Vegas
Vegas
Mavens
Joel Robuchon at MGM Grand
Just The Facts, Please.
Location
MGM Grand
Dining Hours
Dinner Only.
Sun.-Thurs. 5:30pm-10pm;
Fri., Sat. 5:30-10:30pm
Chef
Executive Chef: Claude Le Tohic
Joel Robuchon
Cuisine
Traditional French
Price Range
Tasting Menu starts at $89;
Four Course Menus $195/person;
Menu Degustation $385 / person.
Suggested Attire
Business casual, jackets required for men.
Notes
Only Three Star Michelin rated restaurant in Las Vegas.
Complimentary limousine service offered to guests.
Only 60 seats.
Sample Menu Items
-Kobe beef rib-eye cooked on a bed of rock salt with a vegetable fricassee.
-Truffle langoustine ravioli with chopped cabbage.
-Fuji apple confit with Calvados granite, dulce de leche.
Mavens Overview: Robuchon
The only Three Star Michelin Rated restaurant in Vegas, thus placing it at the pinnacle of desire for foodies everywhere. Of course this doesn't come cheap, figure $385 per person sans liquor for the full experience.
The foodie internet buzz may almost be as over the top as the actual meal, e.g.
Mr. Robuchon ennobled the lowly turnip with candied chestnuts in a foie gras broth. The flavors and textures married as if centuries of trial and error had made the combination commonplace.
The buzz includes it's share of grumbling about price, and there are those that feel the rating is a star, or even two, too many. Most people feel the meal is worth the high cost, and one that will not easily be forgotten.
Perhaps the best advice gleaned from the internet buzz below is to take advantage of the free limousine service, which includes a detour through the high-end Mansions at MGM, hence save Robuchons for a Vegas visit when you are NOT staying at MGM Grand!
Internet Buzz: Robuchon
- Yes, definitely the best meal we have ever had... Not only that, it was the best dining experience we've ever had.
- Near the end of the meal, my wife asks me how I would rate the desert - L'Orange which is an orange infused with caramel jus, etc - and I said, after a moment of thought, it's a five. She points out that I have rated every course we had a five, and that is the first time I have ever done that.
- The egg yolk in an herb-flavored ravioli contrasts with a medley of black truffle shavings and orbs of baby spinach foam -- two kinds of spherical shapes, one on a convex mount, the other in a concave container.
- I was equally amused and delighted to see how Mr. Robuchon ennobled the lowly turnip with candied chestnuts in a foie gras broth. The flavors and textures married as if centuries of trial and error had made the combination commonplace.
- Pan-fried sea bass with a lemon grass foam and stewed baby leeks was superb. Robuchon's foams do not flow. They hold their shape, and the flavor is pure.
- The finest of fine dining. In my top 3 meals ever. My favorite dish was my appetizer. It was like sushi in seaweed jelly. It sounds terrible but it was unbelievable.
- The best entree you can get is the veal cheeks. they were some of the most delicious things I've ever tasted.
- Appetizer: Noix de Saint Jacques: Sea scallop a la plancha with a sauce of kumquat and caviar. More caviar! Perfectly seared scallops and beautifully presented. All of the flavors were in balance -- an excellent course.
- Spiny lobster in a sake broth, turnip and shiso sprouts. The sake broth was quite delectable and well flavored by the addition of the turnips and sprouts. Unfortunately, I was rather disappointed with the spiny lobster itself, a house specialty no less. I was unable to glean any flavor from it, and the texture was slightly chalky. A strange miss in an otherwise incredible meal.
- The extensive bread cart, featuring in excess of 15 breads on this particular evening I was unable to taste them all, however the eight I did manage to taste were all remarkably good. Served throughout the meal each bread was warmed after selection
- Cheese cart... just like the bread cart, an impressive presentation of each item was given.
- The furniture, chandeliers, and the entire decor inside Joel Robuchon were glamorous! Of course we wanted to try everything we could eat at Joel Robuchon! Service were top notch.
- The multiple course meals sound intimidating, making you fee like you need to fast before entering this chapel dedicated to worshiping fine dining. Each course though is appropriate in size and depth, never too much to make you feel uncomfortably full, and enough time between servings
- The plating of the dishes was beautiful and creative. Every plate was custom made to go with the dish. The plates also go with the decor. This was the most visually appealing dining experience I've ever had anywhere.
- The service is technically impeccable, but is missing its humanity. It seems their approach to training staff is to dunk them in a vat of French snobbery and call it a day. Seriously, the entire French population of Vegas works here.
- The prices are obscene first of all - about double what I've grown accustomed to paying for a similar experience (even the champagne). Not to mention, the bites and bubbles menu at Guy Savoy we had tackled two nights prior was MUCH more affordable and more enjoyable.
- Food was very over-the-top French Gourmet! Shaved Truffles on everything, a bit too much! Service was Impeccable, as already stated! Stuffy, small portions, very expensive for what you get!...2 people, no drinks cost $985.00
- Be aware of the house champagne offered, its $45 a glass.
- If you're not staying at MGM take advantage of the free limo service and see how the high rollers live for an evening. Arrive through the secluded Mansion entrance and be escorted through the inner sanctum of the whales. Even if you are staying at MGM take a cab down the strip and use the limo anyway to get the full lux experience.