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| - I usually don't give five star reviews for restaurants that I have only been once. A dinner might seem better than it really is or, more likely, a restaurant may not be able to consistently produce great food.
I think Bazaar Meat is a clear exception for a couple of reasons. First, the ingredients and preparation were so amazing, that it seems impossible that the quality could suffer by repeat visits. Second, the price and location are so restrictive, that I probably won't be going back any time soon.
The experience then: The restaurant is grand. It sits at the back of the SLS hotel in Las Vegas and seems to cover half the building. There are apparently five different "markets" or stations that prepare each different type of food. The central "market" is the meat section and has awesome wood fired grills that, it's safe to say, would be the envy of any grillmaster anywhere. The dining room is long and sparely filled with tables, where you feel that you are in an exclusive setting, even when the restaurant is full. Service was also incredible, with our waiter enthusiastically describing each of our dishes, maintaining that thin line between being a professional and being wonderfully friendly.
The food... oh the Food!!!: We ordered Jose's Way, a seven course tasting menu with all the best known plates.
First course: foie gras cotton candy. The only plate I'd had before, at the Bazaar in Los Angeles. I think the sweetness of the sugar and the richness of the foie gras goes very well. But it is hard to take the large portion as "one bite" as you are encouraged to do and doing so really pushes the sugar of the cotton candy, overpowering the foie gras.
Second course: Olives classic and modern. The olives have a wonderful taste and the two competing styles are definitely an interesting change in textures. Really nice small bite.
Third course: Caviar taster with creme fraiche in a small wafer cone. I am not sure of the type of caviar, but this was absolutely amazing. As I told the wife when she was hesitant to try it, there was no brininess or "fishy" taste to the caviar and the richness of the craime freche balanced the saltiness perfectly. What a bite!
Fourth Course: Smoked raw oysters. The presentation is incredible, with a glass bowl covering the oyster plates holding the wood smoke inside. The smoke comes out and smells wonderful. The oysters are sweet and smoky. I don't think I've ever had a better oyster.
Fifth Course: Tartares. We were given both the classic taratare in a parker roll and the beefsteak tartare. Both were amazingly tender and fresh. The freshness of the beef... it felt like eating a bit of blue fin tuna, with the same color. Loved both.
Sixth Course: Charcuterie. Certainly, all the dried meats were good, although I would say that the only standout was the blood sausage. Everything else I could say, I've had before.
Seventh Course: Ribeye, grilled baby corn and Robuchon's mashed potatoes. The grilled baby corn was really spectacular, a little crispy, saltiness, a little bit of richness from the sprinkled mayonaise. The ribeye is perfectly cooked, perfectly aged, wonderfully tender and smoky. The absolute star of the show, however, was the mashed potatoes. With a description of "butter, butter, more butter... and some potatoes", they are definitely not the most heart healthy selection. Nor, of course, is this the most sophisticated of plates... it is quite literally a ton of butter and some smashed potatoes to hold them together. Except you can't stop eating them.
There were some additional little bites for dessert, but by that point, of course one is completely stuffed.
It was a wonderful, memorable dinner. The price, of course, means that you have to remember it, because you can't possibly afford to do this very often. For special occassions, this meal is definitely worth the price.
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