The Latest Food Goss!

Wine / Cocktail Bar

by

A Touch of Class

What:     The Dorsey

Website: Click here

Where:  3355 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Rating:  

Why:

Adjacent to some gaming areas in the Venetian casino complex sits a gem of a lounge bar called The Dorsey. The Venetian is a little more upmarket than the casinos further down the strip and this lovely bar is not the place to wear your trackies and Nikes.

It is swanky without being ostentatious and is where the young and hip, middle-aged and wealthy and all of those in between come to start, finish or continue their casino-hop. A visit to The Venetian is probably incomplete without a visit to The Dorsey.

Like many lounge bars on the Strip, this lounge is intimately lit, partly by the small lamps on or near your low table in front of the lounge you’ll be sitting on, partly by the lights of the bar and the gaming machines outside, and partly by the almost too white smiles of the mainly female wait-staff all rocking their LBD’s. It is an unashamedly smooth and sexy vibe inside but equally high-class, and each of the wait-staff who will serve you are not only obviously visually attractive but also eloquently well-spoken.

Post-9pm you will enjoy the beats of a talented line-up of DJs. At other times, music is otherwise smooth modern house blending into the background so you can take a breath and have a conversation at low volume.

Their lengthy list of in-house cocktails is impressive and they will also happily serve up decent versions of your favourite cocktails that are not on their list if you ask nicely. However, you will likely be quite content with what is on their list and you will likely be quite happy to tip well if the service we received was anything to go by (and we suspect it is).

by

Great Bar at the Grand

What:     Lobby Bar

Website: Click here

Where:  3799 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Rating:  

Why:

Just past the lobby of the MGM Grand is a delicious little wine lounge and bar called (perhaps unsurprisingly) “Lobby Bar”. The dress code is technically “casual”, but even though you can get away with wearing your Nikes and Lorna Janes, when you walk in you’ll probably convince yourself to at least up the ante to smart casual, because this wine lounge is lovely and at least a little swanky.

The lounge is dimly lit, mainly by the lights of the bar on the convex curved inside wall and by the gaming machines in the large gaming section outside, and that gives it a smooth clubby feel, which is matched by the dulcet tones and demeanour of the nightclub-attired wait staff ready to help you start or finish your night – or day – as the case may be … this is after all Las Vegas, which never sleeps.

There is an already impressive cocktail list but they will happily make you cocktails off list if you prefer. That said, the menu cocktails we tried were very tasty and the service we found to be excellent. It helps if you tip well – but we were served very well despite paying our bill and tip just before leaving.

There does seem to be a raft of negative comments on Yelp! about the service at this place. Our experience and those of others we know was quite the opposite.

Being a wine lounge and bar, no food is offered. Our waitress told us that apparently in Nevada you can either serve food and drink with no smoking allowed, or allow people to smoke and only serve drinks. Because it’s apparently less offensive to drink around smoke than eat around smoke right? Let’s save that discussion for another day.

So, again like many places in Las Vegas, smoking in the venue is fine, but the ventilation is excellent so the smoke (to whiny non-smokers like us) was never an issue.

Smooth up to date music plays non-stop which gives the lounge an active and exciting ambience when coupled with the dazzling display of lights at the bar and outside. Later in the night, a DJ amps it up a bit and plays music choices seemingly attuned to the crowd at the time, and it is well appreciated.

This fine lounge and bar is a must-visit venue when in Vegas.

by

Dine, Dance and Romance

What:     Mastro’s Ocean Club

Website: Click here

Where:  15045 North Kierland Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ, USA

Rating:  

Why:

If you’re up for a romantic, swanky, fine dining experience in Scottsdale, Arizona, then look no further than this fabulous restaurant and club.

Perched on the corner of North Kieland Boulevard and the entry drive into Kierland Commons (diagonally across from the Westin Kierland Spa and Resort) is Mastro’s Ocean Club.

This restaurant, lounge and club opens as a lounge from 4pm but is otherwise for dinner only. It unashamedly tries to be a glitzy affair and achieves that in spades, perhaps even going too far if you’re the cynical type. From the pretty, tanned and precociously aloof model in the LBD who took our booking at the door that afternoon (and who joined several other equally gene-blessed hosts at the reception area inside that evening), to the silver service from the male and female waiters all dressed in black tie complete with white coats and black bow ties — this is unabashed swank in all its glory.

Even if that’s not your thing, it is difficult not to be entirely impressed because this Club pulls all of that off really well. The restaurant is beautiful inside, the wait staff know the extensive food and wine menus, as well as the night’s multiple specials, in significant detail, and they do absolutely everything they can to make your stay just that bit special.

As you enter the restaurant, to the right of reception and down the stairs is a large wine bar with some standing and seated tables where you can enjoy whatever drink takes your fancy while you listen to the live band entertaining the more energetic visitors on the dance floor. The restaurant itself (which is to the right of reception, not down the stairs) is indeed optional as many locals visit the venue for the glitzy club feel it offers. If we are going to be picky about it, the band were actually cheating a little as they had a backing track with music and vocals on it that they were singing and playing to, and really only the drummer was the professional musician. However, they sang in tune enough and appeared entertaining enough to delight the 20-30 people constantly on the dance floor, while the rest of the room, comprising at least 100 people, were happily singing or tapping along while enjoying their cocktails – no musical purists here.

Being a Saturday night, the restaurant and club were both inordinately busy, which is a very good sign, so while we had a reservation, we were still quite happy to wait and listen to the music for 10 minutes or so. It passed by swiftly and we were ushered to our table by another model-esque host, and were met by our waiter hardly a moment after the host glided serenely back to reception to join the other hosts.

This is where you come to set the bar really high on a first date, or to celebrate something really special, or when you are on holiday (like we were) and just want to do a bit of safe splashing out on some great quality food and service. Once again, this fine restaurant does not disappoint.

As you might imagine from its name, the restaurant specializes in seafood. As is expected in a fine dining restaurant that actually does provide a fine dining experience, the “usual suspects” on the menu are all there, and then some, but are also specific to a given region or breed of fish, and of course there are varieties of crab, shrimp and lobster. As well-fed Australians we have been spoilt multiply with large and beautiful prawns, but the shrimp we were served as an appetizer were enormous and nothing short of impressive, not to mention extremely tasty.

The excellent menu also includes an impressive array of meat cuts and other proteins, a variety of tasty sides, sauces and dressings, as well as multiple gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options.

Our waiter was attentive, friendly and down to earth. However, she was certainly able to switch on the “glam” if her customers appeared to want that – she was having a very different conversation with us from that she was having with the customers a couple of tables down, but never skipped a beat.

Being a very busy night, the food was delayed but only very slightly – we were eating our appetizers within 15 minutes of ordering and our entrees (remember main courses are called entrees in the US) within 30 minutes of finishing our appetizers.

Our appetizers (and, we noticed, a number of other dishes on the menu) came with a bit of theatre, with our shrimp cocktails served in a glass cocktail bowl surrounded by concealed dry ice, leaving the cocktail bowls smoking away as they arrived and for a few minutes afterwards. It’s a well-known restaurant gimmick, but it is still impressive and is totally in line with the product they sell, which is fine quality food with a fine quality presentation.

The seafood we were served for main course – a thick swordfish steak for me and B enjoyed lemon sole with vanilla in tempura batter – was impeccably cooked and presented and tasted every bit as good as it looked. As seems to be the case in this part of the world, the serves were very generous – you will certainly not go hungry.

If you’re smart, you will not finish what’s on your main course plate (assuming that was physically possible) and leave room for one of the scrumptious desserts on offer. We saved some space to share some creme brulee for dessert and it was equally as impressive as the main course.

As expected, the wine we were recommended towards was perfectly matched with what we ate, and rounded off what was in our view a very impressive fine dining experience.

Being as impressive as it was, you do not expect the bill to be any less impressive, but even without under-doing it, you might expect a bill total for two (pre-tip) to be around or just under the USD$300 mark. To minimize it, we suggest minimizing how many cocktails you order. They’re quite delicious and won’t break the bank, but that’s no reason to invite them to do so.

This is a place to which we will most definitely return.

by

Italy Meets Arizona

What:     Postino

Website: Click here

Where:  7030 E. Greenway Parkway, Scottsdale, AZ, USA

Rating:  

Why:

The Kierland Commons outdoor shopping centre in Scottsdale, Arizona, boasts a number of excellent restaurants, and this one is a shining example of just that.

At first blush, Postino seems like a smart casual Italian restaurant – and it is at least that – but it is actually also a very worthwhile wine and cocktail bar.

This venue is one of a number of Postino restaurants across Arizona, Colorado and Texas, and their website markets them as “wine cafes” – which seems unkind if this restaurant is typical of the group. The quality of the food, drinks, and for that matter, the professional and ebullient service, makes this excellent venue much less cafe and much more restaurant and wine/cocktail bar. It could be fine dining if not for its more casual and relaxed atmosphere.

Most of the staff are young twenty-somethings and most of them seem to have the gift of the gab and to have received very good training. Our waiter was certainly able to make great food and drink pairing suggestions, which was unexpected but most welcome.

The ambience probably depends upon the time of day – it was lunchtime when we attended and the restaurant was only half full with a relaxed, casual atmosphere where you could have a quiet conversation if you were a duo, or you could come as a group and be seated outside if you wanted to make more noise. However, with tiled flooring and great acoustics, the atmosphere would likely become quite energetic with the after-work crowd, amongst whom we imagine this place is quite popular. Your quiet conversations should probably be reserved for before 5pm or after 8pm.

There are separate menus for the food and the wine / cocktails – the cocktails are certainly worth a look. Be wary though, they carry a potency that will make two more than enough if you want to walk out straight and certainly only one if you are going to go near a steering wheel.

The food itself is predominantly Italian fare, and the generous servings are full of flavour and more than a hint of spice if requested. The pasta is reportedly home made and absolutely delicious. Requests for more parmesan are always cheerfully granted.

As we have found with other venues in Kierland Commons, service is swift and friendly and the food and drinks also come out swiftly.

The restaurant is well-lit, during the day mainly with natural light which is used well courtesy of slightly higher white corrugated iron ceilings. This comfortable brightness seems exemplified in the effervescence of most of the staff. That combined with excellent quality food and drink results in a most enjoyable experience throughout, which will likely be topped off by a fairly modest bill at the end.

We’d have to be quite pernicketty to fault the experience we enjoyed there. It’s a “must visit” if you are passing through or staying in Scottsdale.

by

East Meets West With Zest

What:     Madame Wu

Website: Click here

Where:  Riparian Plaza, 71 Eagle St, Brisbane CBD

Rating:  

Why:

Sitting atop a well-regarded dining precinct with some of the most spectacular river views does not necessarily equate with excellent dining.

But sometimes it does, especially if you are at Madame Wu.

Madame Wu is a very popular and busy restaurant, which you will find at the top of a staircase located between Riparian Plaza and 111 Eagle. The entryway faces the marble reception desk where you will be greeted warmly and either ushered to your table which you had to reserve or to the well-stocked bar area behind reception if you prefer a drink or two first. Be warned, though – if you haven’t booked and it is a Friday night or other busy period, you may well be turned away.

It is most definitely worth making the booking (which is online and very easy). The atmosphere at Madame Wu is usually celebratory, although it probably doesn’t hurt that we made our booking for 8:45pm on a Friday night. That’s a good time to book, by the way, as long as you can hold out until then to eat. While the place is still brimming, things are a little less hectic then and the staff, who are excellent, can give you just that little bit of extra attention they might not have time to do a little earlier when the “straight from work” crowd is in full swing.

The menu is modern Asian cuisine in which East really does meet West and there will be something to suit most palates (but if you don’t like coriander, you’d best let them know – it may appear where you don’t expect it). The chef’s recommendations are the two banquet offerings which feature a rich mix of very tasty menu items and are very unlikely to leave you wanting.

At the time of this review, those banquets were priced respectively at $65 and $85 per head, and it is only a 2 person minimum for those. These prices are not cheap, but they are well worth the food that follows, which is beautifully prepared and presented. The $65 banquet is certainly more than enough for most people – there will almost always be food left over if you choose the $85 version, which is delicious but enormous.

The a la carte offerings are always available and reasonably priced and the wine list also covers a broad range of tastes and budgets. Most of the staff will also know which wines best match the food you ordered so unless you are an expert in that area yourself, you would be well placed to take their advice, which in our case was absolutely bang on.

The food comes out in tranches and is timely – sometimes almost too quick with the banquet, but we were hungry so that suited us perfectly.

Seating can be inside or outside – obviously outside has the better views, but inside dining is also aesthetically pleasing as a lot of work seems to have gone into the visual aspects of the premises.

We expected high quality, and we certainly got it. It’s not a place you’ll only want to visit once.

by

Cosy, Edgy and Cool

What:     Verve Restaurant – Bar – Cider House

Website: Click here

Where:  Basement 109 Edward St, Brisbane, Q 4000

Rating:  

Why:

Hiding down the stairs in the building on Edward Street next to the Victory Hotel, and directly underneath an old-school small film cinema where they regularly show old silent films, is Verve.

Depending upon which part of its website you go to, it may be called Verve Restaurant – Bar – Cider House, Verve Restaurant and Cider House, Verve Cafe, or Verve Cafe and Cider Bar.

I guess the point is that it is a restaurant, a bar and a cider house (and pretty good at being all of those), although not so much a cafe – we’ll come back to that.

It is unashamedly a brick basement which has been brightened up with red and brown toned colours, which combine well with the colours of the brick walls. The atmosphere, though, is anything but “basementy”. Perhaps partly because it was about 6pm on a Friday night when we visited this delightful place, the atmosphere was celebratory and “after-work-drinksy”.

On their website they say this: “Verve Cafe and Cider Bar is the kind of old skool unselfconsciously-cool-without-even-trying venue that they‘re not making any more, which is why it has endured throughout the years while other neighbourhood venues have come and gone“.

Happily, the website accurately describes the venue.

This is not a place one goes to on a romantic date hoping for some quiet conversation. However, it is a place to go for an enthusiastic welcome from young staff keen to appease, a good recommendation for your next drink from the blokey but gracious owner/host and a very tasty meal before you head off to wherever your night was planned to take you.

The restaurant part is to your right as you come down the stairs and there is a reasonably well stocked bar right in front of you when you arrive. The later it gets the louder it gets, but not uncomfortably so, and if you’ve stayed since it was a bit quieter from 5:30-ish, chances are you are just as loud as the next person.

The food selection is a reasonable array of pasta, risotto, pizza and a few other main selections – but there’s an obvious Italian bent to the available choices. The portion sizes are generous and really very tasty. The excellent taste makes the price tag of just under $30 for some pizzas or pasta selections quite reasonable.

Despite the place being 3/4 full when the four of us ordered dinner, the food was fairly quick to come out and the meals were all consistent in their quality.

There is a limited dessert offering and even more limited coffee and tea offering – but they don’t profess to be great tea and coffee makers (in fact, their menu says it is terrible coffee(!) – but it really isn’t as bad as all that). With a multitude of good coffee venues a door or two down on either side, Verve sticks to what it is good at, which is pretty much everything else.

The only disappointment was the bathroom facilities, which are located up a labyrinth of stairs, partly outdoors (unhelpful in the rain) and not that easy to find – you wouldn’t want to have a really urgent need. That said, they were clean and easy to get to once you’d been once.

Despite the bathroom location issue, it still deserves its 4-star rating based upon food quality alone.

The venue has constant music in the background and it is not too loud – the place already has an edgy modern buzz about it that doesn’t need overly loud music to help it, and the owner and staff seem to know that because they don’t seem to overdo anything – the balance is pretty good for most tastes and ages, and the mix of people coming down the stairs really is a mixed bag of ages and walks of life.

For me, it’s not a place where you go and remain all night – but it certainly is a good place to start.