Mr. E has been traveling the past two weeks for work and will round out the month traveling back to Boston from the west coast. Our communication has been limited to very late night FaceTime sessions and hoards of awesome postcards. To break up the month, he flew me out for the long weekend to play with him in Vegas. As lady luck would have it, my parents were also in Vegas that weekend to plan their retirement with their accountant and gamble away some of that retirement money.
Yeah! Mr. E and Me, reunited!
I’m no gambler — I’d definitely rather spend money on something like food or a pair of shoes than lose my money in an instant never to be seen again. However, Mr. E and I were stuck on the roulette tables like white on rice. I even found myself strategizing and calculating probabilities, willing to put down $200 to win a measly $100 bucks. Fortunately, I wised up and spent that money on a Cirque du Soleil show for Mr. E and me. A much better use of my money, that’s for sure.
Saturday night, Mr. E had a work event at the Vegas Streats Festival (very neat event BTW). Before making a quick stop at the festival, my parents and I wined and dined at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago on the strip in the Forum Shops at Caesars. A little over three years ago, my dad stated he’d had the most delicious steak here. Needless to say, he was eager to make a reservation and get his hands on another steak.
My dining mates! Adorbs.
APPLE AND CELERY SOUP – AMUSE BOUCHE
PINEAPPLE MOJITO
OLSEN FARM’S BABY ARUGULA SALAD
Black Mission Figs, Shaved Fennel, Burrata Cheese
Prosciutto San Daniele, Ice Wine Vinegar, Extra Virgin Olive Oil
SNAKE RIVER FARMS KUROBUTA PORK WIENERSCHNITZEL
Fingerling Potato Salad, Baby Mâche, Marinated Cucumbers, Lemon-Caper Butter
KEY LIME PIE BAKED ALASKA
Key Lime Gelato | Graham Cracker Ice Cream | Huckleberry Compote
MANGO SALTED CARAMELS
One really pleasant surprise was the amuse bouche. The apple celery soup was extremely delicate and had such a nice balance of both main ingredients, neither overpowering the other. It also managed not to be overly creamy, something I feel many restaurants struggle with when adding richness to a dish that dilutes the intensity of flavor. The salad was a must have because I’m a huge sucker for burrata cheese. The figs lent a nice touch of restrained sweetness offsetting some of the peppery arugula. The salad wasn’t anything special, but was good nonetheless.
Wolfgang Puck is an Austrian chef, so I found it only fitting to order the wiener schnitzel. I was floored when this monster pork frisbee came out. I’m not expert on schnitzel, so I can’t speak to the authenticity of the dish aside from the blatant swap of pork for veal, but it was delicious. The pork was moist and had a nice crispy fry on it that was in no way greasy. It was served with the most delicious cucumber salad, balsamic tomatoes, and a traditional warm potato salad. Sadly I was only able to tackle half the plate. I couldn’t even store my leftovers for fear of touching any of the expensive goodies in my hotel room fridge.
For dessert, my mom and I split the key lime baked Alaska. I got another bold statement from my dad who swore it was the best dessert he’d ever eaten, to which my mother pointed out he says that about every last dessert he’s eaten. It was perfectly tart as key lime desserts should be. I’m always impressed when I see a baked Alaska, recalling old stories from my childhood my grandma and grandpa would tell about their fancy Manhattan dinner dates.
Dinner was solid overall. Good food for prices not unexpected for Vegas. Word on the street is the food here does not come close to Spago proper in Beverly Hills. If that’s the case, then I expect to be absolutely blown away when I make a visit.
And just for fun…
My mother, also shocked by her pork frisbee / My dad taking food pics! So proud!
Spago
The Forum Shops at Caesars
3500 Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 369-6300
Katie Eats Boston 