3730 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
http://www.arialasvegas.com/dining/american-fish.aspx
With so many fine dining locations to choose in Las Vegas, it's tough to make a decision on your own. That is why we decided on American Fish at Courtney and Ed's recommendation. Having experienced a delicious dinner at XIV, one of Michael Mina's Los Angeles-based establishments, we were eager to try this Las Vegas outpost. However, American Fish is an entirely different dining concept, inspired by America's rivers and coasts. The proteins offered are prepared using four different methods: salt-baked, wood-grilled, cast-iron griddled and ocean-water poached. As we were dining with Ray's family, we sadly passed on their traditional tasting menu option and instead, opted for the 3-course theater pre-fix menu.
1. shrimp and grits, jalapeno, serrano ham - one of the best dishes of the night. The shrimps tasted extremely fresh, having the "bouncy" consistency we've come to expect from good shrimp. It had a slight char which added a nice smoky flavor as well. The grits were also populated with hearty chunks of bacon bits, present in nearly every bite. Tasty, tasty, tasty.
2. tuna tartare, wild arugula, quail egg, pine nuts - this was a different twist on the traditional tuna tartare. The quail egg added a nice creamy texture and richness to the dish while the nuts provided a nice textural crunch and additional aroma. One of the finer tuna tartares we've had.
3. sea salt-baked branzino, cippolini onion, black olive, chick pea fritter - I was looking forward to this dish. The branzino is packed in sea salt and baked until the skin is crispy. The fish itself was cooked very nicely and the chick pea fritters were tasty. But the olive sauce ruined the dish for me. I am not particularly found of olives in general and this sauce was too overpowering and took away from the lighter flavors of the fish. Also, large chunks of the salt were left on the fish and can likely chip a tooth if not careful.
4. filet of angus beef - With everyone else having ordered fish, Ray thought he'd change it up by having the one, non-seafood item on the theater menu. The meat was prepared over an open wood flame, on a grill that was raised and lowered via a steel wagon wheel. (I was fascinated by this.) However, as many a home BBQ'er knows, controlling the temperature of any meat is difficult over an open flame, which appeared to also be an issue for the grill chef at American Fish, as the steak was served overcooked. His typical request of "medium-rare" came out nearly well-done, leaving a dry chewy piece of flesh. Quite a disappointment.
5. valrhona chocolate custard, red velvet cake, pecans cocoa nib ice cream - I can never pass up a dessert with valrhona. Their chocolate is so yummy! This was a heavy preparation and the custard could have used some egg whites to lighten it up. Overall the dessert was good but not worth ordering again.
6. marscapone cheesecake, black mission figs, vanilla crust - the better dessert of the two. The cake was light and fluffy and paired nicely with the fig.
Our meal at American Fish had some hits and a few misses but overall, was an enjoyable dinner. Enough so, that we would likely return to try the tasting menu to see and taste all the other different methods of food preparation, like ocean-water poaching. Side note: the bread service was super yummy, including fresh artisan bread grilled over the open flames and warm corn bread muffins.
Second side note: sorry for the mediocre pictures. We weren't initially planning on blogging any of our dinners from this family Vegas trip and therefore did not bring the Canon SLR. We changed our minds once we started eating. Should have known better.