Robert and I just got back from a quick trip to Vegas! I didn’t win but I didn’t lose too much either and I had a lot of fun playing. We mostly played blackjack at Four Queens because, apparently, grimy tables, mathematically-challenged dealers and obscure ’80’s tunes are our idea of a good time. We’re real high rollers! We didn’t see too many new things since our last visit. We usually stay downtown which doesn’t change nearly as often as the strip. The Golden Nugget, however, is almost done installing a shark tank in the middle of their pool which will give you the illusion that you are swimming around with sharks and other fish. The tank has a clear water slide running right through it which I’m sure the fish are really going to enjoy when it opens.
On to the food. The first night, we ate at Rosemary’s restaurant. Rosemary’s always get rave reviews and high ratings so I was really looking forward to it. It is a 15 minute cab ride west from the strip and is actually located in a strip mall of all places! Once you are inside, however, you would have no idea. The food is eclectic with a strong Southern bent. One thing that I noticed right away was that each menu item comes with a wine suggestion and a beer suggestion. We were given a complimentary amuse bouche to start, a tiny square of mushroom bread pudding with goat cheese. This cracked us up a little because we had just watched the episode of Top Chef where the chefs struggle to create delicious little amuse bouche dishes using items bought from a vending machine. This one tasted better than theirs, I’m sure. We were given two types of rolls, a potato roll and a rosemary-honey roll. Next, the sommelier brought us our wine choice, 2004 Vacheron Sancerre. It was a delicious wine! I love sancerre wines for their clean, crisp flavor and complete lack of oak. For our meals, we both went with Rosemary’s prix fixe dinner which, unlike at most restaurants, allowed you to simply select any three items from the main menu. For our appetizers, Robert had the salmon tartar with saffron sauce and I had Hugo’s Texas BBQ shrimp with maytag blue cheese slaw, Rosemary’s signature appetizer. Then, we each had a green salad with onion vinaigrette and rosemary crackers. My entree choice was the Halibut Linquist: halibut with a buttermilk onion crust, chive muscadet butter sauce, garlic spinach and topped with a tower of crisp onion rings. Robert had the crispy skin striped bass over andouille, rock shrimp and fingerling potato hash with a creole sauce and cornmeal hush puppies. He also ordered the suggested beer, Maudite, a strong, red beer from Quebec. It went wonderfully with the creole sauce. We were too full for dessert but they gave us a couple of little sweets to end our meal anyway. There was a peanut butter and rice krispy ball, a lemon square and a chocolate ganache ball.
It was a really great dining experience overall. One thing that Robert and I rarely get in Seattle is great service in restaurants. As is the case with most restaurants in Las Vegas, the waiting “team” at Rosemary’s had their act together. Dishes were served with perfect synchronization, wine glasses were refilled promptly and we got our check right away. I really recommend Rosemary’s, although the cab ride there and back certainly adds to the bill. Fortunately for me, Wednesdays are ladies night so my meal was half off!
The next evening, we went out for tapas at Firefly restaurant on Paradise road. This place had also come highly recommended and was supposedly very popular with the locals. It was only after I had made reservations that I learned that it had been featured on Rachel Ray’s $40 a day (I just needed to make it clear that that is not why I chose to go there.) Upon arrival, it seemed just like the kind of place that Rachel Ray would like, very loud and crowded and kind of zany. We shared a pitcher of sangria which, as the menu claimed, was marinated for 3 days. It was pretty tasty. Then we ordered a plethora of tapas. Most were pretty standard. The shrimp ceviche was delicious, very limey and served with crisp corn chips. The marinated olives and the clams were also good. Other than that, I don’t think it was worth all the hype. On the way back, our hilarious cabbie recommended Battista’s Hole in the Wall so we might need to check that out next time we go. I hear they have free wine! Or, if I finally win that million dollars, we will go out for caviar and premium vodka at Red Square!