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| - In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I have kind of a 'history' with the owner/operator of Isabela's, Chef Beni Velazquez. Some time before we even moved to Vegas (the first time), one of the first episodes of a show I saw on the Food Network called MYSTERY DINERS, featured a now-defunct establishment called BAR + BISTRO, located near the Arts District, where Beni was the head chef. (As it turned out on the program, the biggest problems with the place were in reference to the staffing and the management, NOT the food.)
It was enough to persuade me to visit the place and to meet Chef Beni. You will never find a guy more about making sure his customers receive the best experience when it comes to food and hospitality, and that first visit kept us coming back for more!
I kept up with Chef Beni's career, going from BAR + BISTRO, to his new place, "Latin Fish", which eventually morphed into Isabela's. My partner and I wanted to make it a point to come to his new digs to check them out, see what he was up to, and compare the quality of the food to what we had experienced before in his previous establishments.
If we were disappointed about ANY aspect of Isabela's, it's the sad realization of knowing that as soon as people discover the wonders of Chef Velazquez's Latin-forward cuisine, this will no longer be one of our exclusive "best-kept secrets."
Located at Lakeview Center in the Desert Shores neighborhood, Isabela's shares real estate with several other exclusive establishments, including Marchez Bacchus (another MYSTERY DINERS subject). The dining room overlooks the lake, which offers breathtaking views. On one of Vegas's rare 'cooler' days or evenings, dining out on the restaurant's patio area would be delightful, (some like the heat, but I'm not particularly a fan.)
The main thing to come here for, though, is the food. Chef Beni pours his passion, obsessiveness and creativity into the fare here, and it shows among the rich seafood dishes, delightful tapas and meat offerings.
Not one of the several appetizers we started off with wasn't flavorful and enticing. The opener was the Red Crab Sweet Corn Bisque, thick and delicious with bits of sweet crab meat, garlic, spices and a 'tomato-ey' base. The "Little Pollo" chicken bites, light, delicately breaded and well-seasoned made a perfect accompaniment to the "Cuban teapot" drinks-for-two that we had with it. And the "Garlic Pollo" was one of those rich, comforting plates, served with slices of fresh baguette, that made you wish you had a gallon of it to take home. The savory, sofrito-based sauce begged to be sopped up, which made me glad that Chef had the foresight to include that extra bread!
The signature Crab Cakes might be small and delicate, unlike the larger, breadier cousins offered in towns like Baltimore. But each morsel, lightly coated with panko and fried just as lightly, packed in the fresh flavor of the crabmeat. You know you're getting the crab you're looking for here - no imitation substitute, and no sad chicken-nugget like frozen crap masquerading as the real thing.
It all made me anticipate the Main Course, which for me was the Fish and Chips. This is one of the make-or-break dishes for me with any restaurant that offers it, and if you lose me with that, you've pretty much lost me with everything else as well. Here, it was a home run. The fries, thin, crispy, golden-brown, were the perfect backup for the generous portions of beer-battered, fresh and flaky cod, served with spicy ketchup and mojo sauces for dipping. The jicama slaw puts regular cole slaw to shame. I ate it all, and next time I may even ask for an extra side of it!
My partner had the Seared Argentinian Shrimp, served piping hot and whole, the shells completely intact, which prohibited me from trying them, (I don't like any food that stares back at me while I'm eating it.) His third course was the Bone-In Dry-Aged Ribeye, served with Romesco butter, mashed potatoes and veggies, cooked to perfection just the way he loves it (medium rare). It looked good, but I couldn't be torn away from my Fish and Chips to try it.
Plus, room HAD to be saved for the 'piece de resistance': the scrumptious desserts. So often, the desserts turn out to be a letdown, usually something not even prepared in-house. There was no doubt in my mind that my Warm Chocolate Ganache cake, served with a dollop of vanilla ice cream, was made right there, (the menu even requests that you order it thirty minutes in advance.) Thick and gooey in the molten center where the warm ganache called 'home', this is very similar to your average "chocolate molten lava cake", but a more elevated version - for adults.
The Ricotta Cheesecake came with crispy, sugary little bits of candied citrus that were sprinkled over it, each tangy pop of freshness enhancing every bite of cake. It was so damn good, in fact, THAT is what I'll be having the next time we turn up here.
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