BEST! MEAL! EVER!

     Have you ever sat back and tried racking your brain? Asking yourself, what is the best meal I have ever ingested? You tend to start coming up with a lot of different stuff. Things start popping up like, Oh, I remember that burger I had in the Virgin Islands. Or That Kobe steak I had at so and so's last year was sublime. But what if you had to rate one meal, and only one as the best dining experience you have ever had, from amuse bouche to dessert? Well, I'm here today to tell you about the best meal I have ever had. Not even one minor misstep on any course. Every single thing that passed between my lips was a culinary awakening. And then of course, the level of service and ambiance that takes the total experience over the top, and turns it into something akin to a religious epiphany. I know there are more highly touted eateries out there. Daniel Bolud's place in New York, and Joel Robuchon's in Vegas just to name two. I am sad to say, I have been to neither. Robuchon was named the most influential chef of the last century by the way. One day Joel.............ONE DAY! As much as I respect and admire the cuisine prepared by our froggy friends, I am proud to say that the best meal I ever had was at a restaurant who's menu was created by a homegrown American boy. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you celebrity chef extraordinaire, Charlie Palmer. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you AUREOLE!

 

     Aureole is located in the beautiful Mandalay Bay resort in Las Vegas. The first thing that takes your breath away as you walk in, is a gorgeous, four story, temperature controlled, glass and stainless steel wine tower. At any given time, you can see Aureole's wine angels, flying up and down the tower, fetching bottles for thirsty patrons. Wine Director, William Sherer, is only one of 136 Master Sommeliers in the entire U.S., and he has complied a truly impressive collection. Once you are over the initial awe of the wine tower, you are shown to your table. The main dining room at Aureole is nothing short of spectacular. It looks so beautiful and pristine, I actually started wondering, How the hell did they let me in here? Aureole has also been awarded a highly coveted Michelin Star. This is an award that only the finest establishments can lay claim to.  Rosa, (My truly better half), and our favorite couple, Amado and Odalys were dining with me that evening. As we sat at our table, and started perusing the menu, I think all of us were excited at the possibilities of the forthcoming meal. 

 

      We were approached by the Sommaelier, with an I-Pad in hand. On the screen was Aureoles extensive wine list. At this point, I differ to Amado. He is the wino of the group, and I respect each and every choice he makes. Amado ordered a bottle of Pinot. I will not extensively go into the wines here. It's a food blog after all, and I don't want to show how little I know about wines and pairings. All I know, is that when the "first" bottle Amado ordered came to the table, I took the glass, swished it around, buried my nose in the glass to capture the bouquet, took a small sip, and swirled it around in my mouth aerating it as I savored it. When Amado asked me my opinion, I looked at him with a raised eyebrow and exclaimed, "That's some pretty freakin good vino right there Bro!" I told you I was no connoisseur. 

     One of the what seems like an endless stream of servers brought us a tray with assorted breads. My eyes gravitated to the Brioche. I love Brioche. It is a highly enriched French bread, whose high egg and butter content give it a light and tender crumb. I eagerly buttered the Brioche with butter that is prepared on premise. As I took the first bite, the eyes rolled into the back of my skull. I could have easily downed half a dozen of these delicious rolls. I don't normally get this excited about bread folks. But, it is that effen good.

     I decided right away I would be having the onion soup as my starter. I know, onion soup doesn't sound particularly adventurous, but I love onion soup! It's one of my favorite things ever. I figure, if they nail this, They've got me at hello. The soup arrived in a lovely bowl, with a puff pastry crust infused with Gruyere cheese on top. The broth is also fortified with foie gras, and truffles. The first spoonful of this luscious concoction went into my mouth and all you could hear at the table was CRACK, CRACK! I apologized to my fellow diners. The cracking sound was my toes curling in my already tight dress shoes. The beefy broth was spectacular. The crust was ridiculous. And the flavor of onion and truffle danced on my palette. Best onion soup ever! Well played Mr. Palmer. I sampled Rosa's butternut squash ravioli in a sage brown butter with Snow crab, and it was as good as my soup if not better.

     Main course time! I decided on the veal loin with a crispy polenta cake, baby artichokes, and shisto peppers. I love when veal is cooked correctly. It can be tender, succulent and flavorful. If the people at PETA have a problem with me consuming baby cow, I say they can shove it straight up their collective cornholes. I'm sorry, veal tastes good. Listen, I don't want to come off as insensitive, but when is enough enough? I love animals. I own two cats, one of which has been with me for the better part of 19 years. But when your incessant tree huggery messes with my meal, I draw the line. If some douchebag hippster wants to gnaw on brussel sprouts all day, and thinks he is making for a better world, I say let him. Just don't fuck with my plate. Oh dear. I'm sorry. Kinda got off track there. But, it had to be said. At any rate, he he, the sauce that accompanied the veal was a beef reduction with shallots. You could cut the meat with a fork, and the sauce complimented it perfectly. The baby artichokes were nothing short of perfect. And the peppers added an extra Je ne sais quoi to an already perfect plate of food. Rosa ordered the Opah, which is a Pacific moonfish. It's fairly rare to find it on a restaurant menu. If and when you do, I highly suggest you order it. It's one of the best tasting fish that swims. I snagged a taste of hers, and was almost jealous that I had not ordered that instead. Almost, but not quite. Between courses we were treated to an espresso cup filled with wild mushroom soup. This was on the house, and a very nice touch I might add. Was it good? I wanted to bathe in it, it was so good.

     For dessert I ordered the pistachio and almond toronne. This is a pistachio and almond nougat, that was bathed in a honey and cardamom drizzle. I swear I almost burst into tears. I could not have thought of a better way to end this meal. Not one bite was anything short of FOODGASMIC. I am not exaggerating. Every aspect of this meal surpassed my expectations. I think it is safe to say, I officially have a Man Crush on Charlie Palmer. After eating these heavenly courses, and several bottles of wine later, all of us at the table agreed we had just experienced something close to perfection. Please visit Aureole for yourself. You will thank me. The price tag may give you sticker shock, but I assure you, it is worth every penny. It didn't hurt that Amado had made a major killing at the slots earlier that day though. There you have it! My review of the best meal I ever had. I would love to give Aureole a 1 to 10 rating on the FOODGASM meter, but alas, Mr. Palmer's food busted it, and it is out for repair. Until next time my friends, may all your meals be FOODGASMIC!