On Amazing, Ridiculous, Thrilling Dining

Miranda and I had one plan for New Year’s Eve: to eat well.  Very well.  The kind of eating we don’t get to do in Papua New Guinea or Haiti.  So I looked into places in Las Vegas to eat.  To eat well.  And guess who I came across?  Jose Andres, James Beard Award-winning restaurateur of two of my favourite restaurants in DC.  He’s been busy in Vegas, it turns out, opening new restaurants, including é. 

é is a concept restaurant based on minibar in DC (which was inside Café Atlantico).  É seats eight and is located in a private room around a counter in the tapas restaurant, Jaleo.  Inside the new hotel/casion, Cosmopolitation.  I know, I know.  Re-read it.

I wasn’t sure if a restaurant that seats eight would be open on New Year’s Eve and if it were, how one goes about getting a reservation.  Turns out, it’s simple.  Reservations opened at midnight on December 1 and applications (a.k.a. credit card number) were accepted for the 5 pm “show” or the 9 pm “show.”  That made Miranda and me giggle.  So pretentious, right?  The price tag made us sober right up.  After some reflection, we both decided to go for it.  You only live once, right?

Bar at Jaleo

Miranda and I arrived at Jaleo and sat at the bar.  Our drinks list was presented in iPad form.  Hee, hee.




Once the other six guests arrived, we were ushered into the private room and the show began.  Miranda and I were a little giddy – and not because of the Cava we had at the bar.  It was so silly!  And then the show began.

This was the first item on the menu.  Gin and tonic.  Gin and tonic made with liquid nitrogen and served in a glass in three creamy, tangy layers, and eaten with a wee spoon.  Liquid nitrogen.

This is a flower made out of, uhm, raspberry paper?  Miranda demonstrates how to eat it.

 

A roll of airy savory thing with blue cheese-y creamy filling and dulce de leiche drizzled on top.  Yum.

Port of some kind with parsley air and...uhm.  I dunno.  Tasty.

Beet jewelry!  With gold dust.  Miranda got it all over her dress and it looked awfully pretty.

They told us to eat it off our fingers, ok?

A cup made in front of us with liquid nitrogen and  marcona almond paste.  Served with caviar on frozen rocks to keep it cold for the three seconds it takes you to pick it up and pop it into your mouth.  Guess what?  I don't particularly like caviar or understand why anyone would want to pair it's eye-watering briny saltiness with creamy almonds.  Also not a fan of truffle shavings (black or white) or fois gras.

Chocolate truffle "espuma".  Not that kind of truffle - the proper mushroom kind.  

Made with orange pith and la Serena cheese.

This was amazing: chicken skin with, uhm, clam escabeche?  Not sure what that is in this case.  Oh - under some kind of "air".

"Pan con chocolate" - now that I understand.  Olive oil at the bottom of the bowl.  Next time you get some really good bread, brush it with olive oil, bake it, then sprinkle it with cocoa and sugar so that it melts into the warm oil. Amazing.  Don't trust me?  Look it up on www.epicurious.com.

 A fizzy paper mountain and a honey nut sponge-y cake.

Stevie Wonder for dessert!