Dining by Design (Vegas Edition Part 1!): Fleur by Hubert Keller

Ahi Tuna Tacos

Getting to Vegas has been a dream of mine for a long time: food, shows, dancing, sunshine... fun!  When two college friends that I had not seen in over a year invited me to join them for a weekend there, I quickly jumped at the chance.  I had missed them so much and the destination sounded perfect.  I realized as I packed that I was probably destined to get to Vegas at some point; I was suprised at just how many items in my closet were bedazzled, pink, or sparkley :).

One of my friends is a Vegas veteran and took care of planning the weekend for us (or as much as you can "plan" in Vegas.)  At the risk of stepping on her toes, I told her I had one demand: that we eat at Fleur by Hubert Keller at some point on the trip.  I promised to go along with anything else they all devised so long as I could live out a foodie fantasy.  They graciously agreed despite their general indifference to the culinary world and our humble budgets.  (Which I love you all for... thanks, girlies!)

One of my friends and I ordered the ahi tuna tacos.  I had seen them recommended in several reviews of the restaurant, and the waiter told us they were one of the most popular items.  The majority of Fleur's menu consists of "small plates," but we were surprised at just how small the tacos themselves were.  (The picture at the beginning of the post makes them seem deceptively large).  The bites were tasty though.  The serrano chili gave each taco an especially spicy kick at the end that packed a punch.  The touch of avocado cream was refreshing relief from the pepper and the tuna itself was pink, fresh, and lightly salted.  Overall, I would characterize the dish as "expected."  It was delicious to be sure, but I felt as though I had seen the presentation and experienced the flavor profile multiple times before.  I can certainly see why it is one of the "most popular" selections.  For the typical Vegas diner, it is highly accessible and easily understood.

Foie gras

For my second small plate, I decided to try something more gourmet.  I ordered the seared foie gras... which I am embarassed to admit was the first foie gras of my life!  I confess that I really wanted the foie gras torchon, which came with elderflower foam, but the server told me they were out of it that night.  I was slightly disappointed and do still wonder what that elderflower foam would have tasted like, but the seared foie gras proved to be a viable substitute.  The foie gras itself was cooked perfectly (or as far as I could tell being a foie gras newbie!) I loved the taste and will certainly be ordering foie gras in the future.

I have mixed feelings about the components of the dish itself.  I did love the pickled shitake mushrooms.  I have a slight obsession with pickling things (see my last post where I coveted the pickled cherries at Colicchio & Sons) and this was my first encounter with pickled mushrooms.  The earthiness of mushrooms certainly make them an appropriate choice for brine.  I didn't quite understand the three small piles of pineapple on the rim of the plate though.  Was I supposed to eat the pineapple alone? Add it to my fork?  Mix it with the sauce?  I ultimately used it as kind of a palate cleanser- eating it by itself between bites of the foie gras.  As for the sauce: it was sweet, rich, and pleasing on its own.  However, the foie gras and mushrooms came sitting in it, so some bites were saturated in it and overwhelmed by it as a result.  I would have liked it more if there was less sauce in the bowl, or if it had been more seperate from the foie gras and mushrooms.

Of all of the small plates sampled that night, I would give the crown to a dish one of my friends ordered: the ceci frito, or fried chickpeas.  At only $3 and with such a simple name, it could easily be overlooked.  This seemingly humble small plate turned out to be generous in portion and remarkable in flavor.  The lightly crisp chickpeas tasted of smokiness and spice.  I think it is a must have when dining at Fleur, and at that price there's really no reason not to order it.

Then came to dessert.  And all I have to say is OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!!!  For those of you still reading at this point, strap in because I'm totally going to geek out.  I ordered the "pineapple carpaccio" which came with lime sorbet and cilantro granite.  THE CILANTRO GRANITE WAS THE GREATEST THING I HAVE EVER TASTED.  It looked kind of odd... a pile of green flakes sitting under some sorbet... but it was amazing!!  It had the spice of cilantro, a touch of sweetness from sugar, and an icy frozen finish.

Pineapple carpaccio with cilantro granite (the green component at right)

Have you ever played the game "Do you want to buy a duck?"  For those of you who have never been to summer camp... it's a circle game where a person turns to the person next to him and has the following conversation: "Do you want to buy a duck?"  "A what?"  "A duck."  "Does it quack?"  "Of course it quacks."  This goes around the entire circle.  Well, a variation of this game went around our circular table with the debut of the cilantro granite.  It started with me turning to my friend and went as follows:

Me: "You have to try this!"
Her: "What the hell is that?  It looks crazy!  No!"
Me: "Seriously."
Her: "Ok... OH MY GOD. THAT IS AMAZING! WHAT IS THAT?"

And then she turned to the person next to her and assumed my lines.  The person next to her protested as she did following almost the same script, but had the same wonderful epiphany.  And it went all the way around the table until we got back to me and everyone wanted my cilantro granite.  We all agreed that we would have eaten bowls and bowls of it by itself, but it was even better with the other parts of the dish: the lime sorbet and the thinly shaved pieces of pineapple.

(Question to Hubert Keller: I noticed that the oyster small plate comes with a "margarita sorbet."  Is there a difference between the margarita sorbet and the lime sorbet?")

It has been a few days since I came back from Vegas, and I can still not stop thinking about that cilantro granite.  I am so obsessed that I attempted to make my own today, but that's not exactly the kind of thing that has recipes available... or really any mention in the google-sphere.  I wound up blanching some cilantro, mincing it, soaking it in a simple sugar that I made, straining it, and freezing it.  It tasted OK but was nothing like what I experienced at Fleur.  (And now my hands reek of cilantro haha.)

At the end of our meal, I got the chance to meet the one and only Hubert Keller, the Top Chef Master himself.  I thanked him for the meal and dorked out a little bit when I told him I was a huge fan, a foodie, and a recreational cook who looked up to him.  He graciously posed for a picture (and even signed a piece of napkin that I could affix to my coveted chef's jacket when I got home haha).

Chef Hubert Keller and Me

I certainly enjoyed the meal and even my non-foodie friends frequently remarked on how exceptional it was throughout our vacation.  I left with a full stomach... and a newfound craving for cilantro granite.

Fleur by Hubert Keller

Located at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada

Reserve Online (website below) or call 702.632.7200

http://www.mandalaybay.com/dining/fleur/