Las Vegas - L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon

Dining at Joël Robuchon is a dream of mine. A pricey dream. But L'Atelier is the cheaper (albeit still on the pricey side) way to experience his cuisine without springing close to $500! I definitely took advantage of this opportunity when my mom and myself were in Vegas on Christmas Day. My dad and brother weren't coming until the next day so I convinced my mom that dining here was a great idea. Win!

Most of the space is for counter seating, which is great because you can see the kitchen at work. The interior is super sleek and modern. Very Vegas-feeling. I really liked the pops of red against the black.

There are multiple menus to choose from (3 course, 5 course, a la carte) but we decided to go for the Seasonal Discovery Menu. Cause my frugal dad wasn't there to stop us. Now on to the food!

bread course

foie gras parfait with port wine reduction and parmesan emulsion

shrimp carpaccio with lemon vinagrette

meli-melo of celeriac and truffle with granny smith wasabi mayo

sea scallop cooked in the shell with chive oil on an artichoke jus

foie gras herb tortellini served in a boullion with matsutake and white soy sauce

seared turbot filet, shellfish butter with crushed fingerling potatoes and black truffle

entree option 1: veal hanger, chanterelle mushrooms and comté gratinés maraconi

entree option 2: caramelized free range quail stuffed with foie gras served with mashed potatoes

sour cream mousse, cranberry sorbet and oat tuile

spiced "cremeux" on sage crumbles with ginger ice cream

The meal ended with tea and I loved the attention to detail given to even that - look at the little printed chocolates that came with out tea! This meal was so amazing, totally lived up to my expectations and everything was executed perfectly. The foie gras ravioli, mashed potatoes, quail and veal hanger were definitely stand outs but I can honestly say that each and every dish was delicious.

Can't eat like this every day but on a special occasion - it's worth every penny of the splurge.

L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon
MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada