Last week my husband and I were in Las Vegas for the second time this year. We are true lovers of Vegas, and it is primarily because of the fantastic food. As there are so many restaurants to choose from, it is hard cramming in all the places we dream of eating in one short stay. On this particular trip, we went to celebrate my darling hubby’s 30th birthday! Our last night there we were looking for something casual, and also not so expensive. We decided upon Public House Gastropub located in our hotel, The Venetian.
After pondering the menu chock-full of classy bar foods, salty snacks, and fresh sea food, we decided to start with the appetizer of Poutine ($10). Poutine is a starter filled with french fries, duck confit, cheese curds, topped with a glorious, rich gravy. This pretty much satisifies every naughty-craving, calorie-laden, taste bud on the tongue and goes perfectly with a cold beer. When we ordered this the waitress advised it is a salty appetizer, and she was right. However, it was not too salty for us, it was just right. The duck was delicious and tender, the fries perfectly crisp, and the gravy came in the form of a thicky, beefy broth that was perfect with the cheese curds.
After having a rather rich appetizer to start with I decided upon the Heirloom Tomatoes ($14) for my main course. I love the flavor that the heirloom tomatoes bring to the table, and this dish served with herbed goat cheese, pesto, baby basil leaves, and aged balsamic was a perfect entree. It was fresh, tangy and the perfect size for a light meal.
Eric, the birthday boy, decided to order their version of chicken and waffles that is actually served with Quail instead of chicken ($26). The delicate quail is buttermilk fried, served with a waffle, bacon braised swiss chard, and a Moose Drool maple glaze. This was a classy interpretation of chicken and waffles, and Eric and I both agreed the star of the show on this entree was the bacon braised swiss chard. After all, you can add bacon to just about anything and make it better, right?
Speaking of bacon, next came the sweet, sweet, heavenly bacon-topped dessert. We ordered the Chocolate Stout Layer Cake ($9) served with malted milk ice cream and caramelized bacon rice Crispies. The cake was super moist and layered with what seemed like a chocolate mousse. The ice cream was very light in flavor and the carmalized bacon Crispies added that perfect salty element to the dessert. We were in HOG heaven!
On this particular trip to Las Vegas we dined at many fine dining establishments, and I have to admit Public House trumped most of them. I enjoyed the fact they offer my favorite Belgium beer, Framboise, as well as a nice selection of pub foods with gourmet spins put on them. The atmosphere of the bar was loud and fun with basketball on the TV’s, while the dining room was quieter with a more romantic vibe – something for everyone to enjoy!
Public House is located at The Venetian
