Last call at Mesa Grill
Bobby Flay brought his bold cooking and brash attitude to Las Vegas fifteen years ago when he opened the local version of the Mesa Grill to Caesar's Palace. And you know what they say about all good things.
Flay is like a culinary Madonna -- good at his art, but brilliant at marketing himself. When he opened the original Mesa Grill, people flocked to it because New Yorkers were largely unfamiliar with Southwestern cuisine. Then the camera crews came calling, and as far as I can tell, he's the one real chef left at the Food Network. For my part, while I know there are better chefs, and there's a lot of hype and hullaballoo about him, I can honestly say I've never had a bad dish from my trips to MG. In fact, there have been times when I found his (or at least his executive chef's) offerings to be excellent.
What I find interesting is that he's moving away from the Mesa Grill brand altogether. That would be like Joel Robuchon no longer serving his mashed potatoes (well, he can't because he's dead, but you get the idea). His empire has included steakhouses and Spanish-style restaurants, and he has/had a sushi spot, Shark, at the yet-to-be-reopened Palms. Mesa Grill will shutter a week from today, to be converted to Amalfi, an Italian seafood place. I must give him credit for expanding his horizons, but I'm not sure how his penchant for bright colors and squeeze bottles will translate. Plus, if you're a Flay fan, expect to pay more for his food.
But I did want to get in one last supper, and try once again those bold flavors that he's famous for.
Flay actually started out in a French kitchen, and perhaps his take on tuna tartare reflects that. But he calls his version "nachos". Best way to eat this is to place a large-for-tartare chunk on each yellow and blue corn tortilla, The fish is place atop two sauces -- the avocado crema is nice, but the mango-habanero hot sauce is an addicting blend of sweet and spicy. Seriously, Bobby, you gotta bottle that stuff and sell it in supermarkets.
One of his signature dishes is his sixteen-spice chicken. It's debatable as to whether all those spices are necessary (I have the cookbook -- cinnamon, ancho and pasilla chili powders, cumin, corianger, ginger, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, black pepper, cloves, fennel seeds, allspice, chili de arbol, and cayenne), but they didn't particularly overpower the meat. It came with mashed potatoes and a delectable, molasses-like garlic-mango sauce.
If Mesa Grill wasn't the greatest restaurant in Vegas, it was still a good one. Let's see what else Flay has up his chef's coat.
***
Postscript: I had a chance to tour Caesar's before my dinner reservation, to see what other restaurants were still open. Most of the big names have returned -- Nobu, Gordon Ramsay Pub, Searsucker, Old Homestead, Rao's. Pronto by Giada now occupies the old Payard Patisserie spot; $6 for a small coffee? Oh hell naw! Restaurant Guy Savoy has survived, and is the one elegant pleasure palace left on the Strip, and its prices are higher than ever.
The one that hasn't returned is the Slanted Door, the local version of Charles Phan's SanFran establishment. I thought Vietnamese cuisine might be a hard sell, as well as its location on the butt-end of the Forum Shops. But it opened right as COVID-19 started hitting our shores, and Phan told me he was concerned. The sign outside says they're remaining closed for everyone's health and safety, but as time goes on, its return seems increasingly unlikely. Truly heartbreaking.
Flay is like a culinary Madonna -- good at his art, but brilliant at marketing himself. When he opened the original Mesa Grill, people flocked to it because New Yorkers were largely unfamiliar with Southwestern cuisine. Then the camera crews came calling, and as far as I can tell, he's the one real chef left at the Food Network. For my part, while I know there are better chefs, and there's a lot of hype and hullaballoo about him, I can honestly say I've never had a bad dish from my trips to MG. In fact, there have been times when I found his (or at least his executive chef's) offerings to be excellent.
What I find interesting is that he's moving away from the Mesa Grill brand altogether. That would be like Joel Robuchon no longer serving his mashed potatoes (well, he can't because he's dead, but you get the idea). His empire has included steakhouses and Spanish-style restaurants, and he has/had a sushi spot, Shark, at the yet-to-be-reopened Palms. Mesa Grill will shutter a week from today, to be converted to Amalfi, an Italian seafood place. I must give him credit for expanding his horizons, but I'm not sure how his penchant for bright colors and squeeze bottles will translate. Plus, if you're a Flay fan, expect to pay more for his food.
But I did want to get in one last supper, and try once again those bold flavors that he's famous for.
Flay actually started out in a French kitchen, and perhaps his take on tuna tartare reflects that. But he calls his version "nachos". Best way to eat this is to place a large-for-tartare chunk on each yellow and blue corn tortilla, The fish is place atop two sauces -- the avocado crema is nice, but the mango-habanero hot sauce is an addicting blend of sweet and spicy. Seriously, Bobby, you gotta bottle that stuff and sell it in supermarkets.
One of his signature dishes is his sixteen-spice chicken. It's debatable as to whether all those spices are necessary (I have the cookbook -- cinnamon, ancho and pasilla chili powders, cumin, corianger, ginger, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, black pepper, cloves, fennel seeds, allspice, chili de arbol, and cayenne), but they didn't particularly overpower the meat. It came with mashed potatoes and a delectable, molasses-like garlic-mango sauce.
If Mesa Grill wasn't the greatest restaurant in Vegas, it was still a good one. Let's see what else Flay has up his chef's coat.
***
Postscript: I had a chance to tour Caesar's before my dinner reservation, to see what other restaurants were still open. Most of the big names have returned -- Nobu, Gordon Ramsay Pub, Searsucker, Old Homestead, Rao's. Pronto by Giada now occupies the old Payard Patisserie spot; $6 for a small coffee? Oh hell naw! Restaurant Guy Savoy has survived, and is the one elegant pleasure palace left on the Strip, and its prices are higher than ever.
The one that hasn't returned is the Slanted Door, the local version of Charles Phan's SanFran establishment. I thought Vietnamese cuisine might be a hard sell, as well as its location on the butt-end of the Forum Shops. But it opened right as COVID-19 started hitting our shores, and Phan told me he was concerned. The sign outside says they're remaining closed for everyone's health and safety, but as time goes on, its return seems increasingly unlikely. Truly heartbreaking.