Top 40

 

Aubergine in Carmel is the first Top 40 that both Amanda and I have gone to together since starting this blog, and it was certainly worthy of such a notable distinction.

Here's the list of ingredients they chose for the menu. I guess they choose fresh seasonal ingredients each week and build their menu around those, which is kind of cool.

 

Cherry, lemon verbena, lemongrass

Amanda doesn't normally like cherries, but this little amuse bouche realy hit the spot. The cherry's weren't sickeningly sweet, but very delicate, and the little bit of sweetness was balanced out nice by lemon.

 

A drink for Amanda to start the everning

I think this was some sort of elderflower infused drink. Or something.

 

Peach, Sea Bass

Dear god this was amazing. Delicate sea bass swimming in a peach soup. 

 

Foie gras, corn, peas

There was some crunchy puffed rice that complimented the soft, rich, foie gras quite well. Not the best foie gras I've ever had, but this was unique in that it wasn't overly fatty and had a lot of differeny layers to it with the different textures of the corn, rice, and foie gras itself.

 

Seawater, Caviar

Amanda couldn't have the raw oyster since she was pregnant, but they made her the dish without it and she said it was still amazing.

 

Oyser, Seawater, Caviar

I, however, had no such problem and had the opportunity to try the entire thing, oyster and all. The slight saltiness of the caviar complimented the oyster nicely. Normally I put some sort of tobasco or mignonette over my osters, but I may just try adding a little bit of salt on top in the future. It really made the falvor of the oyster pop, and the caviar itself was amazing.

 

Flavors of Gazpacho

This was a nice palatte cleanser of different cherry tomatoes, blanched, with the skin removed.

 

Ayu, Rice, Sesame

This crispy-skinned fish was one of my favorite dishes of the night. The sauce had an amazing aroma and the soft rice contrasted nicely with the crispy fish.

 

Abalone, Bib Lettuce

The slightly bitter lettuce went really well with the abaolne.

 

Bread!

 

A drink with basil and a big ball of ice

 

Squab, Seaweed, Pluot

The Squab breast was cooked rare, and seasoned perfectly. The pluot were sweet and cut through the incredibly rich squab.

 

Squab, Seaweed, Pluot

The drunmsticks were an amazing, crispy little bite!

 

Dry-aged Ribeye, Broccoli, Parsley

Amanda got the rib-eye, which we said was really, really good.

 

Wagyu Beef

I got the wagyu beef, which, as expected, melted in my mouth. The meat was simply adorned with salt and pepper, and it frankly didn't need anything else.

 

Wagyu Beef

 

Wagyu Beef

 

Morel, Ossau Iraty

This dish was realy, really simple, but very well done. A sauteed morel was laid uderneath a slice of cheese. I could have eaten about 50 of these.

 

A selection of cheeses from the cheese cave!

 

Huckleberry, Pine

 

Strawberry, Loveage

 

Shortbread!

 

Some amazing chocolate bonus dessert!

 

Another amazing chocolate bonus dessert for our anniversary!

 

Delicious fried dough ball and some cookies to take home!

 

Everybody signed a copy of the menu for us!

 

Cheese cave!

 

Happy Anniversary to us!

 

 

Restaurant Guy Savoy in fabulous Las Vegas is one of our favorite restaurants of the Top 40 restaurants in the US that we've visited. The first time we went we did their extended tasting menu (the "Innovation" menu). The catch was that we had a flight back home that evening and had to squeeze it in to a little under 2 hours. The most amazing thing was that, although the food came at a very good clip, we never felt rushed and the staff managed to really give us a phenomenal experience. The food was also amazing, so we just felt that the restaurant was firing on all cylinders.

 

This time around I was in Vegas on my own for the GP, but couldn't turn down an opportunity to dine here again, even if it was by my lonesome. I opted for a more reasonable amount of food this time, so I went after the Forbes tasting menu this time, paired with wine. Going down the list, one thing stuck out at me.

 

That's right, I got to try a port that was born around the same time as my grandpa!

 

Amuse Bouche

This warm soup was absolutely delicious, and the best part is that after you finish the soup, you lift up the cup and there's a little surprise underneath. I won't spoil the surprise, you'll just have to go find out what it is for yourself.

 

Langostine Tartare, Golden Osetra Caviar and Asparagus Bavaroise

The green mound was a sort of asparagus mousse, which on it's own was a little pungent for my liking. When combined with the delicate langostine and slightly salty caviar, it was phenomenal, though. The little red dots in the mist is a little bit of pureed red pepper that had a little bit of a kick, but didn't overpower the rest of the dish.

 

Line Caught Sea Bass, Crispy Scales, Tomato in Papillote

Prior to bringing out the dish, they bring out the pouch that the tomato is cooked in, and pierce it in front of you, letting all the wonderful aroma's wash over you. It smells absolutely amazing and it was all I could do not to just reach out and grab the tomato right then and there. I'm glad I waited, though, because when combioned with the seabass it was out of this world. The scales are flash fried and crisp up quickly, creating a very crisp texture that contrasts with the soft tomato very nicely.

 

Artichoke and Black Truffle Soup, Toasted Mushroom Brioche and Black Truffle Butter

As you sit there, staring at the plate, it feels like you've been packpacking for a week, living off of nothing but trail mix and granola bars for 3 meals a day the entire time, when you finally get back to civilization. Before dawn, you wander into town and from down the street, you smell a bakery. No one else is awake, but you can tell the baker is hard at work; the scent of fresh baked bread proof of his labor of love.

It's the best smell you will ever experience in your entire life.

For reference, there is no cream in that soup, but you'd be hard pressed to identify that fact after tasting it. It is incredibly rich and creamy, but somehow they do that just with the artichoke. The rich smell of truffles and sharp tang of parmessan cheese combine with the buttery, fresh-baked scent of the briche, making something truly exquisite. It's all I could do to keep from downing the brioche and soup in one go, and holding myself back from ravaging that bowl was the greatest amount of self restraint I've ever shown in my life.

 

"Sealand," Seared Japanese Wagyu, Maine Lobster and Stuffed Rigatoni

The wagyu beef disintegrated in my mouth.

The stuffed rigatoni exploded with flavor. 

The lobster oozed with buttery goodness.

This dish was phenomenally good.

 

Amuse Bouche

A little pallate cleanser after that incredibly rich dish was very welcome, and this slightly tart apricot preserve hit the spot.

 

All Black

I thought maybe there'd be a reprieve from the heavy dishes, finally, after that amuse bouche. I forgot that I was in a french restaurant.

This chocolate cake with chocolate ganache topped with chocolate ice cream was, I think, approaching the legal limit for the amount of chocolate allowed on a single plate.