{Travel} Julian Serrano (Las Vegas)

Paella ($45) at Julian Serrano in the Aria hotel

Tapas, tapas, tapas...Looking back at our Vegas photos (really, food photos), it does seem like all we did was eat Spanish cuisine. In addition to José Andrés' restaurants (including é by josé andrés), we dined at Julian Serrano's eponymous restaurant.

The danger with tapas is that, as my mom would say, my eyes are bigger than my stomach. I want to try everything and these small dishes become surprising filling. So despite sharing this meal with 2 other people, we left so full, but happy.

Lobster-Pineapple Skewers ($14)

After ordering the paella (it takes 35 minutes to prepare), I quickly ordered a bunch of tapas for our table of four. One of my favorite dishes was this beautiful lobster-pineapple skewer. It was so fresh and combined two of my favorite ingredients.

Huevos estrellados: fried potatoes, eggs, imported Spanish pork chorizo ($10)

Either we were all very full or this dish was the least favorite one, but the Huevos Estrellados was one of the only dishes our table couldn't finish.

(clockwise from top left) Stuffed dates wrapped in applewood bacon ($8); Mediterranean bass with tomato confit and arbol chili ($10); Stuffed piquillo peppers with goat cheese and mushrooms ($10); Black pig pintxo of Iberian pork shoulder meat and caramelized onion ($18) 

Everyone at the table devoured the stuffed dates wrapped in bacon - addictive with their sweet and salty flavor. It was one of Jeff's favorites. The moist bass' skin was nice and crispy while the Iberian pork was tasty.

Bombas ($10): Spicy beef and pork meatballs with Manchego cheese and rocoto peppers 

Jeff's other favorite dish were these fried spicy beef and pork meatballs.  Not surprising since it combined his favorite meats with cheese and a crunchy texture.

Beef and cheese ($17): Prime tenderloin with cheese, honey, and pecans

The beef was nice and tender. By now we were more than full and then the paella showed up. The Valenciana paella ($45) was filled with chicken, rabbit, spanish pork chorizo, vegetables, and saffron rice. It was a tad salty but still worth the try. We'd be happy to re-visit Julian Serrano the next time we're in Vegas - but I'll try to not order the whole menu!

{Travel} é by josé andrés (Las Vegas)

The best dinner and show in Vegas!

Jeff had never been to Las Vegas before, so when I had a work trip scheduled, I was delighted that he could join me. And since we always try to travel around food experiences, he researched and learned about é by josé andrés. This is an intimate restaurant within a restaurant (Jaleo) right on the strip in the Cosmopolitan hotel. The dinner was a wonderful display of creativity and for us, having never been to minibar by josé andrés, a fantastic example of molecular gastronomy.

Theatrics aside, the food tasted incredible. And the experience itself had that touch of magic.

The Golden Tickets

With only 8 seats available for each of the 2 dinner seatings, é is a difficult, but not impossible reservation to make.  Exactly one month prior to the date we wanted, we factored in the time difference (they're on PST) and emailed the restaurant (reserve@ebyjoseandres.com). We got an automated email to confirm that our email was received. Then during the next business day, we got an email saying we have 2 seats available but can only reserve it by completing, signing, and scanning/faxing a form (which included dietary restrictions and credit card number). Once we scanned and emailed the signed form, we got another email confirming our reservation. The tough part was now over. And yes, despite this process, the dinner was well worth it. 

Making the Gin and Tonic (top pics); Spanish "Clavel", Beet Jewelry, Caramelized Pork Rinds (bottom pics)

Apple "Brazo de Gitano" (surprisingly savory); Nitro Almond Cup (with caviar)

Crispy Chicken Skin in Escabeche; Jose taco; Oliva Sferica Ferran Adria (olive); Bocata de "Calamares" (melt in your mouth uni)

Cava Sangria (Watermelon Sangria)

Artichoke "Puree" with Vanilla (and shaved black truffles)

Lobster with Citrus & Jasmine

Chickpea Stew with Iberico Ham

Turbot with Bone Marrow (and coffee grinds)

Rosemary Wild Mushrooms in Papillote

Secreto of Iberico Pork with Squid

Orange Pith Puree La Serena

Flan

Crunchy Pan con Chocolate; Arroz con Leche

Fizzy Paper; 25 Second Bizcocho; Air Chocolates

Jose Andres Gin and Tonic (gifted to us by our fellow diners who were full from their drink pairing) has a perfect spherical ice cube; Book carrying the bill and the sealed menu to take home

Since the tasting menu changes all the time, we thought it was best to show you what we ate without going into too much detail. The flavors and textures of every dish surprised us with delight.  The tasting menu is $160/person before tax and tip. The drink pairing is an additional $105 ($65 for non-alcoholic pairing). The whole experience was well worth it, putting this dinner amongst our most favorite dining adventures.

{Cheap Eats} Prosperity Dumplings and Shanghai Cafe Deluxe

Happy (belated) Chinese New Year! It's the Year of the Dragon and we've been fortunate to celebrate the Lunar New Year in both NYC and Las Vegas.  The Dragon has always been an auspicious sign so hopefully this will be a great year!

It goes without saying that if you're wallet's a little light, Chinatown's a great neighborhood to find some cheap eats. One of the most popular places is Prosperity Dumpling on Eldridge St. It's a small Chinatown shop (assume you're going to get your dumplings to go!), with basically a takeout counter (seating for about 4 people, really tight space).

It was a nice day so we went to a nearby park to enjoy our lunch. These pan-fried pork dumplings were only $1! They were pretty tasty while hot, so don't let them sit. Eat them fast and enjoy!

Dumplings in soup ($2.50): We wish we could have this dish whenever we felt under the weather. A touch salty, but overall hot and comforting. Again the dumplings were great and it would be wonderful on a cold Winter's day.

You can also get a whole lot of frozen dumplings (50 for $9) to take home and defrost if/when it gets cold again. (The weather here in NYC has been all over the place!)

Afterward, we wandered to Shanghai Cafe for their Soup Dumplings. Be forewarned - it was busy when we were there (we could barely eat without needing to move our seats), had to ask numerous times for water (we finally got it when the bill came), and watched the overwhelmed hostesses give our first table away.

Happily their Pork Crab soup dumplings ($4.95) are pretty good. - not too doughy or overly salty, lots of broth, comes out steaming hot (be careful not to burn your mouth or face). There's a reason why every table in the place had these dumplings on it.

Shanghai Pan-Fried Noodles ($8.95) - I love these crunchy noodles, but by this time we were already full, so we ate about a quarter of the plate before packing it up to go.

Shanghai Cafe Deluxe is located at 100 Mott St. in NYC.

Happy Year of the Dragon! (Below you'll see some of our many Vegas pics - more to come!)

Caesar's Palace

Aria

Bellagio

The Venetian

Wynn