“Got a couple of maintenance issues for you to deal with,”said our pilot, motioning back behind him. And, as the two workers disappeared into the cockpit, so did any hope that our return flight would be departing on time. Moments later, the steward got on the intercom to confirm as much. We would be delayed by thirty minutes, give or take – presumably as long as it took someone to run down to Radio Shack and purchase a replacement part. I settled in and had almost dozed off – adrift in that delicious middle ground between almost asleep and asleep – when I was roused by the elderly Chinese woman sitting in front of us. “Miss!”she cried. “MISS! Your feet!”. Obviously referring to the 50-something woman seated to my right who had taken off her shoes and was resting one of her bare feet on the handrest in front of her. “Yes?”asked the barefooted woman, oblivious to any problem. “Your feet!”snapped the owner of the handrest. “They stink!” Blunt yet effective. The woman to my right lowered her foot and quietly slipped her shoes back on. Problem solved, thankfully before it became a problem for me.
Other than that – and the thirty minute delay – it turned out to be a pretty uneventful flight. Unlike last night’s fairly eventful meal – my last big dinner in Vegas, this one at Guy Savoy…
It was a very different dining experience than the one we enjoyed at E by Jose Andres the previous night. A lot more formal and, at times, somewhat staid, but the service on the part of our waiter was warm and friendly.
Since it was my final dinner in Vegas, I decided to go all in with the Prestige Menu which came with its own bread pairing. I kid you not. We were served a different bread with each couple of courses. But before getting into the individual breads, we were free to choose from…
All the bread is baked on the premises – fresh and wonderful. But when you’re pairing it with an eleven course menu, it does fill you up quickly. Once I’d settled down to a parmesan bun (with choices of salted, unsalted butter, and sea salt and crushed black pepper for sprinkling), it was time for the main event…
This was followed by a small soup and tiny surprise in the form of tiny pea preparation which was, in turn, followed by the “Eggs All Truffle”: a heavenly combo of creamy egg and earthy truffle. It was served with –
Next up was the Tuna Carpaccio. I’ll let the video do the talking –
Subtle in flavor but certainly not in presentation.
We were then served a Crispy Sea Bass with Delicate Spices, one of Savoy’s signature dishes. Like most of the meal, it was quite subtle in its flavor with the exception of the accompanying vanilla foam that overwhelmed.
Our next dish was the Foie Gras en Papillote and Radish Bouillon. The foie was prepared sous-vide which, to be honest, seemed like an odd way to go. As was the radish bouillon.
Our next dish as the Artichoke and Black Truffle Soup which was served with a toasted mushroom brioche with black truffle butter (for dipping). The soup was thinner than I expected, but tasty nevertheless.
We capped of the savory portion of our meal with a fine salsify dish before moving on to –
I enjoyed three soft cheeses with an orange marmalade, a berry jam, and some lavender honey.
At which point, it was time for dessert. First up was a pre-dessert dessert consisting of raspberry sorbet, green tea foam, and green tea pearls.
A very good meal with some outstanding dishes (the Poussin comes immediately to mind) but, at the end of the day, in the Battle of the Vegas High-End Dinners, it ranks an easy third with Joel Robuchon and E by Jose Andres battling it out for top spot.
Finally back in Vancouver, tonight’s dinner was comprised of baked Arctic Char with yuzu and sesame oil, steamed rice, and sauteed broccoli. It was a much appreciated change of pace.
Thanks to everyone who inquired about Akemi’s friends in family in the wake of the recent earthquake and tsunami to hit Japan. Her family home is located in Osaka, west of Tokyo, and wasn’t affected by the tragedy. Sadly, many, many people were. Here’s hoping for better news from the area in the days ahead.
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