and sea salt.
-Pork short ribs that were more than just ala carte - piping hot, sticky salty sweet sauce that pooled around the bones after eaten, falling off after just one tender nibble.
His were delicious.
Mine are more difficult to remember, as when ordering omakase, they just keep bringing out food and happiness.
-Housemade tofu that was simply something I had never had before, prepared as it was. Raku is known for it, so it makes sense that a large slice of the buttery soft white tofu was served - with ginger, fish flakes, scallions, sea salt, and soy sauce for dipping. I wanted to use my fingers, but alas, kept to the sticks.
-Tuna, salmon, and kanpachi sashimi with the customary bits of ginger (not touching), radish, and seaweed tucked neatly under each of the trios laid out. Each piece was cold and had the nice meaty-fatty texture that one wants of sashimi from their chef.
-Grilled chicken skewers basted with a ponzu/soy sauce mixture that brought out the fatty bits of charred skin.
-Kobe beef skewers that I nibbled on and shared with Mr. V.
-Foie gras skewers, which I'm such are a luxury in itself, as how am I supposed to eat them when they are so soft and gelatinous? Dipped in a warm and sticky soy sauce, they were surely one of the richest foods I'd ever had - as it was my first time with foie gras.
-Kanpachi sashimi order (which was not omakase, but my own separate order - yes, I can eat that much) - it was of last meal caliber, and something I could've easily eaten every day. Soft, never chewy, cool to the touch, just the right about of fatty white lines, melting as only fresh fish could.
-Ikura served over rice - Ikura, singlehandedly one of my favorite foods as well - beautifully round salmon eggs that held so much saltwater that they were little bursts of ocean with every bite.
-Cheesecake fluff with a sliver of plum sauce, raspberry sauce, and a cross between chocolate and hazelnut crumbles.
This was the meal I was looking for when I came to Vegas, and I'm not at all sorry I had to go off strip in order to get it. We were there from opening, which was 6pm to around 8:30pm. Never once did I feel we had to leave, or were rushed, but that could've been the hostess impressed with my bottomless pit of a stomach.
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