Friday, Nov. 5, 2004 | 8:55 a.m.
Downtown Las Vegas is looking good. New construction starts are everywhere. It had been awhile since I'd dined downtown. It was time.
ZAX at the Golden Nugget is the newest of the Golden Nugget eateries. With new hip young owners Timothy Poster and Tom Breitling at the helm, I suspect there will be more restaurants to come.
Poster and Breitling have brought new vitality to this premium downtown property. They're new to the gaming biz, but are savvy entrepreneurs.
The hotel was jumping and so was ZAX. I had visited ZAX during the construction two years ago and had participated in a menu tasting. ZAX's dinner carte was not as I remembered it. This menu was more contemporary and upbeat.
It was a challenge for my dining companion and I to choose our entrees -- there are so many signature dishes. While we were trying to decide, we munched on a delightful salad -- baby arugula layered with creamy goat cheese and toasted pine nuts, garnished with dried black figs and lightly dressed with a strawberry vinaigrette.
I'm not usually a fan of fruit vinaigrettes. They're often too sweet. But his dressing was just right, a wonderful confluence of flavors. A warm spinach salad, Caesar salad and a house salad are also available ($8).
After much discussion we opted for the rack of New Zealand lamb (four double cut chops) and the Chilean sea bass atop a mountain of wasabi mashed potatoes capped with cold carrot salad -- a surprisingly good combination. A selection of entrees, including a buffalo rib-eye, Maine lobster, pork tenderloin and other dishes designed to make a carnivore happy, are priced from $21 to market price. Portions are generous.
The house-baked, mixed-grain rolls served with dinner included a bowl of Brazilian-style green sauce for dipping -- delish.
After such a satisfying meal we were not going to order dessert, but after our server described the chocolate cake, we had to have it. One bite of the Golden Nugget's version of Blackout Cake and we were hooked.
The slice of cake was enormous. The moist, fine-textured dessert was layered with a scrumptious chocolate custard and frosted with more of the decadent stuff. We barely made a dent in it.
Margarita cheesecake was another winner. This original house speciality created by Executive Pastry Chef Eugene Ess (formerly with the Mirage) was gently flavored with tequila and topped with thick shavings of white chocolate. The cheesecake with nuances of tequila and other flavors was smooth as silk.
All through dinner we were entertained by Art Douglas and his mellow musicians. We lingered over dessert until Douglas and his band took a break. Douglas has a seemingly endless repertoire of standards, jazz and more. Lovely sounds to dine by. Douglas and his music men appear from 6 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.
ZAX assistant manager Jorge Lopez had suggested a table close to the bandstand, which I declined. High decibels during dinner are not my idea of a relaxing meal. But there is no such problem at ZAX, just pure listening pleasure.
For those who just want a nosh or a nibble, ZAX offers a light bar menu with appetizers, sushi, soups and salads. Restaurant and bar hours are 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
ZAX offers lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Generously sized sandwiches are made with a variety of wonderful breads. My fave is the rye and pumpernickel marbled bread filled with corned beef and pastrami and cole slaw and Thousand Island dressing. And I'd never turn down such appetizers as rum lobster tostadas and huli huli chicken basted with soy, pineapple and citrus juices. Nor would I turn down the pizzas, myriad entrees and meal-size salads.
Golden Nugget Director of Food and Beverage Jay Bluhm has assembled a fine team of chefs to lead each of the hotel's restaurants. Golden Nugget executive chef is Steve Young, ZAX executive chef is Brian Carlin, executive chef at Stefano's is Adam Hickman, and executive chef at Lillie Langtry's steakhouse-Asian eatery is Nam Yee Tang.
For restaurant reservations call 385-7111.
Postrio hosts French wine dinner: On Nov. 19 chefs from Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group Las Vegas will join with Bouchon Las Vegas and Rosenthal Wine Merchants to present a six-course wine dinner at Postrio in the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian featuring French wine selections from Rosenthal.
Leading the cadre of chefs is Wolfgang Puck Dining Group Executive Chef/Managing Partner David Robins and Bouchon Executive Chef Jeff Cerciello. Chinois Executive Chef Terence F. Fong will serve hors d'oeuvres of portobello mushrooms and Roma tomato bruschetta, beggars' purses of stir-fried duck with Asian vegetables and Koge rice cake with spicy lobster during the cocktail hour at 6:30 p.m.
At 7 p.m. dinner service begins with white bean soup with smoked duck and Swiss chard from Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill Executive Chef Marc Djozlija.
Robins, along with Spago Executive Chef Eduardo Perez, will offer seared day boat scallops with butternut squash and sauce Bearnaise.
Bouchon will follow with Maine lobster with pumpkin butter created by Executive Chef Jeff Cerciello. John LaGrone, Puck Group associate partner and executive chef of Postrio, will present the entree -- pancetta-wrapped venison chop with braised venison stew and roasted fall vegetables.
Lupo's executive chef, Mark Ferguson, will please with fried Washington state apples with a three-cheese fonduto (northern Italian fondue) and candied pine nuts as the cheese course. Puck Master Sommelier Luis Santos will select the wines and Puck Corporate Pastry Chef Chistophe Ithurritze will provide the grand finale, one of his dazzling signature desserts.
Seating is limited to 60 people. The price is $125, all inclusive. For reservations or more information call Madeline Benito at 369-0360 or visit www.wolfgangpuck.com.
Cookbooks for a good cause: It is a time-honored tradition for organizations to raise money by publishing a cookbook.
Sunrise Children's Foundation offers "From Sunrise to Sunset: Recipes to Share Throughout the Day." Edited by Candy Krausman, with charming illustrations by Louise H. Crosby, this book, printed in 1989, continues to be a treasure.
To get the most for their publishing dollars, organizations must order many more copies than they might be able sell the first year. And you may already have a copy, but the range of recipes is terrific, from Twinkie cakes to chicken Veronique.
This award-winning hard-cover volume is $19.95 plus $1.75 for postage and handling.
Hot off the press is a new fundraiser for Sunrise Children's Foundation, "Best of the Best From Nevada Cookbook: Selected Recipes from Nevada's Favorite Cookbooks." Edited by Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley, with illustrations by Tupper England (Quail Ridge Press, $16.95 plus $1.75 postage and handling), the book shares some Nevada history along with recipes gathered from around our state.
Call Sunrise Children's Foundation at 731-8373 to order these special cookbooks.
Chef Rick Moonen and powerful femmes: Chef Rick Moonen (rm New York), who will soon open rm seafood at Mandalay Place, was a featured speaker last week in Chicago at the Seafood Choices Alliance, a national conference of environmentalists. Chef Rick spoke about sustainable seafood, a hot topic these days.
The private dinner he later hosted at rm in New York honored Cherie Blair, the wife of the British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Cherie balances a high-powered legal career, motherhood (four children), and an international role -- she was recently ranked the most powerful woman in Britain. Among the high-profile women who attended were Diane Sawyer, Evelyn Lauder, Padma Lakshi and Veronica Hearst. Harper's Bazaar sponsored the dinner.
Chef Rick is soon moving to Las Vegas to become the full-time executive chef of rm seafood at Mandalay Place. Rm seafood is expected to open in December.
Short orders
New menu and new hours at 'wichcraft: James Beard Award-winning chef Tom Colicchio's 'wichcraft sandwich eatery has new hours and a new menu. 'Wichcraft is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Many new items have been added to the menu, including salads, soups, a half-sandwich and soup combo, hot chocolate, meatloaf on a roll, Sicilian tuna, fried egg and bacon on a roll, and much more.
Breakfast sandwiches are available all day; cold and warm lunch sandwiches, including panini, are available after 11 a.m. Tempting desserts and many coffees and teas as well as soft drinks, beer and wine are served throughout the day.
Moving on: New Year's Eve is the closing date for Sirio Maccioni's renowned Le Cirque restaurant in Manhattan, but it's not the end of the legendary restaurateur's story. When word was released that he would consider a new location for Le Cirque, offers were made that he couldn't refuse.
Two locations were chosen, both in Manhattan. One will be Le Cirque; the other will be a new concept, as yet to be determined. It will be a happy New Year for Sirio, wife Egidiana and sons Mario, Marco and Mauro, and those of us who can't imagine NYC without Le Cirque.
Gluten intolerance expert at Wild Oats: Danna Korn, noted gluten intolerance expert, will appear at Wild Oats Market at 7250 Lake Mead Blvd. from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday. There is no charge for the program that includes a cooking demo. For more info visit www.wildoats.com.
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