Recently my husband and I took a much needed vacation to one of our favorite destinations, Las Vegas. We decided to stay at The Palazzo and dine between there and the connected sister hotel, The Venetian. We absolutely adored our stay and while we were there we had some of the best meals of our lives, Pinot Brasserie being one of them.
We decided to stop in for dinner at Pinot Brasserie before catching “O” by Cirque du Soleil at The Bellagio, which was an amazing show in case you were wondering! My husband had never dined at Pinot Brasserie, but as I had previously lived and worked in downtown Los Angeles, I was quite familiar with the French Bistro from restaurateur Joachim Splichal. Having a James Beard Foundation award tucked under his belt, among many others, I knew a memorable meal was on the menu.
We decided to start with the appetizer of Mussels Normande ($18). This incredibly French dish consists of black mussels simmered in a creamy white wine broth, and served with Pinot garlic fries. What we received was a hearty kettle full of wine, herbs, garlic goodness and fresh mussels, that was quickly gobbled up by me and my husband. The garlic fries, in my opinion are a must-have sidekick for this delicious appetizer!
I decided to order the Sea Scallops ($29) for my entree. The scallops were absolutely cooked perfectly – something I know is a hard feat to accomplish! They were nice and crisp, with delicate seasoning and had a wonderful melt-in-my-mouth succulence and sweetness to them. They were accompanied by truffled celeriac, which made for the perfect mate.
My sweet husband, Eric, decided to order the Braised Pork Belly ($33) as his main course. The braised pork belly is served with onion marmalade, pickled vegetables, and caper berry. He really enjoyed the pork belly, and found it to be incredibly tender and flavorful. I enjoyed sneaking bites as much as possible when he wasn’t looking.
To finish the meal we knew we had to go with Chef Splichal’s signature dessert, Croissant Chocolate Pudding with Creme Anglaise ($9). My husband, a total bread pudding fanatic and connoisseur, loved this version of bread pudding. The creme Anglaise that came on the side, was a nice touch for adding as much or little as we wanted. It was rich, decadent and the perfect sweet ending to send us off for the evening!
We left feeling quite full and quite satisfied. We both enjoyed the cozy and quiet atmosphere of Pinot Brasserie amidst the hustle and bustle of the busy casino. It was a very memorable meal, and it added to the overall magic of that warm Las Vegas night. If you are in the Venetian and looking for an amazing meal, give Pinot Brasserie a try!
Pinot Brasserie is located @ the Venetian hotel on restaurant row.
