Hello Elio
A local food writer once noted that he could fly to Mexico City, eat the tasting menu at the acclaimed Pujol, and fly back to Vegas for less cost than the menu degustation at Joel Robuchon. That's the sort of thing that arouses my curiosity.
Pujol is the flagship restaurant of chef Enrique Olvera. At this establishment, he has elevated Mexican cuisine, presenting traditional flavors with modern techniques and semi-French presentation. His success has led to him crossing the border, opening restaurants in New York, Los Angeles, and now, with Elio, Las Vegas.
One does not normally think of Mexican as haute cuisine. Sure, there are great Mexican-born cooks making food at the greatest restaurants in the country, but in American, French, Italian, and Asian cuisines. When they go to their native food, it's at smaller, less expensive, but no less tasty restaurants, even if it's just a taco stand. And when there is a Mexican restaurant getting notice from Michelin or the James Beard Foundation, it's owned and operated by a gringo like Rick Bayless or Milliken & Feniger. Darn that cultural appropriation! (He said with considerable sarcasm)
So it's rather ironic that the Las Vegas Strip has only a handful of quality Mexican restaurants. Elio, at the Encore, was slated to open in mid-March, but the coronavirus put that on hold. But now it's here, and that it's here at all is to be celebrated.
Like your typical Mexican restaurant, they'll bring you chips and salsa. But this isn't the sort of snack you'd watch during a football game. Full-sized fried tortillas and chicharrones, with a trio of house-made salsas -- one traditional, one green and creamy, and one a chili oil similar to what I might find at Chengdu Taste. Lime and coarse salt are served for good measure (no, I did not do a shot of tequila).
When I grab a taco or burrito, my go to choice of protein is al pastor -- pork marinated in spices and pineapple. That preparation is applied to carrots here, which are then roasted. You've got some great flavor here, but it's the accompanying pineapple butter that's absolutely addicting. Squeeze some lemon on them and dip them like french fries.
My entree was the chicken pibil. The bird is marinated in citrus and achiote paste, roasted, and served with baby potatoes, raw red and cooked green onions, and more carrots. Black beans, red pepper salsa, and steamed tortillas are served on the side, so you can make your own tacos. This was a real bellyful, and while assembling your own tacos takes a little work, it helped me with pacing eating this thing. A good, tender chicken, great accompaniments.
Like I said, I stayed sober on this occasion. But Elio prides itself on its mezcal and tequila lists and the resulting margaritas. Looking at the prices, I'm guessing Clase Azul Gold is the real-life equivalent of Zafiro Anejo.
My one quibble with Elio is the same I have with Thomas Keller's Bouchon -- it's not the owner's flagship or trying to be. There are many ingredients you could find at Pujol that aren't on here, at least not for the time being. I'd love to give huitlacoches a shot -- that's a fungus found on ears of corn that's considered a delicacy south of the border. Ants and grasshoppers? Not for your typical tourist. Heck, I'd even like to be reminded of Tijuana eating barbecued iguana, if Olvera ever served that.
The good news is that Elio had a good crowd this Thursday evening. The bad news is that the Encore has just announced that it will only be open Thursday through Sunday nights. Not a good harbinger of how business has been in town. And the way the restaurant business is going, Olvera may well be the last star chef to open a Vegas hotspot. I hope I'm wrong.
Pujol is the flagship restaurant of chef Enrique Olvera. At this establishment, he has elevated Mexican cuisine, presenting traditional flavors with modern techniques and semi-French presentation. His success has led to him crossing the border, opening restaurants in New York, Los Angeles, and now, with Elio, Las Vegas.
One does not normally think of Mexican as haute cuisine. Sure, there are great Mexican-born cooks making food at the greatest restaurants in the country, but in American, French, Italian, and Asian cuisines. When they go to their native food, it's at smaller, less expensive, but no less tasty restaurants, even if it's just a taco stand. And when there is a Mexican restaurant getting notice from Michelin or the James Beard Foundation, it's owned and operated by a gringo like Rick Bayless or Milliken & Feniger. Darn that cultural appropriation! (He said with considerable sarcasm)
So it's rather ironic that the Las Vegas Strip has only a handful of quality Mexican restaurants. Elio, at the Encore, was slated to open in mid-March, but the coronavirus put that on hold. But now it's here, and that it's here at all is to be celebrated.
Like your typical Mexican restaurant, they'll bring you chips and salsa. But this isn't the sort of snack you'd watch during a football game. Full-sized fried tortillas and chicharrones, with a trio of house-made salsas -- one traditional, one green and creamy, and one a chili oil similar to what I might find at Chengdu Taste. Lime and coarse salt are served for good measure (no, I did not do a shot of tequila).
When I grab a taco or burrito, my go to choice of protein is al pastor -- pork marinated in spices and pineapple. That preparation is applied to carrots here, which are then roasted. You've got some great flavor here, but it's the accompanying pineapple butter that's absolutely addicting. Squeeze some lemon on them and dip them like french fries.
My entree was the chicken pibil. The bird is marinated in citrus and achiote paste, roasted, and served with baby potatoes, raw red and cooked green onions, and more carrots. Black beans, red pepper salsa, and steamed tortillas are served on the side, so you can make your own tacos. This was a real bellyful, and while assembling your own tacos takes a little work, it helped me with pacing eating this thing. A good, tender chicken, great accompaniments.
Like I said, I stayed sober on this occasion. But Elio prides itself on its mezcal and tequila lists and the resulting margaritas. Looking at the prices, I'm guessing Clase Azul Gold is the real-life equivalent of Zafiro Anejo.
My one quibble with Elio is the same I have with Thomas Keller's Bouchon -- it's not the owner's flagship or trying to be. There are many ingredients you could find at Pujol that aren't on here, at least not for the time being. I'd love to give huitlacoches a shot -- that's a fungus found on ears of corn that's considered a delicacy south of the border. Ants and grasshoppers? Not for your typical tourist. Heck, I'd even like to be reminded of Tijuana eating barbecued iguana, if Olvera ever served that.
The good news is that Elio had a good crowd this Thursday evening. The bad news is that the Encore has just announced that it will only be open Thursday through Sunday nights. Not a good harbinger of how business has been in town. And the way the restaurant business is going, Olvera may well be the last star chef to open a Vegas hotspot. I hope I'm wrong.