Honeymoon in Vegas, Part 2

Serendipity was one of my beloved grandmother's favorite words. And it is the perfect way to describe the meal we had on our wedding night.

First, I think it's important to set the tone of the day. We were married at the walk-up window of a chapel across the street from the courthouse, with a bail bonds agent located conveniently next door (one stop shopping!). I wore a dress and hat made just for me by the genius designer/burlesque dancer, Jamie Von Stratton, and the groom wore vintage paisley:



Clearly, a classic steak dinner would be in order. We chose Tom Colicchio's CraftSteak, in the MGM Grand. We're fans of Top Chef (previous post here), and even though last year broke my heart, we spontaneously decided to give it a try.

The place is gorgeous - modern, but masculine and clubby, with loads of leather and soft lighting. The service is impeccable; attentive without being intimidating, and warm without being too chummy. We chose the tasting menu (which was a STEAL! no kidding!), and it was incredible.

There was grilled quail, Buffalo mozzarella, fennel salad, Persian cucumber salad, 2 kinds of delicious steak (skirt and flat iron), scallops, mushrooms, corn, and potato puree. The final two items deserve special attention.

Corn is an everyday side for a gal from Indiana. A good solid side. But not one that is expected to get a wow, especially in a fine dining establishment.



WOW! No kidding, this dish of corn was fucking amazing. Crisp and fresh, seared just a touch so that pieces started to caramelize and darken, with lethal amounts of good butter. And it was seasoned to absolute perfection. I know now what Judge Colicchio means when he complains (or compliments) about the correct seasoning of a dish on Top Chef. Suddenly, it was all clear. Wow. Wow.Wow.

And the potatoes were obscenely good. My Pop is the master of the spud, and all mashed potatoes I eat are compared to his. CraftSteak's are the only ones that I think stand up to dear old Dad's, and I'm pretty sure it's because there are just enough potatoes in there to act as a gentle binder to the massive whallop of butter and cream.



Dessert was lovely, and there was a special message in chocolate sauce:



Sadly, I do not have many pictures of the rest of the meal, as I was distracted by eating and enjoying my handsome dining companion -



But I don't need pictures. I can remember every detail of this evening with perfect clarity. When we talk about our honeymoon in Vegas, and the many fine meals we had, this one is most frequently cited. We hadn't planned ahead of time to go there, and we certainly never anticipated that a dinner of meat, potatoes, and corn that would mark us both the most deeply. It was just sweet serendipity.