Restaurant Week: Red Square

Summer had only felt like it lasted a week, but in reality it's nearly over. Kids are back in school, stores have Halloween displays and all things pumpkin are beginning to surface. Oh, and there's only 7 days to kickoff for those of you counting. I typically get down in the dumps this time of year, because I love summer and I never want to let it go. The return of football also means I lose my weekends with Frank. The highlight for several years has been Restaurant Week. When is a better time to try a new restaurant than when it also benefits charity? I've been a long time supporter of Three Square. We live in such a great nation it is hard to believe that people go hungry every day; right here, in our very own neighborhoods. Three Square Food Bank does a lot to see that our community is fed. The collection of restaurants participating in this Restaurant Week (August 22-28) is outstanding! I had a terrible time narrowing down my selections, typically we try to do a meal each day, but my schedule didn't allow it this time. I had to choose two meals. Tonight, we'll try Blossom at Aria and last night we dined at Red Square inside Mandalay Bay.

We've talked about dining at Red Square for a long time, but for one reason or another it has never happened. When I saw their restaurant week menu my interest was immediately piqued they were offering choices unlike anyone else. Dinner was $40.14, there were three choices of Appetizer and Entree, and two Dessert options. We started with Mini Lobster Tacos and Siberian Nachos. Entrees of Beef Stroganoff and Chicken Kiev followed, and we finished with Toffee Bread Pudding for dessert.

It was a shame the tacos were bite sized because they were mighty delicious and I was left wanting more. The delicate lobster was perfectly prepared, which too often is not the case. The nachos were intriguing, with smoked salmon piled high on potato crisps and topped with American caviar. I wish the potato slices were thicker to better support the salmon and if they were unseasoned there would still be plenty of residual saltiness from the caviar.





I've grown up eating Beef Stroganoff, it's one of my favorite comfort foods. This version was more rich and better composed with braised short rib, wild mushrooms, perfect Strozzapretti and dollops of ricotta. It was tasty and a hearty portion. The chicken kiev was served with brussel sprouts, it was unfortunate that the pan sauce was so overwhelmingly over seasoned that any other flavor beside salt was completely lost.





Our waiter strongly recommended the bread pudding. I typically do not enjoy bread pudding so I was hesitant but agreed. Honestly, I'm glad I didn't have to share. Croissant pieces were piled high and served with salted caramel ice cream and toffee sauce to drizzle and it was topped off with vanilla Captain Crunch. It definitely had a breakfast taste, reminiscent of warm cinnamon rolls without being too sweet. Truly, it was a pleasant surprise.



Our dinner was deeply discounted, it was a great opportunity to try Red Square. We had an enjoyable meal even if two of the dishes were over seasoned.