Review: L'Atelier

Last night, we finally dined at L’Atelier inside MGM Grand. We had an 8:30 reservation; the restaurant was packed to the gills we had to wait to be seated. About ten minutes later we were led to our seats at the counter. We settled in and told our waiter we’d be having the summer menu. He offered wine or cocktails; we declined and opted for iced tea. We munched on the most delicious bread while we waited for our food voyage to begin. We also kept an eye on the dishes being created in front of us. Every plate that went out looked like a piece art.

We began with an amuse bouche, a shot glass filled with a cucumber gelée topped with Crème fraîche and mint. It was fresh and crisp, a definite palate cleanser. Next was Les Legumes, buffalo mozzarella layered between zucchini and eggplant. The dish was very tasty; several flavors were unleashed with each bite. La Langoustine followed, a buttery langoustine and basil leaf coated with a perfectly light tempura served with a small salad, and basil pesto sauce decorated the plate.

Frank and I had different selections for our main course. Frank had La Boeuf, Wagyu beef rib eye. The meat was prepared beautifully, it was tender and delectable. We longed for more. I had Le Saumon, Scottish salmon with tomato and capers and fried strips of potato. The salmon was fantastic. We both were given our own cast iron dish filled with pommes purée. The smooth rich mashed potatoes hit the spot.

The next course was Les Fromages or a selection of cheeses and bread. There were three: a Roquefort blue cheese with great veining, a pungent cow’s milk cheese, and the third was our favorite, but the name escapes me. I am unable to recall what breads were served to complement the cheeses, as well.

Lastly, we had Les Tartes and Glaces Et Sorbet for dessert. I started with the selection of tarts, six if I remember correctly. I thought all were delicious. Frank dug into the sorbets, five, I think. The chocolate was his favorite. We switched desserts. He liked the pecan tart the best. I finished the sorbet, the raspberry was my favorite.

We concluded our meal with espresso.

Dinner took about two hours start to finish. We did get a bit antsy by the end of the meal. However, we enjoyed the experience. It was different than were used to and the attention to detail is amazing: flavors and presentation. Service was excellent for the most part. Although, the wait on refills for our iced tea was a bit long on two occasions. Despite the special summer menu pricing, the meal still set us back about $200 ($30 on iced tea). We are glad we took advantage of the offer, the food was fabulous, and it was a nice treat.