6 Deadly Sins of L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon
I came to Vegas looking for sin.
And I found six of the seven deadly ones right here at L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon.
Read their decouverte tasting menu and tell me it doesn’t inspire gluttony and greed. Baby Kusshi oysters, Maine lobster, langoustine carpaccio, foie gras stuffed quail with truffled mashed potatoes.
Look at the photos and tell me it doesn’t inspire lust, followed quickly by envy.
Dine here and tell me you don’t feel a tinge of arrogant pride as you consider the buffet-dining hoards.
And enjoy nine perfect courses and tell me your satisfaction is not soon followed by a blissful, slothful afterglow.
Walking up to the black-clad restaurant, “L’Atelier” glowing red like both a warning and an invitation, it’s hard not to be seduced by the presence of the “Chef of the Century”. Even if only by name. Standing next to the opulent and all white Joel Robuchon, L’Atelier beckons you to the dark side.
Inside, the black and red decor continues, right down to an open black kitchen. Black tiles, black surfaces. Austere. Stark. A few tables for groups of four or more but most of the dining occurs at the bar around the open kitchen. Half the spectacle is watching your dishes work themselves through the different stations.
Of course you can order off the a la carte menu or go with their three or five course tasting menus. But you’re at L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon. That would be like stopping at foreplay. Go on, order the nine course tasting.
LES CRUSTACES : Shellfish cream, piquillo pepper coulis and fennel foam
The amuse bouche comes out in a small porcelain eggcup atop a piece of rough hewn, heavy volcanic rock. A lobster and langoustine cream sits at the bottom, layered on top with a piquillo pepper coulis and topped with the fennel foam. Dip your spoon right to the bottom and dig out the cream and combine the coulis and foam in a single mouthful. The essence of the shellfish is both distinct and powerful. The texture, on the other hand, is of a smooth custard.
LA LANGOUSTINE : Langoustine carpaccio with roasted poppy seed dressing
The natural sweetness of the langoustine is tempered with a slightly tart, almost Asian, dressing. The roasted poppy seeds add a bitter crunch. Dip into the streak of chili oil if you want a slight kick or the basil oil for a more green flavor. But, for me, this dish was all about the natural flavor of fresh, raw langoustine.
LES HUITRES : Poached baby Kusshi oysters with French “Echiré” butter
Imagine butter melted over slightly poached oysters. Except infinitely better because these are Kusshis and the butter is Echiré. Go on, be an ingredient snob. A perfect illustration of how quality ingredients can elevate a dish. This one was sensational.
LE HOMARD : Maine lobster in a tomato sauce and green asparagus
The lobster was very well prepared and I like the presentation of leaving the tail meat partially in the shell. It makes for a beautiful plate. But the star here is the rich and dense sauce a l’américaine, beautifully bringing out the flavor of the lobster. Really, this is lobster layered on lobster. You can’t ask for more than that.
LE FOIE GRAS : Foie gras ravioli in a warm chicken broth with herbs
I think I’m giving up chicken noodle soup as a comfort food in favor of this dish. Except I don’t think L’Atelier delivers when I’m sick. It’s a shame. These foie gras raviolis were delicate and delicious.
LE SAINT-PIERRE : John Dory filet with baby calamari and artichoke
Growing up in Australia, I ate a lot of John Dory as a kid. So much so that it became a very ordinary fish for me. This John Dory was anything but ordinary. Firm and well seasoned, it was just a very good piece of fish. The baby calamari was perhaps the only slip up in the whole meal, being rather rubbery.
LA CAILLE : Foie gras stuffed free-range quail with truffled-mashed potatoes
How could I not love this dish? Three of my favorite ingredients on the one plate. Press down on the slightly crispy skin of the quail and melted foie gras oozes out of it. Cut through the quail and coat liberally with foie gras ooze. Alternate with bites of the thick, creamy truffled mash flecked with black truffle. Earthy. Gamey. Offally. Superb.
LA PECHE : Peach confit infused with Moscato d’Asti, apricot milkshake
A stunning and surprising dessert. A peach sorbet sitting in an apricot “milkshake”. A coin of sugar topping the dish. Dip into the apricot foam and you’ll find bits of crunchy frosted cornflakes. All presented in a stemless martini glass balanced in a glass bowl.
L’ACAI : Acai granite light caramel cream
A final fun dessert to end the meal, this one comes topped with a ball of pink cotton candy and a small raspberry. Like a sweet and airy breast. Start by letting the cotton candy dissolve in your mouth. Then dig down into the tart and refreshing acai granita. Juxtapose with the rich caramel cream. At this point, you should be simultaneously thrilled at the meal you just experienced and saddened that this is the last course.
LE CAFE
An herbal mint tea to calm my stomach and a cute chocolate truffle partially printed with the restaurant’s name.
And the knowledge that I just experienced the meal of the year from the chef of the century.
Well, his excellent Executive Chef Steve Benjamin anyway.
Oh, and if you’re wondering about the seventh deadly sin, it’s wrath.
It’s what you’ll feel if you lose $1000 on the blackjack table. That could have been a meal for two at L’Atelier’s big brother, Joel Robuchon.
L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon
MGM Grand
3799 Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 891-7925
Canelé. The morning after.
There are some experiences in life that elevate the bar so high that you can never view what you thought was good the same way again.
Like the first time you fly first class. Or the first time you slip into a bespoke suit. Or your first threesome.
Today I added to that list the first time you try the french toast at Canelé.
A 2″ thick round of toast, crispy and tasting almost baked on the outside, perfectly eggy and sweet, almost custardy, on the inside. So perfect that the addition of syrup would diminish its taste. Served with mascarpone and poached prunes, this is truly an indulgent brunch treat.
The duck confit hash topped with a fried duck egg was also phenomenally good. The amount of duck in the hash is generous, almost 50/50 I’d say, and deliciously good. Cut a mouthful with your fork, break the soft yolk of the sunny side up duck egg and dip the hash. Heaven.
The side of house cured bacon would have been a standout in any other brunch but was almost overlooked in this company. Almost, I said. But not.
A blood orange mimosa and a rhubarb lemonade rounded out this outstanding brunch.
The restaurant itself is charmingly rough hewn. All dark unpolished floorboards, exposed bricks and beams, heavy and high blood red walls, and a menu written in chalk on a blackboard wall. It’s a small space with a large communal table in the front window and smaller tables tucked around the two partially separated rooms. An open kitchen dominates the space.
And yet, on a Sunday morning, the space didn’t feel crowded or busy. On the contrary, it felt quiet and casual and neighborhoody.
No first class reservations are taken here and you can leave the bespoke suit at home.
Although a post-threesome morning after brunch at Canelé would be something special.
Either way, this is the best brunch I’ve experienced in LA.
3219 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90039
(323) 666-7133
I want to f*@k you like an Animal
When the Nine Inch Nails wrote, “I want to fuck you like an Animal”, they must have been thinking of this place.
Notice they didn’t say “make love to”, “go to bed with”, or even “have sex with”.
No. They were specific.
Because Animal delivers the kind of visceral experience you can otherwise only get with a dirty, sweaty, no holds barred fuck. That feeling of being deeply satiated, exhausted and with meaty juices still coating your fingers and face.
Foreplay consisted of the house smoked pork belly with lentil and butterbean salad. A thick cut of fatty pork belly, marinated in a sweet barbecue sauce, perfectly grilled and caramelized. Deliciously sweet and sitting on top of a “salad” of lentils and butterbeans in a tart vinaigrette. The single slice of pork belly was at least 10″ long. Apparently a very satisfying size.
Photo courtesy of doliesl on Flickr
The main course for me was quail fry, grits, maple jus, long cooked chard, and more slab bacon. Imagine if the Colonel of KFC fame had an idiot savant younger brother who displayed sparks of culinary genius and enjoyed deep frying small birds coated in a crispy batter until golden brown, then serving them with momma’s family recipe of grits and greens and four generous slices of fatty slab bacon. This was seriously finger lickin’ good. And as a bonus, those small quail bones make great toothpicks.
Photo courtesy of mstori on Flickr
Main course for her was the flat iron steak, PBR fondue, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and crispy leek. Befitting the theme, this dish was meaty and raw. It was sauced with a gamey, earthy sauce and topped with a PBR “fondue”. After I had desecrated the bones of four small birds, I finished off the remainder of her steak.
Photo courtesy of Food GPS
Dessert was left for home. I believe it involved a creampie of some description.
As for decor, the interior was all sturdy wooden tables, benches and chairs, concrete floors and exposed bulbs. No soft furnishings to pick up any telltale stains. And just like a good brothel, there is no sign on the outside of the restaurant. Just a discrete 435 to entice you in.
Animal may just be the best rebuttal for vegetarianism I’ve encountered.
After all, the Nine Inch Nails didn’t write, “I want to fuck you like a vegetable.”
Although that could be fun.
So I’ve been told.
Animal
435 N Fairfax Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 782-9225
The Gastronomnom 