MGM Grand
3799 Las Vegas Blvd S,
Las Vegas, NV 89109
http://www.mgmgrand.com/restaurants/seablue-mediterranean-restaurant.aspx
Our 3rd Vegas trip in the span of 5 weeks...yes, we love Las Vegas. While the first two trips were with friends, this latest trip was special in that it was a birthday present to my mom, who hasn't been to Vegas in over 7 years. We brought along my two aunts to join in on the gambling, yummy food and to take in a show at the Wynn involving a famous Taiwanese magician.
It was a challenge to find a nice dinner spot to celebrate my mom's birthday. My family isn't very adventurous with food, to say the least. We decided on Seablue at the MGM hotel, because seafood seemed like a safe bet and we've also had positive experiences with Michael Mina.
1. Seablue Salad, Mixed Lettuce, Heirloom Radish, Serrano Ham, Pecorino, Cabernet Vinaigrette - Sometimes the simpliest of dishes are the best. Crispy, leafy greens, aromatic pecorino, and salty serrano combined with the light drizzle of the vinaigrette makes for a great combination. Simple and delicious.
2. Crab Croquettes, Creamy Arugula Marscapone - Kind of a cross between a corn dog and a crab cake. Crispy outer skin with lots of crab. Good, but not great.
3. Lobster Fritters, Bacon, Citrus Crème Fraiche - Another deep fried crustacean. The addition of the lettuce was welcomed. The creme fraiche also added some additional balance. The hints of bacon was barely noticeable while the lobster tended to get lost a bit in the mix. The tiny sliver of lime was deceptively bold.
4. Stuffed Calamari, Housemade Chorizo, Shaved Fennel - One of the few lackluster dishes of the night. The calamari lacked the usual texture of what we'd come to like about the squid: lacking the appealling textural "bounce", yielding too easily to every bite. The bold chorizo was the prominent player in this dish althought it didn't do much to enhance it.
5. Caramelized Cauliflower, Coriander Yogurt, Raisins - Miniature cauliflower flowerettes. A nice combination with the raisins and yogurt, but the portion was so small, there wasn't much there to enjoy.
6. Sauteed Rapini, Manchego Cream - Also known as "broccoli rabe". The earthy greens paired nicely with the aged goat cheese. Another dish that succeeded due to its simplicity.
7. Charred Octopus, Fregola, Piquillo Pepper Stew - This octopod was grilled nicely. There was a nice char which gave the mollusk an added depth of flavor. The pepper stew added some acidity which was welcomed.
8. Bistecca Alla Fiorentina with Grilled Shrimp - The porterhouse cut was cooked to a nice medium rare with a nice char on the outside. A good piece of meat, but not the best we've had. The shrimp was decent as well, but didn't taste as fresh as we would have liked.
9. Artic Char - The char was nice and flaky, without the excessive amounts of oil/fat you'd find in a farm-raised salmon.
10. Three Custards: Crème Catalan, Milk Chocolate, Cappucino - The more popular of the two desserts we ordered. Might have had something to do with presentation and portion size. The three little dishes looked beautiful and held just enough of the creamy custard to have everyone wanting more.
11. Profiteroles - Chocolate Crust, Milk Chocolate Rocky Road Ice-Cream - A bit like a cream puff where the cream was replaced with Rocky Road ice cream. The large sugar crystals added a pleasant texture. Those sugar crystals and the chocolate from the ice cream is what we remember most from this final course.
In addition to the above, Seablue's bread service consisted of a grilled nan, much like Chef Mina's West Hollywood restaurant, XIV. There's something about his nan, because we always ask for more. It's a bit crispy, a bit chewy and always delicious. The after-dinner coffee was also noticeably good. We inquired about the coffee's origin and were pleasantly surprised to find that it's available in LA, at LA Mill Coffee. We'll be sure to make a trip to pick some up the next time we're in the Silverlake area. There are also rumors of Chef Mina teaming up with LA Mill to open a series of coffee & beignets shops across LA and also potentially at the LAX airport - yes please!
Overall, a very good meal. Although it's sometimes difficult to find a place to eat that will please everyone's diverse palates, Seablue did the job.
3799 Las Vegas Blvd S,
Las Vegas, NV 89109
http://www.mgmgrand.com/restaurants/seablue-mediterranean-restaurant.aspx
Our 3rd Vegas trip in the span of 5 weeks...yes, we love Las Vegas. While the first two trips were with friends, this latest trip was special in that it was a birthday present to my mom, who hasn't been to Vegas in over 7 years. We brought along my two aunts to join in on the gambling, yummy food and to take in a show at the Wynn involving a famous Taiwanese magician.
It was a challenge to find a nice dinner spot to celebrate my mom's birthday. My family isn't very adventurous with food, to say the least. We decided on Seablue at the MGM hotel, because seafood seemed like a safe bet and we've also had positive experiences with Michael Mina.
1. Seablue Salad, Mixed Lettuce, Heirloom Radish, Serrano Ham, Pecorino, Cabernet Vinaigrette - Sometimes the simpliest of dishes are the best. Crispy, leafy greens, aromatic pecorino, and salty serrano combined with the light drizzle of the vinaigrette makes for a great combination. Simple and delicious.
2. Crab Croquettes, Creamy Arugula Marscapone - Kind of a cross between a corn dog and a crab cake. Crispy outer skin with lots of crab. Good, but not great.
3. Lobster Fritters, Bacon, Citrus Crème Fraiche - Another deep fried crustacean. The addition of the lettuce was welcomed. The creme fraiche also added some additional balance. The hints of bacon was barely noticeable while the lobster tended to get lost a bit in the mix. The tiny sliver of lime was deceptively bold.
4. Stuffed Calamari, Housemade Chorizo, Shaved Fennel - One of the few lackluster dishes of the night. The calamari lacked the usual texture of what we'd come to like about the squid: lacking the appealling textural "bounce", yielding too easily to every bite. The bold chorizo was the prominent player in this dish althought it didn't do much to enhance it.
5. Caramelized Cauliflower, Coriander Yogurt, Raisins - Miniature cauliflower flowerettes. A nice combination with the raisins and yogurt, but the portion was so small, there wasn't much there to enjoy.
6. Sauteed Rapini, Manchego Cream - Also known as "broccoli rabe". The earthy greens paired nicely with the aged goat cheese. Another dish that succeeded due to its simplicity.
7. Charred Octopus, Fregola, Piquillo Pepper Stew - This octopod was grilled nicely. There was a nice char which gave the mollusk an added depth of flavor. The pepper stew added some acidity which was welcomed.
8. Bistecca Alla Fiorentina with Grilled Shrimp - The porterhouse cut was cooked to a nice medium rare with a nice char on the outside. A good piece of meat, but not the best we've had. The shrimp was decent as well, but didn't taste as fresh as we would have liked.
9. Artic Char - The char was nice and flaky, without the excessive amounts of oil/fat you'd find in a farm-raised salmon.
10. Three Custards: Crème Catalan, Milk Chocolate, Cappucino - The more popular of the two desserts we ordered. Might have had something to do with presentation and portion size. The three little dishes looked beautiful and held just enough of the creamy custard to have everyone wanting more.
In addition to the above, Seablue's bread service consisted of a grilled nan, much like Chef Mina's West Hollywood restaurant, XIV. There's something about his nan, because we always ask for more. It's a bit crispy, a bit chewy and always delicious. The after-dinner coffee was also noticeably good. We inquired about the coffee's origin and were pleasantly surprised to find that it's available in LA, at LA Mill Coffee. We'll be sure to make a trip to pick some up the next time we're in the Silverlake area. There are also rumors of Chef Mina teaming up with LA Mill to open a series of coffee & beignets shops across LA and also potentially at the LAX airport - yes please!
Overall, a very good meal. Although it's sometimes difficult to find a place to eat that will please everyone's diverse palates, Seablue did the job.
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