Bouchon brunch.

My husband was determined to try the Quiche Lorraine at Bouchon because of his failed attempt to recreate the recipe from the cookbook, so, we headed to Bouchon again, but this time for breakfast.  No Quiche Lorraine again this time around.  Again, I picked the better of the dishes with my choice of chicken and waffles.  I was waivering on what to choose, but we had the most delightful waiter this time around who really seemed to have a passion for food and he talked me into this.  He also may have just been a very good salesman, but either way, I did not regret my choice.

Cheese danish with cream cheese icing on top.  This was light and airy, but there was very little cheese actually inside.

Bouchon epi bread with butter and strawberry preserves.  The preserves were so smooth and delicious.

Chicken and waffles.  Bacon and chive waffle with roasted chicken and a side of Tahitian vanilla bean butter and sauce chasseur.  I was skeptical, but left extremely pleased.

Oeuf du jour with crab gratin, scrambled eggs and brioche toast.

Vegas restaurant that is now history.

We didn't find out until the week that we booked Fleur de Lys in Mandalay Bay that it was about to be history.   Apparently, they are going to redo the concept of the restaurant to a tapas type place still under the name of Hubert Keller.  However, after our dinner there, I can't tell you how disappointing it is to hear that news.  It was one of the highlights of our trip.  We both chose the elegance tasting menu and once again, I picked the better of the dishes!

Amuse-bouche of fried cod with potato salad.

Truffled onion soup with braised duck crepe, red wine onion puree and black truffle. We both chose this dish.

Braised veal & yukon gold potato ravioli with English peas, pea foam and madeira jus.

Chorizo wrapped Suzuki sea bass, piperade, barley risotto and carmelized chorizo sauce.

Beef tenderloin, wilted spinach with red wine reduction and potatos.

Hard to capture this dish for some reason, but it was stout braised short ribs with root vegetable puree and whole grain mustard cornichons.

Spiced carrot and cream cheese ice cream sandwich with pineapple-coconut ice cream.  The ice cream was incredible.

Peanut butter milkshake, warm chocolate fleur de sal caramel center fondant cake and popcorn ice cream.  Yum!

Vegas for foodies.

As part of a gift to my husband for completing a really large project we took a long weekend trip to Las Vegas.  We are what I would call non-gamblers, but I did find some fun in a few of the slot machines that had games attached to outcome.  It was a little more addictive than I thought!  However, our main goal was trying some of the restaurants of America's best chefs or some classics like Carnegie Deli which was our first stop. 

After trying to eat at Enoteca San Marco, a Mario Batali establishment, and it being too late, we crossed the street to find the Carnegie Deli at The Mirage.  We knew that was open twenty-four hours a day based on our research.  The pastrami sandwich was as big as I remembered from my last trip to NY and the blintzes were almost as delicious as the NY ones. 

 If you have never tried the their famous blintzes, I cannot recommend them highly enough.  My husband who doesn't like cheeses such as cottage, farmer's, plain ricotta, etc... even loved them.  Trying to recreate these will be an upcoming weekend project.  I promise to post pictures when we make them.

The only disappointment here were the pickles.  Some of them were so small that they absorbed so much of the pickle juice and they no longer were Kosher dills, but had such a pungent taste that some of them were not edible.  Otherwise, Carnegie Deli offered a great sampling of some classic NY favorites.  

When you are staying at The Venetian which was our hotel of choice for our first visit to Vegas there are a few breakfast options.  However, none of them compare to Bouchon, a Thomas Keller establishment.  Bouchon quickly became our restaurant of choice in our hotel and we tried breakfast, brunch and dinner.  Breakfast and brunch offered delectable treats while dinner left a little to be desired.

Bouchon Breakfast 

This may not look like your classic french toast and let me tell you that it does not taste like any french toast that I've ever had.  Before leaving for Vegas I read some reviews of Bouchon and this dish was often mentioned and compared to a bread pudding.  I am not a bread pudding fan and I wouldn't say this was even close in terms of texture or taste.  If you have ever had an apple pancake at The Original Pancake House, this french toast had many of the same flavors in a much more manageable portion.  There were crisp slices of apples capping it off and the slight crispness of the french toast tower made sure that this was like no bread pudding I've ever had.  Quite delicious, but not quite a balanced breakfast.  However, that's not why we came to Vegas.

Croque Madame.

If you or someone you know is a fan of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, you probably saw Mr. Bourdain's visit to Bouchon and heard him proclaim that the french fries on this plate were some of the best in the world, if not the best.  We will concur with Mr. Bourdain that these were some really great french fries.  However, if you follow the recipe in Mr. Keller's book, Bouchon, you can create something really close to these at home.  We tried the recipe a few weeks prior to our first visit to Bouchon, so, although we agreed that they were really, really good, we knew that with some practice at double frying in peanut oil that we could create these at home.

As for the croque madame itself which was the entrée of choice for this breakfast, my husband called this dish good, but forgettable.  The bread, a thick cut brioche, and the mornay sauce were the few things that stood out.  It seems as if I ordered the better of the two dishes this time which would be an ongoing theme during this trip and most of our trips to be honest!  Sometimes it pays not to be as adventurous with your menu choices. 

Where shall we go first?

My husband and I have had the pleasure of taking many trips recently.  Some of these locations were more exotic than others, but each held unique treasures and experiences.  Here is a list of some of our most recent domestic travels.  We'd love to share our experiences with you as you plan your next great adventure.

Asheville, NC
Atlanta, GA
Buffalo, NY
Chattanooga, TN
Hilton Head, SC
Honolulu, HI
Hyannis, MA
Juneau, AK
Ketchikan, AK
Key West, FL
Las Vegas, NV
Los Angeles, CA
Maui, HI
Memphis, TN
Nashville, TN
New Orleans, LA
Niagara Falls, NY
Orlando, FL
Savannah, GA
Seattle, WA
Skagway, AK
Washington, DC

More locations to be added and locations outside of the United States to be added soon.