Reviewer: Foodnut.com Joël Robuchon 3799 Las Vegas Boulevard South Las Vegas, NY 89109 702-891-7925 |
Joël Robuchon is a Haute Cuisine French Restaurant located in the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It was opened in 2006 and is the US outlet for most Michelin Starred Restaurateur in the word, Joël Robuchon. This Las Vegas location received 3 Michelin Stars in 2008 and 2009. A separate review is available for the lower cost restaurant next door, L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon.
“The traditional French cuisine reflects Robuchon’s respect for the finest ingredients.” Eating here is a good way to get a sense of what best restaurants are like without flying. The waiter said the menu was nearly identical to the ones in other locations.
Why did we dine here? – Our last visit was was at least 4 years ago, it was time for us to see how Vegas’ arguably best restaurant has aged. We were in town for CES and put this on our short list. Mr. Robuchon has been described as the chef of the century with more Michelin Stars to his name than any other person.
Summary – Joël Robuchon serves up worthy French haute cuisine without flying to Paris.
Insider Tip – Dessert is not necessary with their Mignardises course, so the cheaper menu may be in order.
Cuisine – French
Executive Chef – Claude Le Tohic
Location – Las Vegas, MGM Grand Hotel
Opened – 2006
Decor, Vibe – Joël Robuchon is located right off the casino floor, a major worry to almost every diner. Fortunately, with the grand and elegant decor, the restaurant feels a world away. The feel of the restaurant is on the stogy side, but luckily the service lacks any snootiness. Elegant table settings, and elaborate place settings. At least Guy Savoy was way off in another tower. Diners were older age, well heeled businessmen with expense accounts in their 40’s and 50’s.
Joël Robuchon Menu
Joël Robuchon’s Menu consists of 4 price options with varying number of courses, along with a very expensive tasting menu. The menu changes daily.
Signature Dishes – La Sole, Le Veau
Picks:
Butter from Brittany was “carved” table side. Something we have never encountered.
Outrageous Bread Cart with at least 15 different varieties including baguettes, brioches, country loaf, focaccia, milk bread, bacon and mustard, and guryere. Their bread was as good as bread in Paris. This is another reason to minimize the number of courses you order.
Amuse Bouche Sangria Gelee came to our table on top of a dry ice bath. Blood orange, and a kumquat emulsion made this a smooth, fruity, creamy, and fun way to start our meal.
Le Foie Gras – Foie Gras on a turnip veloute, chilled beef consomme gelee with gold leaf was extremely smooth with subtle flavors in a lukewarm pond of consomme.
Le Homard – Lobster and artichoke salad with citrus coriander scented vegetables was a stand out dish and must get. Lots of fresh lobster made this a sizable salad. Balance was achieved between the dressing and the crustacean.
La Chataigne – Light chestnut cream with foie gras on bacon foam possessed multiple layers with different flavor profiles with small cubes of foie adding to the richness of this soup.
La Sole – Sole cooked in salted butter, capers and roasted seasonal mushrooms was surprisingly a fairly meaty dish that was perfectly executed. Legendary super premium mash potatoes were included with all entrees.
Le Veau – Braised veal cheeks in Thai bouillon, vegetable couscous with broccoli a signature dish with a zesty broth, topped off with a crispy noodle like topping. Another must get dish. Super tender veal.
Le Boeuf – Beef rib eye, wasabi spinach and a medley of bell peppers was cooked to a nice medium rare and possessed some strong Angus like flavors. A good dish for carnivores.
Le Black Cod – Black Cod with a yuzu daikon velvet puree was on the small side but amazing. Could have used a double portion.
La Pomme – Meringue sphere filled with vanilla apples cider ice cream and mascarpone was extremely beautiful, possessing subtle flavors balanced out with the stronger apple cider tones.
Le Souffle – Dark Chocolate hot souffle (Suppl. $15) with vanilla or chocolate ice cream looked beautiful and will surly satisfy any souffle fan. One of our Souffles went flat, so they brought out another round of desserts.
Litchi Dessert with Yuzu Gelee – was refreshing with its light fruity flavors.
Vanilla Cheesecake with spiced pumpkin sauce and gold foil was a excellent complementary dessert.
Assortment of Sorbets and Ice cream were homemade, with the coconut and chocolate flavors winning the crown.
Mignardises were situated on an outrageous cart full of maccoroons, marshmellows, chocolates, brulee, lolipops, cakes, custards and more. We have never seen such a decked out cart before. Be sure to save room and/or ask for a doggy bag.
OK: (Order if you like this dish)
Mojito ($15) – Tested a bit weak and not very sweet.
Pans: (We would not reorder these dishes)
Le Champignon – Paris mushrooms, veal raviolis cooked in broth and black truffle (Suppl. $60) was not worth the additional up charge.
Service – Joël Robuchon started out excellent but faded a bit when the restaurant filled up. The folks were friendly and helpful.
Value – This restaurant is expensive but options are available to limit the number of courses to lessen the pain. Thankfully, they did not charge us for bottled water.
Alternatives – In Vegas the competition is Twist, e, Guy Savoy, and Picasso.
Verdict – Joël Robuchon still serves up top notch food in a grand environment. While it is located in crazy Las Vegas, Robuchon will transport you to Paris for a couple of hours of gluttony.
Restaurant Map:
1 Comment
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February 1, 2010 at 8:55 am[…] San Francisco. Prices were inline with the top end places with the tasting menu cheaper than nearby Joel Robuchon and Guy Savoy. Portion sizes were healthy, unlike serveral other high end places we visited on this […]