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| - Paying a visit to Joël Robuchon's famous Atelier at the MGM Grand had been on my bucket list for...years. Literally years. The stars finally aligned on my recent trip to Vegas, and all of my expectations were met -- and exceeded, big-time.
I arrived in time for a 6pm reservation on a Saturday, and the place was buzzing but not crowded. Most of the restaurant consists of a long, sleek counter facing a bright, open kitchen. There are a few regular tables around the periphery, but those are no fun. The real enjoyment of L'Ateler really comes from sitting at the counter, making small-talk with the ridiculously good-looking staff, and mingling with the other food-nerds who flock to the place from all over North America.
One of the nice parts of L'Atelier is that there are menus for all sizes of appetites and budgets. If you're a baller, get the 20-course tasting (degustation) menu and call it a day. For us mere mortals, there are smaller prix fixe menus of various sizes, as well as a la carte options. My server pointed me toward the generically named "Menu A", which ended up being the perfect amount of food. He also recommended me an awesome "Kabinett" Riesling, and brought out one of the most gorgeous breadbaskets I'd ever seen. Even the butter (served on black slate with fresh sea salt on top, natch) was a stunner.
Here's the run-down of the dishes:
-- Amuse bouche: foie gras parfait with parmesan foam. Rich and decadent. Loved the savory foie gras with the lightness of the foam. Excellent starter.
-- La dorade: king snapper ceviche on cilantro avocado cream. A very elevated ceviche. It had all the essence of citrus but none of the acid. The texture of the avocado cream was out of this world.
-- L'oeuf: fried egg, smoked salmon, winter salad, and crispy noodles. The most unusual item of the night. The egg and salmon were perfectly done, and the crispy noodles gave the dish some nice carb-y heft. A twist on bagels and lox?
-- Le canard: roasted duck breast with poached figs. Easily the best duck I've ever had. It melted in your mouth like butter, as did the sweet (but not overly sweet) figs. Like all entrees, it comes served with a ramekin of Chef Robuchon's famous mashed potatoes, which deserve all the acclaim they get.
-- Le cafe: coffee chantilly, chocolate sablé, and coffee ice cream. An elegant, beautiful, and complex dessert. The fun part was building the perfect bite with bits of all the components.
I left L'Atelier feeling full, and very very happy. I'd come back in a heartbeat. If you enjoy innovative fine dining and think dinner should be an event and not just another meal, then L'Atelier will be right up your alley... or, rather, your casino.
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