RM Seafood (Rick Moonen)

According to Rick Moonen, founder of RM Seafood, these five fish will be extinct by 2048 if we don't change what we're doing now:

Salmon  *  Tuna  *  Cod  *  Snapper  * Bass

Rick is a huge proponent of sustainable fishing, and his restaurant is a living example of a place that aims to practice what it preaches. Rick believe that most Americans tend to gravitate towards what he calls "The Big Five," (the five fish types listed above) thus contributing to the depletion of these fish in the oceans.

Rick Moonen's goal is to give these Big Five fish "a break." He has added lesser known fish to his restaurant's menu in an effort to show diners that these fish taste good too.

Rick is not only a proponent of sustainable fishing, of course. He's also a very well known chef. Rick was a finalist in last season's Top Chef Masters. He also trained at several New York restaurants, including Le Cirque, La Côte Basque, and Oceana, before opening RM on his own in New York.

In 2005, he was given an offer he could not refuse. Mandalay Bay had built a gorgeous 7 million dollar restaurant space and they asked if he wanted to "slap his name on it."

Not wanting to destroy his reputation with a mediocre second-class imitation of his NYC restaurant in Vegas, he instead decided to close his New York restaurant, pack his bags, and move to Las Vegas to run RM Seafood full time.


The restaurant is two stories, with a fancier upstairs section and a more casual downstairs section. The upstairs section has various prix fixe menus, such as a $135 7-course dinner or an $85 3-course dinner. The downstairs section is much more casual, and also serves lunch.

The space is definitely huge and beautiful. Surprisingly, business was slow on a Monday lunch, with mostly empty tables. Despite the shortage of customers, service was spotty, and it took a long time before our server finally asked us what we wanted to order.

Ahi Tuna Duo seared & tartare, haas avocado, yuzu-soy sauce 16
Thankfully, the food came out reasonably promptly after we ordered. Because I was not super hungry, I ordered the Ahi Tuna Duo (typically an appetizer), which I really enjoyed. The delicate flavors came together quite nicely, the yuzu-soy sauce bringing together the tuna, avocados, and cucumbers in a light and refreshing way. I do find it somewhat ironic that this is one of the "Big Five," but it's probably not financially feasible for a seafood restaurant to completely abandon the Big Five without going bankrupt.

Rick's White Clam Chowder potatoes, littleneck clams, bacon lardon 9
Bryan and I shared a bowl of clam chowder, which was generously filled with large chunks of littleneck clams. We were very impressed with the knife work in general. The perfect, tiny little cubes of carrots, celery, and potatoes inside the soup were all cut with supreme precision, every piece virtually the same size. Despite all that, the flavor of the chowder itself was not nearly as robust and full of clam flavor as my personal favorite clam chowder in the world - the New England clam chowder from Legal Sea Foods in Boston.

RM Soba Ponzu truffle vinaigrette, Albacore tataki 14
The RM soba was ordinary and "bland" according to my friend who ordered it. She said she could not really taste the truffle portion of the vinaigrette, and she thought the dish was undersalted.


Red Hake 24
This special was solidly prepared. Rick Moonen definitely knows how to cook fish properly, and this fish was no exception. Hake is an example of a more unusual "non-Big Five" fish that Rick is trying to promote on his menu.

Fish Tacos Pico de gallo, Shredded Cabbage, Chipotle Cream 17

Bryan got the fish tacos, Rick Moonen's own creative interpretation of the Baja fish taco. Unlike a traditional Baja fish taco, the fish here is grilled instead of fried. Rick adds back the "crunch" component by putting a hard taco inside of a soft taco shell.

Bryan thought it was quite enjoyable (he loves fish tacos), though he still prefers the traditional Baja fish taco (which is much cheaper!) he can get in LA.

Sticker Shock
This was one of our first meals in Las Vegas, so I was still suffering quite a bit from sticker shock. Las Vegas dining is very expensive on the Strip. You will most likely feel that everything is overpriced. One pleasant surprise: the house sparking water is only $5, and it seems to include unlimited refills. Other than that, however, be prepared for high prices. On the lunch menu, starters run in the $9-$16 range, while entrees run from $13-$29. On the sushi menu, nigiri costs about $4-$5 a piece, while rolls average around $20 each. Of course, dinner prices are even higher, with entrees averaging around the $40 range.

Overall, most of the food we tried was solid and enjoyable. I do understand and appreciate that sustainable fish (or any fresh seafood, for that matter) is probably really expensive to transport to Las Vegas. I'm sure part of the high prices reflect that inherent cost. However, I'm still not sure if the food itself is good enough to make me come back again, especially at those prices. Perhaps I would have a different view had I eaten upstairs, where the higher prices could justify the uniqueness, creativity, and quality of the dishes.

I notice that RM Seafood has been doing a lot of promotions lately, either through Restaurant.com or at those half priced tickets booths on the Strip. I think with a discount, a meal here is perfectly enjoyable and will seem like a reasonable value. Otherwise, if I only had a few days in Vegas, this would not be my top choice destination.

This post is part of a larger Las Vegas series. Posts in this series:
Bouchon Bistro
Bouchon Bakery
China Poblano
Jean-Philippe Pâtisserie
Beijing Noodle No. 9
Raos
Mesa Grill
Joel Robuchon (The Mansion)
B&B Ristorante
Enoteca San Marco

RM Seafood

3930 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89119

Bouchon Bistro

I'm a pretty big fan of Thomas Keller.

If you just look at my restaurant posts this past year, you'd think I was on some sort of subconscious mission to try every single Thomas Keller restaurant in America. I mean, between The French Laundry, Per Se, Bouchon Bakery, and now Bouchon Bistro, I'm pretty darn close. All I have left is that famous fried chicken at Ad Hoc. Heck, I've even cooked from several of his cookbooks, including a multi-course meal made completely with sous vide, and of course my beloved TKOs.

Bouchon Bistro is clearly very different from The French Laundry and Per Se, which are extremely upscale restaurants with three Michelin stars each. Thomas Keller decided to open the more casual Bouchon Bistro because he wanted to capture the essence of the amazing bistros he enjoyed while traveling in France. These were typically small, intimate family-owned venues where the husband cooked in the back while the wife managed the front of the house. He wanted Bouchon Bistro to be "a place where people come to relax, talk, and to eat. A kind of home."

I'll agree that Bouchon Bistro is a great place to relax. Though it hardly has the feel of a small, family-owned home, it retains the warmth and comfort of a traditional French bistro. Situated on the 10th floor in a slightly hard-to-find part of the Venetian, Bouchon takes the classic French bistro and nudges it up just a bit with that Thomas Keller flair.

Case in point: the moment you sit down, you are greeted with beautiful artisanal baguettes (strewn across the table!), fresh butter, and pistachios!

Macaroni au Gratin (fancy way of saying mac & cheese!) $7.50
Soupe a l'Oignon (French onion soup) $9.75

Kid Friendly? 
We came here with a couple friends who actually brought their two young children. Surprisingly, it was fine. The seats were spacious; there were kid-accessible dishes on the menu; and the servers handed out a box of crayons and some paper. The kids got some "Macaroni au Gratin" and "Soup a l"Oignon." [It's funny how just saying something in French makes it sound 10x more elegant]

Oh, they also loved the bread on the table!

Truite Grenobloise pan-roasted trout with cauliflower florets, sultanas,toasted brioche & truffle cauliflower purée $28.50

Bryan ended up getting this really really delicious pan roasted trout. The combination of flavors inside the fish worked beautifully together (I mean, how can you go wrong with cauliflowers and truffles!) We loved how the toasted brioche added just the right amount of textural contrast (i.e. crunch) to the soft cauliflower puree and the ever-so-tender fish. For some, it may be a bit disconcerting to have your dinner stare at you all night. Bryan was totally fine with it though, as Chinese people have been eating fish this way for generations.

Côtelette de Porc pork delmonico chop, Brussels sprouts, red wine-glazed pears & roasted shallot pork jus $34.95

My friend got the pork and let us all try generous bites of it. "There's no way I can finish this! Have another piece!!" The pork was juicy, flavorful, and overall delicious. The roasted Brussels sprouts were solid - nothing I couldn't make at home, but good.

Steak Bouchon New York strip steak, Yukon gold potato rösti, sauce béarnaise $45

Coquilles St. Jacques Poêlés sautéed scallops with abalone mushroom & salsify fricassée
with lobster royale & black pepper gastrique $36.00
I ordered the scallops, which were solid, but nothing particularly special. The mushrooms were quite nice, but I've had better scallops elsewhere.

Trio of Bouchons with Ice Cream

I loved the bouchons from Bouchon Bakery, so we opted to share this dessert. It's delicious (as expected). The bouchons, which are quite chocolately, rich, and sweet, are nicely tempered by the creamy ice cream.

Concluding Thoughts
Overall, Bouchon Bistro is an excellent restaurant where everything is well executed - no real misses. Of course, the prices are your typical inflated Vegas Strip prices, which can get annoying after you spend more than a few days there. If you can ignore that aspect of it (which you have to if you want to actually enjoy your meals in Vegas), I think you can have a great time here.

I think my favorite dish was Bryan's pan roasted trout because its combination of flavors was more unique and interesting compared to the other dishes. All the other menu items we ordered were solidly executed and delicious as well - just not as unique or interesting.

If you only have a few days in Vegas, I probably would not pick this as a destination dining place.*  Yes, the food is excellent and the ambiance is relaxing. However, it's the type of food you can probably find elsewhere. I would instead visit more interesting, Vegas specific-type places, like B&B Ristorante, Joel Robuchon, Jean Phillipe Patisserie, or even China Poblano!

*I might be biased because I generally think typical French food (piece of meat with a side of roasted veggies + carbs) is kind of boring

This post is part of a larger Las Vegas series. Posts in this series:
Bouchon Bistro
Bouchon Bakery
China Poblano
Jean-Philippe Pâtisserie
Beijing Noodle No. 9
Raos
Mesa Grill
Joel Robuchon (The Mansion)
B&B Ristorante
Enoteca San Marco
Bouchon Bistro

3355 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Bouchon Bakery (Las Vegas)

It's almost a ritual now.
Whenever I'm in a city with a Bouchon (and yes, with this one, I've been to all three), I never cease to stop by and pick up a sweet little snack. It's hard to pick one favorite (virtually everything I've tried there has been absolutely delectable), but I usually get a TKO (Thomas Keller Oreo) or a macaron, though I also love their bouchons and chocolate croissants.

The one in Las Vegas is inside the Venetian. Yes, this is the same casino that has the replica St. Mark's Square, a river inside, and the singing gondola rides. It's quite a sight.

The Bouchon Bakery is actually separate from all those fun things, and instead is located right next to the Phantom of the Opera theater entrance.

We passed by this area during CES because the High Performance Audio section happened to be nearby.

Love TKOs (winner of my own little "oreo" showdown)

I also love macarons, so I got both!!! Vanilla macaron is still my favorite.

Bryan wanted to try the carrot cake "sandwich?? cupcake?" cakewich?  since he's typically a huge fan of  carrot cake.

We loved the chocolate croissant from our visit to the one in Napa Valley, so we got it again. It was just like we remembered! The chocolate inside is dark, rich, and not too sweet - just the way we like it.

Just for fun - a few madeleines!

nom nom nom . . .


This post is part of a larger Las Vegas series. Posts in this series:
Bouchon Bistro
Bouchon Bakery

China Poblano
Jean-Philippe Pâtisserie
Beijing Noodle No. 9
Raos
Mesa Grill
Joel Robuchon (The Mansion)
B&B Ristorante
Enoteca San Marco
Bouchon Bakery
3355 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Beijing Noodle No. 9

This is something you don't see everyday.

If you look really closely, you'll see a noodle master behind the counter tossing and whirling a huge rope of dough.*

Sure, if you're in China and you explicitly seek it out, you can find traditional Beijing-style hand-pulled noodles in a number of locations. In the US, however, it's a bit of a lost art. Pulling and stretching noodle dough requires a ton of physical strength and stamina.  Furthermore, it takes months of training before a chef can consistently and accurately pull out perfectly formed noodles for customers.

As a result, it's virtually impossible to see this type of food in the US unless if you are in New York, LA, or . . . . Las Vegas?

Welcome to Beijing Noodle No. 9, one of the newer additions to the Caesars Palace Empire here in the middle of the Strip.

Unlike a typical noodle shop in China, Beijing Noodle No. 9 is trendy, bright, and ultra clean.

Two crazy huge fish tanks guard the entrance, making the inside of the restaurant feel almost unreal in a surrealistic way.

We started with some pot stickers. Although they were reasonably authentic, they were not particularly special, and, at $2 a piece, felt very, very expensive. I would skip this in lieu of the noodles!

Chef's Special Handmade Noodles with Eggs (large)

All the noodle dishes come in two different sizes: small ($15-18) and large ($23-$28). We had a party of 6, so we chose to share three large bowls of noodles plus the dumplings. This was just enough food for a crowd that has several small appetites. I wouldn't say we were stuffed, but we were reasonably satisfied. People with larger appetites may think it's not quite enough food.

Chef's Special Handmade Noodles with Pork and Mushroom (large - all mixed!)

Overall, the flavors of the dishes were very good. My favorite was the handmade noodles with pork and mushroom, which had a deep, earthy sauce that tasted delicious with the chewy handmade noodles.


Braised Beef Brisket with Handmade Noodles

We did note some inconsistency in the noodle texture. Our braised beef brisket's hand-pulled noodles were overcooked, and therefore lacked the super chewy texture you come to expect with hand-pulled noodles. On the contrary, our Pork and Mushroom knife shaved noodles were gloriously chewy. I enjoyed every single bite.
We knew the kitchen was capable of better tasting noodles because later on, we actually walked up to the counter to watch the Noodle Master make some noodles. Amused by our fascination, he tossed us a freshly pulled and freshly cooked noodle to try.

It was FANTASTIC! It had the most amazing texture. It was eons better than the overcooked noodles that had been swimming in our beef brisket soup.

Why the difference? Perhaps the dish sat out on the counter for too long before the server gave it to us; or perhaps that particular batch sat in boiling water moments too long. Who knows? In any event, we were bummed that our little taste test was so different from our experience at our table.

Despite the disappointment with one of our noodle soups, we were still overall pretty pleased with the place. Yes, the food is definitely more expensive than normal, but then . . this is Vegas! Everything on the Strip is overpriced. The prices are comparable to other quality restaurants on the Strip.

It's surprising to me how many people on general review sites (e.g., Yelp, Urbanspoon) give this place bad reviews. Granted, many of the negative reviews come from people who are shocked and upset by the prices. However, several complain about the bland taste of the food.

I agree that you can find equally good or better food for a lot less elsewhere, like Flushing (Queens, NYC) or Los Angeles. However, I disagree about the flavors being bland. In fact, we were all quite pleased with the flavors ("we" being two people who grew up in Taiwan and four others who have traveled extensively in Asia). Unlike Americanized Chinese food, which is almost always over-sauced, over-salted, and over-MSGed, the flavors here were clean, balanced, and enjoyable.


Bottom line: if you appreciate the unique aspects of handmade noodles (the texture, the wow factor of  watching them pull it!) and it doesn't bother you to pay a lot more than normal for Chinese food, I think you'll enjoy your meal here. However, if you are just looking for good, solid Chinese food at a reasonable price, you might be better off driving about a mile down Spring Mountain Road to Chinatown, Las Vegas.


This post is part of a larger Las Vegas series. Posts in this series:
Bouchon Bistro
Bouchon Bakery

China Poblano
Jean-Philippe Pâtisserie
Beijing Noodle No. 9
Raos
Mesa Grill
Joel Robuchon (The Mansion)
B&B Ristorante
Enoteca San Marco
Related Posts
How to Make Hand Pulled Noodles
Noodle Loft (Mian Ku)
Noodle Bar

Beijing Noodle No. 9
3570 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109



*If you look REALLY closely, you'll see Bryan in the picture too.

Jean-Philippe Pâtisserie

Is that really a 27-foot tall chocolate fountain?

On the first floor of the Bellagio inside Jean-Philippe Pâtisserie you'll find the world's largest chocolate fountain. This crazy, fully functional fountain pushes through 2100 lbs of chocolate at a rate of 120 quarts a minute. We sort of stumbled upon this place for lunch one day, and what wonderful, serendipitous treat it became!

Who is Jean-Phillipe? Jean-Philippe Maury is the Executive Pastry Chef for the Bellagio. He oversees a team of seventy people who produce over 15,000 pastries a day for all the restaurants and shops inside the Bellagio. He has won numerous awards, including Best Pastry Chef in France in 1997.

Jean-Philippe's lifelong dream?  "Open a French patisserie in the United States with an opulence never before seen."

I have to say, he may just have reached that goal.

Of course, the chocolate fountain alone already makes this patisserie way more opulent than most. On top of that, however, they also make exquisitely detailed pastries, beautiful whimsical cakes, and a wonderful assortment of homemade candies and chocolates. You can even buy "bottled" chocolate from the chocolate fountain.

It's a perfect place for lunch (sandwiches, salads, even crepes!), breakfast (tons of freshly baked pastries!), or dessert (decadently gorgeous cakes and pastries).

Nutella and Banana Crepe

Sandwiches are made to order and are surprisingly reasonably priced (well under $10).

There aren't a ton of tables, but then most people take food to go, so we actually had no trouble finding a table for four right around lunchtime.

Most desserts were around $6 each, which isn't bad considering the amount of effort required to make each of these delicate pieces of art!


I loved the whimsical cake that looks like it's toppling over.

It was tough just choosing three pastries!


Crazy Cakes!

These are all cakes, believe it or not! A Grand Vin de Chateau LaTour wine in a box!

Toy Story! Check out Buzz Lightyear at the top of the cake.

Belle, Cogsworth, Chip, and Mrs. Potts!

As you can tell, this place is super fun to visit, even if you don't buy anything. You should definitely go just to check out the awesome fountain and the amazing cakes. If you are hungry, the food is quite good and very reasonably priced, especially for a place right inside the Bellagio.


It's not to late to enter the Eating Las Vegas Giveaway for a $25 gift card to Chef's Catalog. Drawing will occur on Wednesday. Winner has been chosen! Congrats to Michael!


This post is part of a larger Las Vegas series. Posts in this series:
Bouchon Bistro
Bouchon Bakery

China Poblano
Jean-Philippe Pâtisserie
Beijing Noodle No. 9
Raos
Mesa Grill
Joel Robuchon (The Mansion)
B&B Ristorante
Enoteca San Marco
Jean-Philippe Pâtisserie
Bellagio
3600 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109