Categories
Dinner Las Vegas Nevada

Giada Las Vegas

Ambiance
5/5
Service
5/5
Food / Drink
5/5
Overall
5/5

Visited for dinner on 5/16/2022

 

Sign when walking up to the restaurant

Giada’s is located in the Cromwell hotel in Las Vegas. My friend and I were in-town and had heard great things, so we opted to check it out! Let’s just say we weren’t disappointed.

To get to the restaurant, when you’re in the Cromwell, you will go up a large escalator, which the restaurant reception is right at the top of (you’ll be greeted by the sign above). Because it is up and out of the casino, you don’t even notice it is located in a casino while you’re eating! Which is delightful.

 

View of the kitchen and dinning area at Giada

Otherwise, the interior (and details) of Giada’s exude relaxed luxury. From the thick branded paper towels in the restroom to the lighting, to the number and attention of the wait staff, it all is on-point. People visiting are in solid business casual outfits and you’re pleasantly greeted whenever walking around. There is a good ‘buzz’ / energy in the air.

 

View of the dining area

 

View out to the strip (if you’re lucky to get a window table)

Also, since the Cromwell is right on the strip and Giada’s has a long stretch of windows overlooking the strip, if you’re lucky enough to get a space by the window you’ll have so much to look at while you dine! Definitely a super special moment.

 

Mozzarella crostini

To start, we ordered the mozzarella crostini ($15.99). They were extremely crunchy – almost like little croutons.  In terms of dishes, this one was not our favorite as it was just lacking something. The pine nuts, pesto and sun dried tomatoes were a nice touch, but didin’t give us enough to make us craving more with the crouton toast. 

 

Split arugula salad

As our second starter, we ordered the Arugula salad, which came with candied lemon, crispy pancetta (held on mine) & Parmigiano-Reggiano ($17.99).

We did request if we could split the salad, which the waiter did without question. He brought them out on separate plates, with our own large pieces of cheese, and one with and another without the pancetta, which was excellent! This way there was no fighting over pieces or the awkward dishing of salad to friends or who will eat the last bite. If you just want a small bit of salad, this is the way to go here. 

 

Giada’s signature bread board

Giada’s Signature Bread Board ($9.99) was also a delight. Three different types of bread (sourdough loaf, onion loaf, bun) with a variety of dippings, sprinklings, or mixings. Each were perfectly baked, nice crispy edge on the sourdough (my favorite) and soft and springy (roll). No hints of dryness, definitely were just freshly baked! We actually liked all of the toppings (pesto, butter, salt, olive oil & balsamic, chili flakes), but also appreciated the ability to be able to soak up the delicious remains of our dinner entrees with the bread!

 

Rigatoni vegetable bolognese

For the main entrees, I ordered the Rigatoni vegetable Bolognese ($32.99), which was hands down the best vegetarian Bolognese I’ve ever had. I’m often let down by vegetarian options that are well hyped by the wait staff and my expectations actually were truly exceeded! Now, I am a bit of a ‘premadonna’ and don’t particularly care for round tube-like rigatoni pasta (or penne for that matter), so I did request to swap for the longer bucatini noodles and was accommodated without question. When it came out, it didn’t disappoint! I asked the server about how they created the Bolognese and he mentioned it was. Reduction of eggplant and other vegetables until they were tiny and delicious. I was astounded at the flavor and also the waitstaff’s knowledge of the dishes! 

 

Salmon with basil orzotto

My friend ordered the ‘Salmon with basil orzotto, artichoke-tomato broth, and lemon gremolata’ ($40.99). He described the salmon as perfectly cooked and a joy to eat. It was packed with flavor and was both crispy and buttery.

 

Apple pie bake

For dessert we ordered the Apple Pie Bake ($12.99). The Apple pie bake was so yummy! The bake comes in a cute saucer cup, that you then break with your spoon. Once you’ve made an inlet, you pour this caramel sauce in the middle and go to town! It is apple pie deliciousness. Delightful cinnamon, delicately crisp top, and caramel buttery sweetness. So good.

 

Cheers!

Overall: Walking into Giada’s is walking into relaxed luxury, you don’t feel lavish or out of sorts, but its casual and upscale all at the same time. All details are thought through, from attentive service to nice restroom towels. As for the food, while the crostini were not a hit, literally everything else was. The Salmon was perfectly cooked, and the vegetable Bolognese blew me away. Hands down the best Bolognese I have ever had. I’m often let down by vegetarian options and this didn’t disappoint. For what we got, the food wasn’t too pricey (keep your price expectations low, this is Vegas). Overall, definitely recommend!

5 Stars

~WFD

Categories
Dinner Las Vegas Nevada United States

Morimoto Las Vegas

Ambiance
4.5/5
Service
4.5/5
Food / Drink
4.5/5
Overall
4.5/5

Visited for dinner on 8/1/2022

The front of Morimoto (located in the MGM Grand Hotel)

In full honesty, the very first time I went to Morimoto 5/8/2022, I was not impressed. In my initial review, I remarked ‘disappointed, definitely not the iron chef experience’. After my review, the General Manager reached out, apologized for the experience and asked to give them another try. I’ll preface my updated-review below by saying that I received no bill discount, free entree, or incentives to revisit or re-review. I visited again simply out of curiosity. Spoiler alert, this time it was a delightful experience!

When we arrived on 8/1, we were met by Jenna (the GM) and walked to our table. The servers we passed said ‘welcome in’ as we passed them and as our table was in the back of the restaurant, it really made us feel welcome. 

The decor in Morimoto is like a cool ‘chic’ vibe. While it’s in the MGM grand, unless you focus on the windows to watch the folks walk by, you’re pulled into the classy interior and experience around you. In the back of the restaurant there is a hibachi kitchen, where you can sit and the chefs will cook meals for the group. Otherwise all tables are placed throughout. There is a restroom in the back, so no need to leave the restaurant to use the facilities if you need to freshen up quick.

The vegetarian options at Morimoto (in case they don’t offer you a menu as well)

In looking at the menu, there are excellent options for fish and sushi, but the vegetarian options at Morimoto definitely are lacking, which was one of my main frustrations with the restaurant during my previous visit. This time, they curated a physical vegetarian menu for us, showing what could be altered or ordered. This was appreciated, as the previous visit the server was unaware and it made ordering difficult. 

After seating, we met our server Katie, who was just phenomenal.  Not only was she kind, but she also had fun banter with us through the evening. In terms of service, she has a full 5-star rating from me. Super attentive, thoughtful, and engaging. She checked-in just the right amount and made sure we felt taken care of!

For example, of course she knew I was vegetarian, but she brought out a special soy sauce for me, which I appreciated. Because Morimoto’s uses fish in all their sauces, if you don’t eat fish, you have to have someone attentive to make sure you are taken care of, which Katie sure did! Also, it was my friend’s birthday and I whispered to her this in passing and she made a candle appear with sorbet when dessert was served. This was a very different service experience than the previous time.

The vegetarian sushi combo

For my main entree, I ordered the Vegetarian Sushi Combo, which apparently the chef created just for my visit. I really hope this becomes a staple, because without it, there is no main entree for a vegetarian. Plus, the veggie sushi combo was phenomenal! There were flavors and textures I never had on a roll before.

  • Fresh carrot roll very crunchy and fresh
  • Marinated carrot roll, umami slight crunch and tasty (this one was my favorite)
  • Mixed veggie roll is nicely complimented with avocado
  • There was an endive roll that was fun – never had something like that before
  • Edamame roll that was something creative – a fun texture in the mouth
  • Mushroom Roll was a fun chewy texture with the marinated mushrooms
  • Avocado sliced roll was creamy and perfectly ripe

So good!

The other folks in my party had the non-vegetarian items:

Duck Fried Rice – flavor packed! To quote exactly ‘#flavorbomb’

Sashimi for two chefs combo:

Sashimi for two combo

All cuts of the fish were really fresh. Waitress let us know what to try first and between cuts of fish before other dishes (like the appetizers).

Paired the sake well with the sashimi

Very positive experience

Sushi combo plate:

Sushi combo plate

Very tasty! Every cut of fish was a delight, no complaints!

Sake:

The Sommelier was very knowledgeable (and fun to be around). He gave us a detailed run through of the sakes, including region, ownership, land, and terroir! Here’s what we ordered:

Unfiltered: Nigori Genshu Sake by Murai Family. Thick, almost like milk – nice and heavy. We liked it for the texture and with our appetizers.

Filtered: Konteki Pearls of Simplicity Junmai Daiginjo. Bright and fun, hints of melon. Paired wonderfully with the sushi combo and the vegetarian sushi combo.

For dessert:

Jasmine Panacotta with blueberry compote, almond streusel, blueberry ice cream and lemon sorbet

Jasmine Panacotta with blueberry compote, almond streusel, blueberry ice cream and lemon sorbet :

Delightful. Lemon and blueberry, light and slightly tangy. I ate quite a few bites 🙂

Chilled cheesecake souffle with blood orange sorbet

Chilled cheesecake souffle with blood orange sorbet :

Perfectly light and fluffy- it basically danced across the palate! So nice when paired with the blood orange sorbet

Cheers from Morimotos!

Overall the experience was so much fun. We had a great time conversing with the staff and had a full and fun time. Super five star experience. I really hope they make the veggie menu and the vegetarian sushi combo permanent. I asked Jenna about it when we were closing out and she mentioned that it was made just for my visit, but it may not be on the menu in the long-term. So, if you’re headed to Morimotos and interested in the vegetarian sushi combo, I suggest asking if they can make it for you! Compliments to the chef for stepping out of the norm and creating the dish for me. In the long-term, Chef Morimoto should really consider adding this permanently to the menu, it will be inclusive and also an amazing add for vegetarians or folks who can’t eat fish.

Previous experience: 2-star, most recent experience 5-star. Overall, I’d give a 4.5 as I think they learned well from the feedback provided and that shows a lot in a restaurant! It isn’t often you can say a place takes feedback and shows up as well as Morimotos did! Nicely done and thank you Morimotos!

~Jeremy

Categories
Las Vegas Nevada United States

JaBurrito,Sushi Burritos

Ambiance
4/5
Service
4/5
Food / Drink
4/5
Overall
4/5

Located between Flamingo & Harrahs Casinos

Visited May 15th, 2022

As I think you’ve probably noticed by now, I’m not usually one to write a review of a casual fast-food spot, but this was an interesting meal that I felt like I needed to share (and now will open up a whole new section for the blog). My friend John & I were in Las Vegas and wanted to have an un-fancy dinner. Read: we were headed to a show and then to do some gambling and wanted a quick, but substantial / relatively healthy meal. 

Since we were already out on the strip, we walked past a few spots and saw JaBurritos, located near the Flamingo. It said Sushi Burritos, and since we both love sushi, we couldn’t resist a peek inside.

Walking in- it’s essentially a fast-food style sushi burrito place. It’s a standard fast food industrial look, similar to what you see at Chipotle. You walk up to the counter, select from the menu and they make it there for you right away. Unlike Chipotle though, you don’t get to customize each ingredient, but rather just order from the set menu and get things a-la carte. 

The menu is interesting, with quite a few different choices, including a-la carte options for miso soup, edamame, and chips and cheese (that’s a curious one for the menu).

I chose the Venice burrito, which is their sole tofu option and ordered a side of edamame with a hot jasmine tea. Everything comes in to-go packaging, even if you’re eating in (I think for convenience)

The edamame was nicely cooked and had a lot of salt sprinkled on the top (as you can see). I would’ve preferred a bit less salt, but honestly because it’s Vegas and I was drinking during the weekend, my body was likely thankful for the electrolytes. I ate them all 😊

The burrito itself was Delicious (notice the capital ‘D’)?! I was surprised, as my expectations were low. The tofu was nice and fresh, there was corn, mushrooms, tomatoes, cucumbers, black beans, and pico de gallo. There was a tiny piece of avocado as well, which was the only thing I wished there was a bit more of. It was wrapped in nigiri seaweed and held together while I ate it. 

I have found myself thinking of this little sushi burrito from time to time and will definitely stop back in to get it if I find myself in need of a fast food while in Las Vegas again!

~Jeremy