I’m on a mission. For my birthday this year, I want to dine at Gordon Ramsey Steak inside Paris Las Vegas. I’ve been watching the chef on TV for so long, it’s time to try out his signature Beef Wellington in person. 9 months ago

Back in July, I gave Kathy a birthday present that included a $100 gift certificate to Envy – The Steakhouse. Tonight we put it to work, and what a memorable meal it was.

To get us in a proper dining mood, we ordered wine. The restaurant was temporarily out of the Tavel Rose that Kathy wanted, so they suggested a Riesling, which was excellent – sweet with a delicate floral bouquet. I asked for a Merlot, and was offered an Argentine Tikal Malbec for comparison. When I tasted the two, it was clear that the recommendation was the better. “Fill the glass!” I said. And she did, just like I might pour it for myself. (BTW, The wine list included some real rarities, such as a 1912 vintage priced at $2,050 a bottle!)

We loved the bread they served – a whole grain loaf with chopped pecans embedded, which came sliced in a small basket with a sprig of sage. The butter served on a side dish was also garnished with sage. It was tempting to make a meal of the delicious stuff, but we showed restraint.

For a starter, I ordered the Tuna and Crabmeat Dynamite. It was a cake of fresh crab flakes marinated in olive oil and spices, topped with bits of tuna sashimi, caviar and herbs. Kathy adored the crab, although she passed on the fish items. Not her taste. More for me then, and you can bet we sent nothing back.

As a main course, she had the Petit Filet Mignon with a baked potato on the side. I ordered the Tuscan Veal Chop smothered in olives, lemon, garlic, roasted tomatoes and capers, accompanied by Crimini Mushrooms sauted in port wine. The sauces alone were to die for, and the meat was done to perfection. We tasted each other’s dishes, of course, and I’d be hard pressed to say what was better—it was all divine.

And even though we didn’t try it, we were served a small dish with three varieties of salt: sea salt, Australian river salt, and a Chardonnay salt that had been stored in oak casks. My word, what wonderful extras.

We lingered over every bite and left nothing but a stripped bone and some potato skin for the server to carry back. Of course, we had to ask about dessert, and the selection was heavenly. Kathy got the Molten Chocolate Cake with a scoop of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. I toyed with the thought of Banana Bread Pudding topped with Caramel and Kalua, but my commitment to cutting calories got the better of me. I settled for a taste of her dessert, and believe me, it was Death by Chocolate.

How good is Envy? Well, the veal I had will be featured in the Novemeber issue of Bon Apetit magazine, and the restaurant has been touted as one of Las Vegas’s top five steakhouses since it’s opening about two years ago. Five stars do not do it justice. Excluding the tip, but including tax, our meal came to $128.22, and it was soooo worth it. Now we have vowed to add a five-star restaurant to our dining-out plan every three months. We eat well as a rule, but you just can’t beat top quality. 6 years ago

Surely it has not been three years since I last tried a new restaurant, but apparently it has been almost that long since I last wrote an entry about one here.

Magianno’s Little Italy is one of the better known eateries in Las Vegas. It’s on the second floor of the Fashion Show Mall with a very nice view of the Strip. My friend visiting from Hawaii wanted to go there during his visit last week, so we had some fun with the menu – steamed mussels Tuscan style with fresh bread for dipping, an avocado and shrimp salad, eggplant parmesan and baked ziti. We had beer for starters, then I switched to Chianti and he had a shot of Grappa (at my coaxing).

Overall, I’d say the food was good, not great. The total cost was about $84 plus tip – booze was 30% of it. One nice aspect of the meal was that a portion of the salad cost went to the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Love to see local shops giving back to the community. 12 months ago

Okay, it’s been a few months AGAIN. But here goes. :).
September-
Sushi House Naperville.
I love Sushi.

October-
Kiku.

November-
Country House in Batavia for my birthday.
I’ve been to the one in Clarendon Hills, but not to this location. Completely different. Not bad, or good, just different.

December-
Giordano’s Naperville.
I’ve been to a few, in Chicago, in Willowbrook, this location is small but the pizza and appetizers were good and our service was decent. 16 months ago

July—
Yorky’s Fast Food in Elmhurst.
It’s not that fast, but it’s definitely delicious.
August—
The Hillbilly Grill in Portage, IN.
It was fantastic. We will be back for gigantic ridiculous burgers. There is a burger with a pizza puff on top of it. It’s wonderful. It was love at first bite. 20 months ago

Okay I forgot about June as well. Well, not during June… I went to a new restaurant, but I forgot to write about it :).
So, June was
Sakura sushi by my work. <3. If only I had long lunches so I could get over there for their all you can eat sushi special. Maybe I'll go some friday when I'm off work :). 22 months ago

I forgot to write an entry from april and may. ooops. so let’s do that now.
April was Bono’s . Delicious. Nothing else needs to be said about the place. It’s nearly fast food, if fast food were completely fantastic.
May was a new sushi restaurant. Dao thai and sushi. Decently priced, really quite fancy, a lot of people on first dates. I was under dressed, but I enjoyed it. 23 months ago