Loretta was an opening act for many stars, a former backup
singer with Wayne Newton and with Bobby Darin, and did a world tour with the revival of the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
EMERIL'S NEW ORLEANS FISH HOUSE AT MGM GRAND
Bonjour mes amis d'Internet!
Two pound Maine lobster, stuffed with House Cured Bacon, Aromatic Vegetables and spinach in a rich veloute sauce (“Lobster Bienville”).
Ahhhhhhh, ooooooooh.
I can tell that I’ve got your attention now.
Rumors are flying that Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House at MGM Grand (3799 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas) (702-891-7374) is serving up the most luscious delicacies this side of New Orleans. Well the rumors are all true!
They’re open for lunch (Sunday to Thursday 11:30 to 2:30PM), Friday & Saturday 11:30 to 2:00PM), and dinner (Sunday to Thursday 5:30PM to 10:30PM, Friday and Saturday 5:00 to 10:30PM).
Do yourself a favor and “laissez le bon temps roule” at Emeril’s. You’re gonna have a tough time making your selections because the menu is pretty incredible.
At Lunch you could start with a steaming bowl of Fish House Seafood Gumbo, or you might try Blue Crab & Bell Pepper Fondue with Cumin & Chile Breadsticks and an Avocado, Cipollini Onion & Tomato Salad. My favorite entre is the Seafood Pan Roast, served with Two Medallions of Fresh Fish, Jumbo Gulf Shrimp, Traditional Seafood Jambalaya and Essence Spiked Butter Sauce!
Absolument délicieux! (Absolutely delicious!)
The Dinner menu presents even more choices with which to tempt you. For a starter, the Avocado and Blue Crab Cakes, with a Mango, Papaya and Macadamia Nut Salad, tossed in a Spicy Cilantro Dressing is a memorable dish.
If you like shrimp, Emeril’s New Orleans Barbeque Shrimp, served with a Petite Rosemary Biscuit makes a really tasty appetizer. If you happen to be into ribs (and I don’t mean in the biblical sense), you might try the Braised Short Ribs, on Butternut Squash Risotto Cakes and Roasted Shallot Reduction.
Merveilleux! (Marvelous!)
The Steamed Grouper, with Lobster, Gulf Shrimp, Shucked Clams and Vegetables in a Saffron and Shellfish Broth is something to write home about! Oh my God, was it luscious!
J'étais dans le ciel! (I was in heaven!)
Don’t stop NOW. You’re on a roll, baby! Try the Pecan Crusted Texas Redfish, with Grilled Vegetables, Stone Ground Grits and Creole Meuniere Sauce.
Incroyable! (Incredible!)
Are you sitting down? You’d better be. This will knock your socks off: Seared Scallops and Gulf Shrimp, with Homemade Pasta tossed with a Chimichurri Butter Sauce and Parmesan Reggiano Cheese! (Right about now I’m tempted to jump into my car and drive right over to Emeril’s!)
Il est le meilleur. (It’s the best.)
I think I’ll create a little mystery here by letting you discover the rest of the menu on your own. Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House is an authentic trip to New Orleans, minus the plane fare!
The service was impeccable. What a thrill it was when they served all eight people at my table, simultaneously! Yes, simultaneously. Eight waiters brought out all the orders, hot and delicious, all at once.
Lunch Appetizers range in price from $9.00 to $15.00, and Entrees from $17.00 to $31.00. Dinner and Hot/Cold Starters range from $8.00 to $16.00. Entrees range from $27.00 to $40.00, with one Entre at $60.00.
So give a call to Edward Tuohy, the General Manager and make plans to treat yourself very soon to Chef J.P. Labadie’s cuisine!
Au revoir pour maintenant, et bon appétit, mes amis d'Internet. (Translation available on request!)
EMERIL'S NEW ORLEANS FISH HOUSE
MGM Grand
3799 Las Vegas Boulevard South
702-891-7374
R BAR CAFE - MANDALAY BAY
When’s the last time you had a date with a Barramundi? (It’s a FISH, people…. not an exotic dancer!)
Picture this: fresh-water Australian farm-raised bass (Barramundi), with artichoke, capers, olive oil, garlic, cherry tomato relish, red onions, Calamata olives, in a white wine reduction! Are you drooling yet? Got your attention? Then hasten thyself to the R Bar Cafe in Mandalay Bay and dip into (pun intended) their seafood menu!
Owner and Executive Chef Rick Moonen, owns and operates popular restaurants in Manhattan, New York, namely “The Oceanic” and “The Water Club”. This kind of experience translates into another successful restaurant, now in Las Vegas. He and Chef Matthew Griffin present an impressive menu. Chef Rick believes in the importance of buying and serving seafood which comes from abundant wild populations that are under sound management. All the fish on their menu are caught or farmed in a way that is not harmful to the ocean environment or to other ocean creatures. I don’t mind telling you, this really impresses me!
(Check out www.blueocean.org which inspires a closer relationship with the sea through science, art and literature.)
You might want to begin with one of their “Starters”, e.g. Jumbo Lump Crabcake with Chipotle Mayonnaise… $16.00…. absolutely luscious…. you can actually see the crab meat!.... no fillers… beautifully presented on the plate with sprinkles of finely-minced chives and red peppers.
Follow with their Sugar Beet Salad…. $12.00…. slow-roasted beets, goat cheese, candied walnuts, craisins, red wine vinaigrette, endive, and frisee. Or maybe their Mixed Green Salad… $6.00…. baby lettuce with tomatoes and balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
Their Crab Gumbo…. $15.00…. full of fresh seasonal crab, andouille sausage and okra, served over rice. It rivals that of the gumbos cooked personally for me by my Cajun friends in Lafayette and New Orleans, Louisiana!
You’re missing the boat (oh geez! Another pun intended!) if you don’t try their Market Seafood Selection (priced according to which fish you choose). Select a fish, choose a preparation (grilled, broiled, sautéed or blackened), and pick one of six different sauces. I chose Artic Char…. $24.00 – similar to salmon – sweet, non fishy, with sweet sesame-ginger aioli sauce. Yumm!
They serve five different pasta dishes, including Lobster Ravioli Diavolo…. $29.00. On my next visit, I plan to dive into (yee gads! Yet another pun!) their Anchor Steam Beer Battered Fish ‘n’ Chips…. $22.00.
Steaks and chops are on the menu also. They have a 14 oz. Double-Cut Pork Chop…. $32.00, and if you fancy a Filet Mignon, they have a 10 oz. cut…….. $42.00. Any “Turf” can come with “Surf”…. add Prawns…. $15.00, or ½ lobster (market price).
If you have any room after all this…. and I mean if!...... treat yourself to their Chocolate Mousse, or Crème Brulee… $10.00. The Pettit Fours served with our coffees were a really nice touch.
All of this is served against a backdrop of an off-white modern décor with really comfortable seating and warm lighting. I could actually read the menu folks! They have a great bar and a gleaming stainless-steel open kitchen. Our waiter Maurice was efficient, articulate and humorous without being patronizing…. a nice touch.
Manager Dion Farrington made us feel really welcome with his easy-going yet distinctive personality.
If you like quality, fresh seafood and great service... do yourselves a favor, Mates (there she goes with the puns again!) and dine at the R Bar Cafe in the Mandalay Bay Hotel!
R BAR CAFE IN MANDALAY BAY
3950 Las Vegas Boulevard South
877-632-7800
CAPO'S ITALIAN CUISINE
Hi there Cyber-Pals! Loretta St.John here with some news about the Las Vegas restaurant scene. Bored with the “same-o-same-o”? Want a truly different dining experience? Then pop in to CAPO'S, located on Tropicana……. reservations suggested.
Upon entering, you’ll find yourself enclosed in a small, dark foyer in which there is seemingly no way out. Ring the bell on the wall and a small window will open. You will probably see the handsome face of one of the owners, Dominic Santucci…. from Chicago no less! Then a door magically opens and you’ll find yourself face to face with Al Capone… well, his photo that is (a very LARGE one), which is displayed prominently on the opposite wall.
The décor is “early Speakeasy” with an open beam ceiling that adds ambience and lends warmth to the room. The lighting is soft and subdued (very flattering for us ladies!) It generates a feeling of having dinner in a private home. There’s a small stage to the left on the back wall, which is decorated like the living room in my Grandmom’s house in South Philadelphia, with candle sconces on the wall and red flocked velvet curtains. Curtained booths line one wall where you can dine “incognito”…. very cozy.
There’s a cool bar area on the left side of the room where you can order a house-specialty drink, such as “Kiss of Death Martini” or the “Made Man Melon Martini” (Watermelon Vodka, Watermelon Pucker with lemonade). You can even have your dinner served there if you’re in the mood, or maybe one of their interesting appetizers….”Mafioso Caprese”… $9.95, or Chicago’s Thin and Crispy Pizza (garlic white with ricotta, mozzarella, brucetta tomato – or with Italian Sausage (is there any other kind?????) and Marinara Sauce…. $9.95.
During the evening you’ll be serenaded by Bobby Ligouri, “on stage” and in the audience, who will be singing Sinatra or Dean Martin tunes to pre-recorded “big band” tracks. And if you happen to be celebrating your birthday (which I was on that particular evening), Bobby will sing Happy Birthday to you at your table, with the help of a large “Dino” puppet!
And the food! Ah, the FOOD! The Caesar’s salad was crisp and cold, just like I like it. The dressing was rich, with a nice garlic flavor, but not too garlicy. (My Grandmom used to say “Effa you don’ta lika aglio (garlic), go home!”) I had the “One-Half Gotti’s Garlic Roasted Chicken” which was moist, herbed, and cooked to perfection, served with baby asparagus and a side of the pasta of your choice, for $16.95. Very tasty!
My dining partner had “Mad Sam Manicotti” – fried eggplant stuffed with ricotta and prosciutto, covered with “Capo’s Cheese” and baked in tomato sauce, for $18.95. That was outrageous! (We shared.)
We found the prices quite reasonable (e.g. ranging from “Godfather’s Filet” for $35.95 to “Made Man Pasta” for $16.95), which comes with a house salad or soup of the day, bread and butter (they offered us olive oil and Balsamic vinegar too, which we preferred.)
And of course don’t forget dessert! We had “Jimmy Two-Times Tiramisu- Tiramisu” (THAT’S NOT A TYPO!) …. ($5.95), and “Leo’s Lips Lava Cake” (an explosion of chocolate with vanilla ice cream …. $6.95).
I found CAPO'S to be really enjoyable. The wait-staff was competent and friendly! The owners, Dominic and Niko Santucci have succeeded in making their restaurant a delicious and fun experience…which is no wonder since they owned and operated several extremely successful restaurants in the Chicago area for many years!
You should go. Soon. Before somebody bumps you off!
And tell ‘em Loretta sentcha!
CAPO'S ITALIAN CUISINE
5795 W Tropicana between Decatur and Jones
702-436-2276
