Dinner that night was at L'Atelier Robuchon. We hit this every couple years; overall, our third visit. I've always been impressed that Steve Benjamin, executive chef since it opened, is always on the line and very hands-on. Tonight, he was doing more than ever. Checked us in for our reservation, welcomed us back, and worked the line. He personally fired two of our fish courses. They comped the black truffles on the Robuchon potatoes because of a fairly minor service issue -- they're that attuned to guests these days. BYOB'd the Krug 2002 and ordered a 2012 Roulot Bourgogne and a half bottle of 1998 Rauzan Segla for the meal.

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I feel like L'Atelier was at a higher level than on the previous two visits. Two-star Michelin quality for sure and on par with the London location. Very impressive and just a rollicking good time.

 

Oh! Forgot my Lotus of Siam lunch on Wednesday. Fantastic as always.

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Okay. So back on chronology. Saturday breakfast we hit Bouchon. Then because we hit it off with the Yardbird folks so much, we went back to a "light" lunch since we had é coming up at 5:30. Got apps and desserts sent out haha so much for light!

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The cake? Their butterscotch cake with BACON FAT ICING. Absurdly delicious. Bread pudding? Made from potato hamburger rolls. Incredible.

Biscuits and gravy were killer.

 

Just a few hours later? We went to e by Jose Andres. This is just one of the most fun meals you can have in Vegas. Interactive in every great sense of the word. Fun with your fellow diners. Fun with the chefs. They plate every course, state to finish, in front of you. It was a blast and absolutely delicious. Forgot to take pics of the wines, which were superb: 1994 Lopez de Heredia Gran Reserva white and 1995 Lopez de Heredia Gran Reserva red.

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And the menu (pics above posted in the order the dishes appear below):

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Yeah, the ratings really pissed me off. They even screwed it up when Mrs. Ocean and I were rated together. Eye roll. Will be more vigilant next trip.

 

Don't ask me why, but after é we did a late night run to Chada Street. It was worth it.

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Wow, great write up and excellent trip. Pretty sure I gained weight just reading this.

Quick question - and pardon my ignorance but I'm not a wine drinker at all (big bourbon guy). Is a $100 corkage fee normal? Seems a little high since the restaurant literally has no expense or cost. I do understand that by allowing byob they are losing potential sales, so they have to charge something. $100 just seems like a high price to pay just to drink the booze you already bought, but maybe I'm just out of the loop.....like I said, I'm not a wine drinker.

 

It's a good question, Hard4. The $100 BYOB at StripSteak was for a magnum; so two bottles' worth of wine. Their normal is $50 for a 750 ml bottle. It really is just to recoup some of the money they'd lose out on from you not buying what's on the list. I tend to buy a couple drinks or another bottle to add to things. I'll also cash tip the sommelier and offer him a taste of the wine, too. $50 a bottle is a on the higher side, in my experience, but it tends to be higher at restaurants where the wine list has higher prices. I don't mind it, especially where the markups are high, because I'm getting to drink at a higher level than I would off the list at a comparable price.

Most Vegas places I've looked into are in the $35 to $50 range. Highest I've seen is $100 per 750 ml bottle. Back home, the BYOB restaurants range from $5 to $25 a bottle for the most part. I always tend to find it well worth it because I like drinking out of my own cellar the best!

 

This makes much more sense - thanks for clarifying. I knew I was missing something. Seems like a win win for all parties

 

Great report. Looks like a great time was had.