Honeymoon in Vegas, Part 1

The Rat Pack era of Vegas in the '60's gave way to the fat-tourist-at-the-buffet '70's. The '90's brought the most ridiculous idea ever - Vegas as a sort of Disney-esque family destination, which was obviously doomed from the start.

Happily, the new trend for tourism is fine dining. Really fine dining.

The Man of the House and I recently got hitched in Las Vegas, and we spent the honeymoon eating our way through the city. Our first stop was a holy place that we both fantasized about for years: Nobu.

Frankly, I never expected that I would have a chance to eat from a menu designed by the venerable Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, and created by his team of gifted artists. It was a particularly religious experience for The Man of the House, whose soul is Japanese. We'd both spent many years reading about his restaurants and innovative style, and so I had built up the idea of this meal in my head like an adolescent virgin imagines losing it to a sparkly Robert Pattinson beneath a canopy of rainbows held aloft by unicorns. Which is why I had a total mental freak out on our way over.

Suddenly, I was overwhelmed with the notion that I had put the place on such a pedestal that heartbreak would be unavoidable. A good meal - hell, even a great one - would somehow be disappointing. Too much thought had gone into it, and I had developed unrealistic expectations.

Except I hadn't.

Nobu is located in the Hard Rock, which is extremely cool. We started off with lychee martinis in the bar, a tiny but gorgeous space with lighting low enough to make me think I might look fabulous.

(you're going to need to forgive the crappy quality of all of these pictures, but I wasn't about to use a flash and ruin the mood)



The dining room is a study in Zen sophistication (courtesy David Rockwell), with a hand-set wall of perfect river stones. Even the ceiling is beautiful:



We ordered several small plates to share, starting with the yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno:



It was transcendent. This is a dish with like, 4 ingredients. But each one is perfectly balanced, perfectly presented, in perfect harmony. One thin slice of fish, one thin slice of jalapeno, one small leaf of cilantro, and a touch of soy sauce. But the mouthful is so much better than the simple sum of those elements - something had happened to them, and they were incredible. My fears were erased, and the rest of the meal was so good it felt like a drug.

Next, we had the "New Style" scallop sashimi - meaning that the traditional raw slices are doused in hot oil flavored with sesame, yuzu, and soy. This is the mouthful that made my brain explode a little:



The heated oil mixture had a magical effect on the texture of the thin slices of scallop. Sadly, I have no words to express how good it is - just try to envision how it would feel to be passionately kissed by Cary Grant (for those of you who prefer the ladies, go ahead and replace Cary Grant with Angelina Jolie).

After that little bit of heaven, we moved on to the black cod with miso. This classic dish is umami-licious, and lives up to the reputation that precedes it. Cod cooked to idyllic perfection, and laced with just enough miso to heighten the fish rather than mask it.



Our final dish was a lobster shiitake salad with a spicy lemon dressing. Precisely enough citrus and heat to keep your palate interested, and studded with medallions of succulent lobster. The shiitakes had been seared so that their full mushroomy goodness acted as a meaty contrast to the lightness of the other ingredients.



Throughout the meal, every individual component handled with great care and respect, so that the whole is made exponentially greater. A perfect dinner to begin a new marriage.