Spago - Las Vegas

5/5 stars

I absolutely loved this place. One of my best meal experiences.

That said, I will begin with the truth. I had my doubts. I only knew a handful of things about Wolfgang Puck: (1) he's a celebrity chef, (2) he haz an accent, and (3) he cooks for the Oscars. S'it. This could have gone either way. It could be amazing because, well, he cooks for ze movie stars and he wouldn't be world famous if his food was awful. Or, it could all just be hype.

Well, Wolfgang Puck is amazing, and he is famous for a reason. Because his talent is delicious.

THE FOOD: We totally conquered.

The white peach bellini was one of or probably the best bellini I ever had. Each sip was like biting into a crisp, juicy, succulent white peach. Even though it didn't seem like very much in the glass, I got a nice little buzz from it. That must be quality champagne.

The bread waiters came and offered you as much as you wanted from a bountiful basket. We got to choose from a sourdough, a cherry walnut, an olive loaf, a cracker (with seeds, herbs, and things - since I don't like crackers, this was my least favorite), and an onion focaccia. The soft, slightly sweet, buttery cube of onion focaccia was clearly the favorite of the night. Dipped in their quality olive oil, it was a great meal starter.

The amuse bouche was a cappuccino sized cup of cold, creamy pea soup. It tasted so fresh. As if you plucked the peas yourself, eating them while still standing in a garden, with your toes in the cool dirt. However, since I'm not a cold soup fan, I didn't like it that much.

We ordered several appetizers to share. The crab cakes, the heirloom tomato soup, the warm wild mushroom salad, and the octopus salad.

The heirloom tomato soup was probably my favorite dish of the entire night, and that's saying something since my meal and the warm wild mushroom salad were both incredible. I mean, sooo many wins here. The soup was large, came in a clay-pot sized, white porcelain bowl complete with cute hat, and a crostini that was spread with a creamy white cheese and then piled high with fluffy parmesan. On top of the soup was a thin design of balsamic vinegar that complimented the soup like jelly compliments peanut butter. Spooning up a mouthful and letting the fresh tomato, sweet balsamic, exotic herbs, and delicate cream dance in my mouth was a little piece of Heaven.

The warm mushroom salad was layered with mushrooms I can't name, but they were each delicious. Some of the mushrooms were delicate, while others were slightly crunchy and "meaty" (like portobellos). The salad was tossed warm with arguala and pomegranate seeds and was a heart warming, unique salad that was perfect for a Fall day (in windy Las Vegas).

I ordered the special because I couldn't resist the following words: truffle-cream + Alaskan king crab. Other words like mushroom, onion, and fettucine were in there as well. It was, of course, awesome. I mean, it had truffle oil in it. Truffle oil makes everything better!

My mom ordered the seafood paella and it was very tasty, though a tad undercooked, IMO. The scallops and shrimp were huuuge! The bf ordered what I deemed the "pig plate" which consisted of pork belly, pork loin, and 3 kinds of sausage including blood - very neat concept. Overall, every single person was over-the-moon pleased with their dinner.

Unfortunately (very very), I was over-ruled when it came to dessert. Everybody else was too full, so we didn't try any. I bet they're fantastic though. Next time...

ATMOSPHERE: Ending with looks and folks. Spago is hard, clean lines, it's modern art, mirrors, and black walls. Too noisy for an intimate dinner, but fun for a family or group. Service was polite, friendly, and extremely accomodating, but I didn't feel all warm and fuzzy like I did at Alexander's. It was quite nice when they saw us pouring our own wine and decided to swoop in and do it themselves. Nice catch. Prices were SURPRISINGLY reasonable! You can spend $50 to $150 a person, your choice.

I'm a Puck fan now.

(2008)