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| - We went to Vegas around Christmas to treat ourselves to some great food, and Julian Serrano was a stellar surprise. Prior to coming, we studied the menu and got a few ideas about what we wanted to order. Our first visit was for dinner one evening, and we decided to try their $39 prix fixe menu with the $19 wine pairing.
Everything about the meal and service was outstanding! We had a few questions about the food and possible substitutions for dessert, and what our waiter couldn't answer immediately, he quickly found out and was very helpful.
For the appetizer round, my partner and I shared the Brava Potatoes and the Stuffed Piquillo Peppers. Such simple items, but oh so delicious. The potatoes are topped with a mildly spicy bravas sauce and an alioli; when combined with the crispy potatoes, it's a perfect bite! The piquillo peppers were equally delicious. Although they're a bit small, they pack a huge punch in each bite. I'm not a fan of mushrooms, but they were blended so well with the goat cheese that it made for a delicious two or three bite dish. The waiter paired a refreshing Riesling with this course and it was the perfect accompaniment.
The entree round brought me the Organic Pork Chop with pisto serrano and a dijon mustard sauce, which was topped with thin, crispy-fried wonton crisps. My partner had the seasonal fish, which was a perfectly cooked salmon, with a side of sauteed spinach with raisins, apples, and pine nuts all topped with a buttery garlic sauce. Both dishes were cooked perfectly, but the pork chop was the standout. The dijon sauce was drool-worthy and each bite of the chop with the pisto serrano and the wonton crisps was moan-inducing. I don't usually enjoy fish, but the bite of salmon I had was very good (perfect for fish-lovers, I'm sure). We had a delicious Cava paired with this course and it complemented the dishes well.
There were three great options for dessert on the $39 menu, but we spotted the churros with a spicy chocolate dipping sauce on the $59 menu and thought we'd ask if we could substitute. Our waiter made it possible, and we could not have been more pleased. Who doesn't love a good, crispy fried churro and a spicy chocolate sauce?! He paired a sweet Sherry (Hidalgo - Pedro Jiminez) with this course and it was the perfect pairing. With each dip of the churro in the sauce, you could pick up a faint hint of the spice in the chocolate, but when you took a sip of the sherry - WOW! The sherry was so good. The hint of raisin and almond with a buttery sweet finish was the perfect coupling with the spicy-sweet fried goodness.
The atmosphere here was great as well. You're still close enough to the casino to people-watch (if that's what you like), but it's also private enough to have a quiet meal. We were seated at one of the tables connected to the bar, which was right next to two of the kitchens where we could watch all the delicious tapas coming out. The setting is casual enough where you can come in from a day walking the strip and sit down for a great meal.
Overall, this was the best place we ate at while in Vegas. So much so, that we decided to have it for lunch the day we left (see below for details). Do yourself a favor and go to Julian Serrano now. You won't be disappointed.
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UPDATE: Our experience the night before at another Aria restaurant was awful, so we decided to return to Julian Serrano for lunch before leaving Vegas. This time, we opted to select a few different tapas to share. Again, the service was great and we got another table near the kitchen so we could see all the delicious food coming out. Since this visit was more about trying the different tapas, here's what we had:
- Golden and Red Beet Salad: Delightfully delicious, earthy and refreshing. I never had beets before, but this was a great introduction to that earthy root. The beets were paired with frisee, citrus fruits (lime, orange and grapefruit) and molecular pineapple. There's a perfectly sweet beet syrup on the bottom that marries well with the whole salad.
- Warm Goat Cheese Salad: This was light and refreshing as well - a good dish to prep your palate for the more heartier dishes to come.
- Traditional Spanish Chicken Croquetas: Yum! Yum! Yum! Delicately fried and filled with chicken and a scrumptious bechamel sauce, these bites are not to be missed. Four come to an order.
- Stuffed Dates: Having made these at home, we could appreciate the time-consuming effort these little meat candies take to prepare. The dates are stuffed with goat cheese (I think) and an almond, then wrapped in bacon for a perfectly sweet and savory bite. The piquillo pepper sauce on the side was a nice surprise. Mildly spicy, which was a great addition to the sweetness of the dates. Four of these come to an order as well.
- Huevos Estrellados: We were on the brunch side of lunch, so this was a great dish. Crispy french fries topped with eggs and chorizo - a nice and hearty finish to a perfect meal.
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