Aunt LeAnne Goes to a Steakhouse

Posted on July 20, 2014 by LeAnne Notabartolo

Skipping the “Moment of Truth” I insert into each blog post, here are a couple of little secrets about me:

I think I may be the only person on the planet who doesn’t like “Seinfeld”. I like Jerry Seinfeld, I just never thought the show was funny. It was “Much Ado About Nothing” for me (just like the Shakespeare play that I despise). The only part of that show I liked was Kramer. I would much rather watch “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” which is Mr. Seinfeld to a much more relate-able and hilarious degree for me.
I am not much of a “red” meat eater. Typically when I walk into a steakhouse either I have been invited to an event, or someone else is paying. And when I am faced with the choices on a steakhouse menu I seek out the lone pork, fish or chicken dish because I KNOW there is one. A good rib-eye or porterhouse is lost on me. I am just as happy with a perfectly cooked mid-rare burger or flank steak as I am with the more expensive cuts that beef aficionados proclaim to the world are the pinnacle of dining. Aside from tartare and carpaccio, I could easily give up beef as long as I have access to pork, lamb and goat.
I MAY have been converted this past week by Chef Stephen Hopcraft and STK at the Cosmopolitan here in Vegas.

Back in January we went to the Chefs to the Max dinner/fundraiser at RX Boiler Room and in the silent auction we won a “Meat Tasting Dinner for 6”. While I love Stephen as a human being, I am more of an appetizer gal when I go there to eat, and that is really not that frequent. John eats there more than I do, BUT this dinner was MAGIC and so much fun and the company, as much as the food, was what made it so special (thanks to our friends Heather Burdette, Jozef Bobula, John Morris and Lynn Moonen for joining us). Chef even allowed me to “play” with our food when it came to the tartare.

I asked Chef if I “got to play” as well. He let me mix up the tartare and form and plate it.

Enjoy the pics, and the captions and KNOW that the food was spectacular and I MAY in fact have to try to enjoy beef just a little more often.

Tartare with gaufrettes – fancy french potatoes. Sorry the taters seem to be the star of this pic, but the tartare was awesome!

Carpaccio with a superb pesto pasta. I even got a few tips out of Chef for making the pesto at home. This was all done LIVE in front of us!

The best slider I have ever had!

Beet Salad (l) and Caesar Salad (r)

Oh, and did I mention there was wine involved? Exceptional pairings with each course.

Filet tasting – L – R: Traditional Prime, All Natural, and Bone In. Of course there were sides!

And then there was dessert. The closest to you is a chocolate mousse with my all tie favorite, a French macaron as a garnish. By this time I was so full...I only ate the garnish.

And then there was dessert. The closest to you is a chocolate mousse with my all time favorite, a French macaron as a garnish. By this time I was so full…I only ate the garnish.

It Left a Sour Taste in My Mouth – That’s Good & Bad

Posted on July 8, 2014 by LeAnne Notabartolo

I have been trying to write this piece for a few weeks now. The problem is that generally I try to be more positive than negative and my Triple 7 Restaurant and Brewery experience was more of the latter and less of the former. I have also decided that July may, in fact, be “Month of the Bitch”. Maybe it’s because it is very hot, maybe I am just cranky, but I think I will set aside my good girl side for this month and tell it like it really is. Here you go…

I met the head brewer, Kenjiro Tomita, at the Brews & Blues event at the Springs Preserve at the end of May. He had one of the most interesting locally produced beers there. It was a Sour IPA – so take everything you love about sours and hop it up to an IPA and there you have it (it was everything that John loves and everything I love in one beer). After talking with him and telling him what I do, I was invited to come and sample some food & bev for a piece for LVFB (Moment of Truth – I couldn’t write this piece for LVFB because I didn’t have enough nice things to say). He assured me that the upper management and PR knew and approved the visit – neither management staff nor PR came to speak with me.

Ken sat with us, made suggestions on what to try from the menu and told us a great deal about himself, the set-up, the beer and the resto. I wanted to talk about how the beer has changed and how the chef is incorporating the brews into the menu. FYI the chef isn’t working with the brewer to do anything special on the menu. Only the batter for the fish & chips and one of the BBQ sauces feature any beer at all and it’s only mentioned on the fish. What I have to say about Triple 7 is this – don’t bother eating there. The food isn’t that good. The beer is clearly the star of the show. The main problem could be that there is too much corporate interference from the hotel/casino to make this a real contender in the Brewery Resto world of Las Vegas.

We had the Korean Short Ribs (inedible – greasy, and less meat than fat and gristle) and the Smothered Potato Chips to start. DO get the Chips – they were actually pretty good. In house made chips dressed up like potato skins and the last one was as crispy and crunchy as the first one. Then we had a burger and the fish & chips. The burger was “meh” but the fish of the fish & chips was pretty good as well. It’s not the best I have ever had, but certainly not the worst (I really need to write a piece on just that dish…it’s one of my faves).

Korean Short RIbs

Smothered Potato Chips

Fish & Chips

I would suggest going there for happy hour because the beer is really cheap! At $2.50 per pint for the house made brews, it’s a steal. No great bargains on the food, just $1 off the regular menu pricing, but that means you can get those smothered potato chips and save a buck. If you are thinking about getting a growler to go, know this: you have to buy the growler itself in the GIFT SHOP near the registration desk of the hotel and then bring it BACK to the bar to be filled and pay the tap fee there. A major pain in the ass, and unless you are really motivated, it’s a damper on the sale. The other important thing to know about Triple 7 in my eyes is that they have a “Variable IPA” tap. I am a hop head of the nth degree. IPA’s are my favorite style, so this appeals to me. Their IPA tap changes all the time and you never know what’s going to be on tap. The lovely Sour IPA is just one of the variants that Ken makes.

If you are downtown, go, eat the potato chips, have a beer and leave. That’s the best I can tell you.

Yelp! and Why I Loathe It

Posted on July 1, 2014 by LeAnne Notabartolo

I know I have been a slacker – there is no excuse for it. Perhaps absence made your heart grow fonder?

When it comes to choosing new places to try, I don’t put a whole lot of stock in the populace’s opinions of food. Here in Vegas in the Review Journal’s “Best of” issue, Joe’s Crab Shack was named best seafood restaurant. Get the picture? I don’t trust people I don’t know when it comes to their opinions on food. If I know you love Joe’s Crab Shack and think it is expensive, I really don’t want to hear what you have to say about Bartolotta’s at the Wynn. And before you can say anything, yes, I know I am a snob. We’ve already covered that.

So here are a couple of examples why, if you LOVE food, you should stop using Yelp:

Let’s just say I just opened my new restaurant and I want to get some people in the door. I can call, email or otherwise contact everyone I know in the area to go on Yelp and write a review. You never have to have eaten there. I know this is a fact, because I just did it (and deleted the review). I even overheard a new restaurateur TELLING friends, “Hey don’t forget to go on Yelp after we open the doors and write a good review.” Accuracy? I think not.
While dining out with a group of friends one night, the service was TERRIBLE. The food however was very good. One of the members of our party was in a snit about the whole experience and proceeds to say very loudly, “This place sucks! I am going to tear them a new asshole on Yelp!” This person went on to decry the food which wasn’t the problem and made the bad service sound worse than it was. Authenticity? I think not.
Everyone raved about China Mama and when I ate there the food was blah at best and the service was a little too perfunctory for me. For a long time I refused to go back. Then I got to thinking, “Maybe I just ordered the wrong thing?” Yeah, that was it! I love that place now. Had I written a review of China Mama after one visit it would have gotten just 1 star. Professionals eat in a place at least three times before reviewing it, so what makes an amateur review after one experience worth anything?

So, for me and mine, I will continue to ask the opinions of people I respect and admire in the food world. They know me, I know them and we know what each other like to eat. Trust professionals if you are on vacation, don’t use Yelp. I know for a FACT that if I trusted some online site full of amateurs to pick my vacay food and it sucked I’d be pissed off! If you don’t care too much about your food, go ahead, keep on using Yelp. They love that shit!

If you are in Vegas and you want to see me do a live demo, go to the Springs Preserve on Saturday July 19th. I will be joined by guest Chef Beni Velazquez. We’ll be making hot weather cocktails and desserts to please a crowd. Beni will be showing us how to make his Peach Sangria!

And just for your amusement – THIS.

Openings and Closings

Posted on June 3, 2014 by LeAnne Notabartolo

In a town that is constantly trying to reinvent itself, there is always something opening and something closing. I have often wondered whether the constant barrage of new places is for the benefit of the residents to get us to spend money on the strip, or if it is for the repeat visitors to give them a new surprise every time they come to visit. In a “regular” town, the tried and true standards last and last, and the new places have a hard time catching on. Here in Vegas it is like a revolving door sometimes. Some of the time the openings and closings are good things, sometimes not.

This week heralded the opening of Giada DeLaurentiis’ eponymously named new place at the Cromwell (formerly Barbary Coast and then Wild Bill’s). I am sorry I don’t have pics to share with you. I was pretty much told I am not important enough to be on THAT guest list. When I do finally get there, I promise to share.

This week also ushered in the closing of one of my fave places, Pinot Brasserie. I think one of the many reasons it was a favorite of mine is because I adore the Chef, Eric Lhuillier. He is terribly French and an absolute joy. John and I joke around that the more either he or we have had to drink the better we understand him. I can’t wait to see where he lands next. Pinot’s closure is not really a huge surprise considering Daniel Boulud’s DB Brasserie opened up LITERALLY right next door.

My dear friends, Lynn and Laurie, went with me to enjoy a final lunch at Pinot and Chef Eric spoiled us stupid. Chef Eric is classically trained and does absolutely beautiful food and can whip out the “fancy” whenever required. He and I agree that sometimes simple presentations are the best and so that is what he did for us that day. While this all LOOKS complicated, and yes, it is luxe, it is all very simply prepared to allow the flavors of the fantastic food to clearly shine through.

To illustrate how simple the entire meal was, this Lobster Bisque was the most complicated thing we ate that day.

Lobster Bisque with caviar and creme fraiche

Chilled seafood tower – Shrimp, lobster, clams, oysters and New Zealand green lipped mussels.

Apparently my camera was as taken with this homely cast iron fondue pot as I was, because that is what it ACTUALLY focused on…

Mussels in a white wine and garlic sauce.

Cheese platter for dessert.

A few upcoming events – LIVE cooking demos by yours truly on June 21st and July 19th. You can purchase tickets through the Springs Preserve The June 21st class is mentioned in this video:

Follow along with my food adventures and other musings on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Beware of salty language, food porn and cute dog pics!

Never Underestimate the Talent of Your Friends

Posted on May 20, 2014 by LeAnne Notabartolo

I luckily have friends of all walks of life. They keep me on my toes and while I know some of them far more intimately than others, I know that a LOT of my friends are incredibly talented people. What I find most interesting though is when I KNOW someone has talent, but I don’t realize HOW talented they truly are. For example, I knew my friend Dani could sing, but it wasn’t until I heard her recordings that I realized she could SING! That is how it went down for me this past Sunday at Desnudos Tacos at their prix fixe dinner celebrating all that is Mexico. There are many indie restos that are doing these special, one night only dinners. MTO has a Sunday Supper Series that I wrote about a few weeks back (their next one is June 22^nd).

I don’t remember how I met Christian Dolias, I do remember meeting his wife Jesikuh for the first time, but I can’t remember where/how I met him. Christian can cook. I have always known that. We worked together last year at Vegas Uncork’d and he was a marvel. I just didn’t realize how talented he was, mainly because he was doing other people’s food. I underestimated him vastly, in part, because he once said to me, “I always find myself making tacos,” and as a partner at Desnudos that’s what he does daily, and the tacos are really good (Moment of Truth – I drive a half hour in each direction to eat his red chile goat tacos). Imagine my surprise, delight and shame when he served me the following this past Sunday. Shame only because I underestimated him, and for that I am truly sorry.

Ceviche de Ostra – a duo of oysters with 2 different salsas frescas

Aqua Chile- sashimi sliced halibut with roasted Serrano corn, green onion, cilantro, lime, chayote and avocado

Ensalada de Langosta – butter poached lobster with cucumber, corn, black beans and huitalaoche paste

Mole Verde Oaxaqueno – braised carnitas, white beans, green beans, red potato, chile smoked bacon in a green mole sauce

Borrego con chile Ancho – adobo de chile Ancho rubbed and roasted lamb chops, root vegetables, sweet and spiced arroz

Dessert by Pastry Chef Lizette Gonzalez – chocolate cake with tequila almond ganache, house made tres leches ice cream, strawberry coulis and buñuelo sticks.

And now I can’t wait to see what Christian does next…

I encourage you to share this post, follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Good for Spooning.

Beer-centric Dinners

Posted on March 20, 2014 by LeAnne Notabartolo

As per usual, I have been dining out A LOT. In case you didn’t know, while I love wine, it hates me, so going to a wine pairing dinner is nearly anathema for me. To that end, John and I seek out beer paired dinners and recently attended three. Since all featured local breweries, with Joseph James at two of them, at vastly different dining venues, I thought I would pair two of them together for you. Read about the third one here.

At the end of February John and I, together with Friend Erroin, attended a Joseph James Brewery dinner at The Pub inside the Monte Carlo. If you haven’t been there, you should go for the beer selection alone! They have a wide selection of several styles of beer on tap and even more in bottles. The room is huge and there is a private event space with a bar upstairs, which is where we were for this event.

This event began well and ended well with local brewery, Joseph James, clearly the star of this five act show. The apps were really good, especially the Curry Chicken Cucumber Cups and the dessert was fantastic, even though I didn’t taste any of the advertised raspberries. Everything in the middle was hit or miss. The choices of beers per course were great, it was the food that missed the mark. The lone standout in the three central courses was the Mac & Cheese Fritter which was a side for the St. Louis Ribs. Because I try to write more positive than negative, let’s focus on the beers! They were alternately spicy, malty, yeasty or smoky and each one had a specific note that worked really well for the dish with which it was paired. Our Joseph James beer expert, Matt Marino, did a great job working with Chef Damis Irizarry and the beer matched the food beautifully for each course, but the beer was the CLEAR star each time.

Friend Erroin Martin – he’s the genius behind my site being so awesome!

Grilled Caesar Salad served with Weize Guy Hefeweizen

Honey Spiced Chicken served with Magic Stick Brown Ale

Mesquite Smoked St. Louis Ribs served with Smokin’ Poles Gratzer (see that Mac & Cheese Fritter?)

Bourbon Barrel Chocolate Mousse served with Bourbon Barrel Russian Imperial Stout

Last night John and I, together with son Jack went to a Local “Brewsy” Dinner at Naked City on Paradise. Each of four courses was paired with a locally produced beer. (Moment of Truth – Jack did not drink, he isn’t 21 yet, but we asked if we could bring him to enjoy the food and Chris Palmeri said he was more than welcome.) Featured breweries included Joseph James (with my fave, Hop Box), Tenaya Creek and Ellis Island. Once again, each course was perfectly paired with a fab beer. John and Jack loved the baby back ribs, paired with Tenaya Creek’s Calico Brown Ale. For me the winner of the night was the butter poached shrimp. Interestingly enough, it was paired with my least favorite style of beer, a Weiss beer from Ellis Island, but the beer was the PERFECT choice for the lushness of the shrimp and the woodiness of the mushrooms beneath it. Of course, because neither Naked City location is close to the house, we got a pie to go and I am eating that for breakfast as I write – not cold!