The Culinary Works

Recently, we accompanied some friends to Las Vegas to celebrate their anniversary. What a great time. We had some laughs, lots of drinks, more laughs, more drinks and a lot of food! I wanted to write about a particular meal because this is a place I have wanted to experience for a long time. Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill!

I like Bobby Flay because he uses bold flavors. He takes familiar dishes and elevates them. I have used many of his recipes and gotten many ideas from him. All of that said, this is a celebrity restaurant and I went into this fully aware that it may not live up to my expectations.

Our first bit of luck was that when I walked up to the Host and explained we didn’t have a reservation, he checked and said they could seat us in a few minutes. What LUCK! As we were waiting another party came up and they were told the wait would be 2 hours!! It was meant to be people!!

We went all out. I started with a White Peach Margarita. It was really good. For an appetizer, Mark and I shared the Tiger Shrimp and Roasted Corn Tamale. Not only was it beautiful but it tasted amazing. The spice was very balanced, the shrimp was perfectly cooked and the sauce was full of mildly spicy cilantro flavor. Our friend had the Blue Corn Pancake with Barbequed Duck and he said it was fantastic. Two for TWO so far.

The service thus far was excellent. Our server was efficient without being ‘needy’. There is nothing worse than a needy server. Also, the Sommelier was very warm, friendly and eager to help us make a wine selection.

For the main course, I had Pan Seared Halibut with New Mexico Red Chili and Curry Sauce with Corn, Cactus, Lime and Cotija. The fish was perfectly cooked! I am always first looking to see if the item was properly cooked before anything else. It had a nice crust but wasn’t tough on the outside, it wasn’t overcooked at all! Lovely, tender, flakey…very nice. The corn side was almost like a creamed corn, slightly sweet and nicely balanced with the peppers and the salty Cotija cheese. It pared very well with the fish and truly I couldn’t have been happier with the dish. It was excellent.

Mark and another member of our party had the Lobster out of the Shell with a Meyer Lemon and Fresno Chili Butter Sauce (they are both from Fresno). It came with a Crispy Hominy Cake. Both of them said the exact same thing. It was perfectly cooked and the best lobster they had ever had. The butter sauce was superb! Again, very balanced, not overly spicy. Truth be known, I am not a huge lobster fan. I don’t dislike it but it just isn’t something I greatly appreciate. I was also impressed. Very nicely done!

Several members of our party had the Fire Roasted Veal Chop with a Horseradish Maple Glaze and a Wild Rice Tamale with Sage Butter. They were impressed. Another big hit was the Black Angus New York Strip Steak. It was incredibly tender without having lost it’s texture.

Of course, at this point, why stop….we had to get dessert. I opted for the Coconut Cake. I was impressed because it had a very nice subtle flavor. It wasn’t cloyingly sweet! It was really nice after an insanely large and satisfying meal. They also did a deconstructed key lime tart and cobbler. It just means the crust and the filling are kept separate. This makes it look ‘fancy’ but really, functionally, it means the crust will have the nice texture it’s meant to have whether you are the first guest that day to order it or the last one of the evening. All of the desserts were well liked by the group.

To mention the service again may be overkill but really, the service was great all the way through. We were a party of seven and the server was patient, kept our drinks full, made us laugh, put up with our dumb jokes and even the kitchen knocked the food out perfectly without delay. I would say that Mesa Grill definitely did NOT disappoint and was probably one of the top 3 meals I have ever had. Could I make this at home using his book?  Yes, but it was worth every nickel to sit with our wonderful friends, laugh and share in what we all agreed was a superb meal. That’s what it’s all about and our experience reminded me of why chef’s do what we do. We want to create that experience for people. If ever in Vegas, save your nickels or win some so you can visit them too.