L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon...........Theatre in the round

L'Atelier in French means workshop.  L'Atalier de Joel Robuchon means one of the finest meals you will ever have.   Plus if you get the right seat, you get dinner and show.  I was very fortunate to have gotten that seat.  The Bonus was getting to meat two very cool people who I sat next to.  Tom and Veronica were friends with a mutual friend and got together while Tom was there to visit on business.  Sitting next to them was extra special as we all hit it off right away and got to enjoy an artistic feast like no other.

For those of you who don't know Joel Robuchon, he was named in 1989 "The Chef of the Century", has many cookbooks and dozens of restaurants all over the world. As of today, he has more Michelin Stars than any other chef in the world.

I learned about his Las Vegas locations about 6 years ago and have always wanted to come here.   He has to locations here in Las Vegas.  One is Joel Robuchon and it has what many have called the finest tasting menu ever.   But with a wine pairing bringing the cost up to almost $500 a person, you should save a long time for that one.  L'Atelier is not a cheap meal but much more affordable than the other.  I have read about the restaurant in a number of places and it is recommended that you get the tasting menu.  Aside from the fact that if you were to order dishes separately you would come up with the same price but the experience is worth it.

One of the great things about the restaurant is that 1/2 the available seating is counter seating.  I truly love counter seating as you get to watch the action in the kitchen.  Where as it's not for everyone, I would take it any day.  I was very fortunate to have been seated at the end where there were absolutely no displays or racks in my view.  I was in full view of all the chefs.

I decided to have the "Chef's Club" tasting menu which looked fabulous.  My only two decisions were if I wanted the Rib-eye or the Scottish Salmon for the main (I chose the Rib-eye) and the choice of assorted sorbets or tarts ( I chose sorbets).

You start with a bowl of small freshly baked baguettes and probably the best butter I have ever had.  Not wanting to fill up, I only had one piece of bread.

I was given an Amuse Bouche that was served in a shot glass. On the bottom was warmed and pureed foie gras, then layered thinly was a port wine reduction and topped with whipped Parmesan.  The picture stinks. Sorry.

The first dish arrived.  Curried Butternut Squash soup with Ginger Cream.  The soup was smooth and silky and the ginger cream had a nice bite into the sweetness of the squash.  The dish was garnished with a dusting of chili powder and had toasted pumpkin seeds nestled into the top of the ginger cream.  Having the crunch of the seeds was a nice addition to the soup.  It was served in one of those Martini glasses that usually you put ice in the bottom but instead had a chili pepper and red straw as a base for the soup.  Very cool presentation.

The second dish was a Crispy Langoustine fritter with Basil Pesto.  I am a big fan of shell fish, especially anything in the lobster family.  For those of you who don't know, a Langoustine is a very small lobster.  It's similar to a hard shell shrimp.  This dish was good but I personally thought the wrapping was a bit oily.  It reminded me of the shrimp chips you sometimes can get at a Chinese restaurant.  The small salad was very bright tasting as it has a lemon vinaigrette mixed into it.  For some reason I can't get the photo to go the right way, so for now, just turn your head.

The third dish was the main dish.  Classic Rib-eye steak cooked to perfection medium rare.  The beef was such a prime selection that the layer of fat that is located almost in the middle of the steak was so tender.  I actually cut out little bits of it to accompany each bite taking it to another level.  This dish was served with Chef Robuchon's signature mashed potatoes.  Both smooth and creamy, the potatoes went so well with the steak.

The fourth dish was a cheese dish.  Personally I can't remember what any of the cheese were called.  So I have named them Cheese 1, Cheese 2 and Cheese 3.  Oh, and I can't tell you which one is which so you'll have to trust me that each one of them were great and went great with the breads that accompanied the plate.

Dessert arrived and it couldn't have been more refreshing.  5 Assorted sorbets were shaped in quenelles and flavored from left to right, cranberry, raspberry, peach, vanilla, and chocolate.  Along with my Espresso, a great way to end the meal.

Now I just wanted to mention some observations that I wanted to share that made this experience extra special.  If you love food, you will love this restaurant.  If you love to cook food, then you you need to come here and sit where I was sitting.  They have an antique Berkel meat slicer that is specifically designed to cut elegant pieces of meat and salami paper thin.  These slicers are not powered but hand cranked and the blades are designed in a concave shape so that only the very edge of the blade touches the meat.  This is done to prevent any heat caused by friction to come in contact with the paper thin meat that is cut.  If you get a chance to see one of these in action is great, but to see them up close is really a thing of beauty.  Where I was sitting, it was closer to the station where the chef's would plate the food. Watching them create art on a round palate was so much fun to see.  The gentle wisps of sauce that were created were not only there for flavor but also to feed the eyes with a painting that you didn't want to disturb with a fork.

Again, I want to thank Veronica and Tom for making my experience there a great one.  Its always great to dine among people who really appreciate great food but it's even better when upon first meeting them, you laugh the entire time.

Please go.  Please go.  Please go.  Its a wonderful culinary experience that would add to any Las Vegas trip.

L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon can be found at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas.  For more information and reservations please go to: http://www.mgmgrand.com/restaurants/atelier-joel-robuchon-french-restaurant.aspx