Vegas Day 4: Seablue at last!

When planning last year's NAB dining fest I attempted to visit one of San Francisco chef Michael Mina's establishments. It didn't work out and I was determined to make it happen this year.

A trip to Nobhill would have blown the budget so instead we went to Mina's Seablue in the MGM Grand. I really feel that MGM is a real gem when it comes to dining. There's Craftsteak, Fiamma, Seablue, Nobhill, Diego and the big poppa of them all...Joel Robuchon.

After taking a moment to admire the open kitchen and the many water walls that decorated the restaurant, Niko, Sanch and I decided to start by sharing an appetizer of the "fried and crusted tasting trio" which consisted of the following:

Lobster corndogs with whole grain mustard
Gulf shrimp tempura with pineapple and pickled salad
Dungeness crab–stuffed piquillo peppers with house-smoked pepper aioli

The portions were not huge (especially for three) but the corndog was spectacular. The moist lobster was blanketed in a starchy bed of corn was superb and the only disappointment was that there wasn't more to go around. The tempura was also impressive; large shrimp lightly battered and perfectly fried without a bit of grease. Equally spectacular was the dungeness crab; sweet and juicy with the slightest tinge of heat from the pepper and aioli.

RRR and J-Bends decided to create their own salad for an appetizer.

They were given pencils and asked to check off ten items to include in their salad. Again, not a huge portion but tonight is all about quality over quantity.

At this point of the trip, everyone was playing along with Ms. Foodie's dinner photography and we passed the camera around so they could snap a photo of their dish. Of course Niko (a kick ass camera dude) had the best photos of the bunch; I might have to hire him full time for f is for foodie!

Here's how the dinner went down:

Niko: SEABLUE "Paella"Select Seasonal Shellfish, Chorizo Sausage, Grilled Quail, Saddle of Rabbit

Sanch: Ahi Tuna from Hawaii With Olive Oil Smashed Potatoes and Select Seasonal Vegetables

J-Bends: Arctic Char Nova Scotia With Chickpea and Lentil Rice and Select Seasonal Vegetables

RRR: Atlantic Cod tangine with Almond Crust, Couscous, Lemon broth, Artichokes

Foodie: Bacon-wrapped Chilean Sea Bass tangine with Toasted Garlic Jus, Cannellini Beans, Manila Clams

Each dish was wonderful. The freshness of the seafood was evident and the presentation was gorgeous. I tried my best to savor every bite while clamoring for more.

For dessert we shared an order of pear sorbet along with a cheesecake tasting of mango, raspberry, dulce de leche, apple pie, and double chocolate. The mango was a bit too sweet for my taste but the apple pie was pure fruity creamy heaven; surprising since that was the cheesecake I didn't think I'd enjoy.

Wow! Mr. Mina and his James Beard Award certainly did not let me down. If anything, it made me only want more Mina. And when I found out that there is a branch of Seablue located in the more geographically convenient Borgata in Atlantic City it made the thought of a return visit that much more enticing.

Can I find a better meal than this in Vegas? Stay tuned...

Vegas Day 2: Ago at the Hard Rock

An abysmal lunch of over processed lunch meat on low grade 12 grain bread at the Las Vegas Convention Center added to the excitement leading up to Monday's meal at Ago. Ago is an Italian restaurant located in the former home of Simon Kitchen and Bar at the Hard Rock Hotel and partially owned by Robert DeNiro. There was a poolside party at the Hard Rock that evening so logistically it was a no-brainer to have the night's meal here.

We began by splitting one of the evening's special salads: mixed greens with roasted beets, gorgonzola cheese and candied pecans.

We also shared the lo bianco pizza which was made with mozzarella, rucola, cherry tomatoes and shaved parmesan. The portions weren't exactly huge but the salad and pizza were pretty darn tasty.

For my main course, I chose the lombo di maialino con cavolo nero e patate: a roasted pork chop with black cabbage & rosemary potatoes.

The pork chop was pretty large and well seasoned although slightly more cooked than I would have preferred but certainly not dried out by any means. The cabbage and the potatoes rounded out the dish perfectly.

The rest of the crew were equally satisfied with their dishes and the standout meal belonged to Sanch's seafood risotto, chock full of briny goodness. After a long day on the convention floor, this was a great way to kick back and relax!

Vegas Day 3: An Evening "AT" TI, not "WITH" T.I.

On my way to meet the team before a day at the convention, I stopped off at Payard in Caesar's to get some breakfast. The man himself, Francois Payard was there, along with a huge crowd and a camera crew. Apparently, he was unveiling a new Willy Wonka-esque clock that not only resembles a large truffle but dispenses chocolate truffles every fifteen minutes! What can I say about that except ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? That is insanely fabulous! Ms. Foodie was torn between getting to the meeting place on time to do her "day job" or staying at Payard to cover this event for f is for foodie.

Unfortunately for you dear readers, my daily obligations took precedence and I left this chocolaty scene with my delicious egg and caper sandwich and sub par coffee (which sadly seems to be prevalent all over Vegas) and met up with the group. And while the coffee was mediocre at best, the sandwich was excellent. Crispy fresh bread and the slightest touch of hollandaise on the egg sandwich. Delicious!

For our second day at the convention we decided to pass on the nasty Aramark lunch and hit Big Daddy's Barbecue. We have made a lunch at Big Daddy's a bit of an NAB tradition and this year we got to introduce the Sanch (at left) to Daddy's pulled pork sandwiches. A filling sweet stringy pork sandwich on a doughy roll complete with crispy fries... delicious! And what a great way to refuel after hours of walking around and schmoozing with vendors.

After resting up a bit at the hotel, it was time to head out to dinner at the Mexican restaurant, Isla, at Treasure Island. It seems that Treasure Island is looking to change their vibe a bit and everywhere you go the hotel is referred to as "TI". Since our team has covered the actor/rapper T.I. pretty extensively in the last year, there were plenty of corny "TI" jokes to be made.

Anyway, back to the meal. We began with a tower of crispy chips with three salsas (verde, tomatillo and fresh) along with some guacamole. Quite tasty and addictive! Of course we didn't stop until we saw the bottom of the bowl.

I decided to start with the rock shrimp ceviche. The shrimp was quite good but a bit heavy handed on the paprika and I found myself in the middle of a coughing fit after inhaling a heap of the spices. In an unusual plating choice, there was a scoop of guacamole on the top of the dish which proved to be helpful in balancing out the spice of the ceviche. (Note: The lovely margarita I had with Chambord also added a smooth touch to the heat of the fish)

RRR and I decided to split a steak burrito for our main. The steak was perfectly cooked but we were a bit perplexed by the rice and beans accompanying the burrito. I was expecting a traditional yellow rice and black beans but instead it was more of a pilaf than sticky rice with saffron.

Oh well... still a nice way to fuel up before hitting another poolside party. Unfortunately, it was a bit windy so the party was brought indoors and not nearly as good as the party the prior evening at the Hard Rock. Don't feel too bad for us... the good thing about Vegas is there's always a better party at the next hotel.

Vegas Day 1: Chinois and "Wing It"

We arrived in Vegas last Sunday for our third annual trip to the NAB Convention. Joining J-Bends, Niko and I on his inaugural trip to NAB was the Sanch. RRR also came along for the ride, however, I couldn't convince her to actually come to the convention with us; I guess the pool at Caesar's is a bit more inviting.

After settling in, we decided to walk through the Caesar's Forum Shops to find some lunch. After weighing our options, we settled on Wolfgang Puck's Chinois. We started our meal with the very tasty chicken and shitake spring rolls. The rolls were crisp and juicy without being overly greasy and the chicken was very flavorful. The portions were a bit small however, and the four of us wound up with about half a roll apiece.

I chose the firecracker shrimp for my main course which consisted of shrimp in a spicy yet tangy sauce accompanied by bok choy, water chestnuts and basil. The vegetables provided the perfect amount of crunch and the spiciness of the shrimp was just about right and some sticky rice certainly helped balance out the bit of heat from the dish.

After spending time at an Avid off site at the Hard Rock Hotel (complete with open bar and a few hors'douvres) we regrouped at the hotel and decided it was time to get a bite to eat. It was decided prior to leaving that this was going to be the one meal that was not preplanned and it was a bit disappointing for J-Bends to learn that "Wing It" didn't mean chicken wings and beer.

We ventured over to Mandalay Bay and had a casual meal at Burger Bar. I had a delightfully medium rare burger with mushrooms and onion rings and we ordered some sweet potato fries for the table. The fries were crispy and wonderfully salted and the onion rings were far above average. Thick rings of onions that didn't fall out of the batter after a bite.

The burger fared equally as well. The quality of the beef was outstanding and it was perfectly charred on the outside and bright juicy pink on the inside. What a way to kick off the week.

Note: I refrained from snapping photos to ease my co-workers into what was sure to be a photographic nightmare....

Cherry Blossoms and a trip to the Ironbound

Saturday I met up with Brian and Ron at Newark's Penn Station. From there it was a short trip on the light rail and we were transported to the middle of Branch Brook Park's Cherry Blossom Festival. The trees were in full bloom and the park was filled with parents putting their kids up in trees and snapping away on their digital cameras. We didn't have any children to toss up on a branch so we just walked around the park a bit and enjoyed the beauty.

All that nature can sure work up an appetite, so to top off the day, we headed back into Newark's Ironbound section where we met up with Brian's family for some Portuguese food at Casa Vasca. After starting the meal off right with quite a few pitchers of sangria, we were seated and the feast began!

We started with a few appetizers: clams in green sauce, mushrooms in garlic, grilled chorizo and the mother of all apps, shrimp in garlic sauce. This was my first time having the mushrooms and they were garlicky and delicious with just enough parsley to elevate the dish.

And I have extolled the virtues of shrimp and garlic in previous posts and this (double) order certainly did not disappoint. After I scooped up as much shrimp as I possibly could without being rude and gluttonous to my dining companions, I sopped up most of the remaining red garlicky oil with a few crusty Portuguese rolls!

For my main course, I couldn't resist my all-time favorite, Paella Marinera. Of course there were many stand out dishes on the menu (including roast suckling pig and octopus) but I knew that if I didn't go for the paella I'd feel I was missing out. The paella was delicious and it was like seeing an old friend...lots of nostalgia for the good times we've shared over previous meals.

The lobster was chewy and the clams, mussels and shrimp were fresh. Fresh tomatoes and peas rounded out the dish and there was plenty to share. Spanish and Portuguese restaurants in the city just cannot come close to what you can find in Newark... and having been to both Spain and Portugal, I can tell you it's pretty authentic too!

For dessert, I tried the orange cake which was two thin slices of pound cake soaked in an orange and sugar sauce. Moist and quite tasty, especially with my 10 year old ruby port!

As the three of us ran to make our train back, I almost forgot my tin of leftovers and ran back into the restaurant in a frenzy to retrieve my package. I think you can guess what's for dinner tonight!