Zeffirino Italian Restaurant at The Venetian, Las Vegas, USA

Italy is one of our favourite countries around world. We love the history, the people, the countryside and of course, the food! Too bad we haven't had the chance to revisit it recently. Therefor, while we are in Las Vegas, we're taking the opportunity to pop in to the Venetian, the only hotel and resort in Las Vegas where the whole set up is inspired by the beautiful city of water, Venice. It brings us back a fond memory of Italy. 

Along the Canal Shoppes of the Venetian, we come across to Zeffirino Italian Restaurant. And we are eager to try. It may seem small from outside, but as we come inside, the restaurant is actually very spacious. It has rather impressive high ceiling with wooden beams and decorated in rich red, green and 

terracota. 

                                                

The dining area is divided into two levels. Ground floor is both bar and casual dining, while upstairs is  more formal dining area. Don't get put off by the amount of steps on the staircase, there is a lift tucked  away behind the wall that will take you up with no effort. 

Not wasting anymore time we take a quick look through the special aperitif menu and our choice goes to basil and grapefruit cocktail with lime juice and belvedere. Refreshing drink that is equally measured sweet and sour with a hint of fresh basil. We barely taste the vodka, but trust us, it's there..  :)

We know, it may sound boring, as yet again we are having calamari fritti. It is not because we are not adventurous, but we are intrigued by how each restaurant served its version of calamari. It's such a simple dish, but not every restaurant gets it right. We had calamari that is tasteless and rubbery in the past. Fortunately it doesn't happen at Zeffirino. Although we must admit it's not the best we ever had. Zeffirino's style of calamari is mixed with battered zucchini sticks, which is not bad at all, but it was under seasoned. 

Next to the calamari, we also having prosciutto di San Daniele served with cantaloupe melon and parmigiano - reggiano chunks. The melon is beautiful, very sweet and juicy, goes nicely with thin sliced of good quality ham, but we are not too keen on the cheese, though the idea is great. Just the quality of the cheese isn't up to the standard that we normally get. Quite tasteless in fact. We wonder why.

We are not having our normal 3-courses meal routine this time, but instead, we're having several appetizers. And following the calamari and prosciutto, we're having bruschetta - toasted bread with tomato salsa topping. On the scale of 1-10, we would score bruschetta at Zaffirino as 6. We have our own version of  it, which we don't mind sharing with our readers. 

We make our bruschetta using a baguette, cut open in the middle so you can take out the soft part of the bread and it leave you with two pieces of bread in the shape of boat. Use the soft bread crumble and mix it with small diced tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil and then season it with salt and pepper. Stuff the mix to fill in the bread and add mozzarella cheese on top and bake in preheated oven until the cheese melt and turn slightly brown. Easy, yet very tasty. Tell us what you think about our recipe. We like to put a lot of garlic into our bruschetta. Yes, we know it smells, but hey.. garlic is good for you and keeps the vampire away...:)

As we already suspected, three appetizers to share between the two of us is adequate. And we still have  some space for tiramisu. Nice home-made tiramisu too... Just missing out the coffee liquor. Maybe so it can be served to young customers too.. But, to keep everybody happy, it should be made optional. That's just an idea.. 

At Zaffirino, there's a live piano entertainment starts at 6 PM daily. The piano player plays and sing his own chosen numbers such as Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, but he takes requests too.. Pass on a note to him so you can sing along. 

Quality of service at Zaffirino like their food and prices, are average. Waiting staff is reasonably friendly but not very informative or engaged with their customers although we came during a quite afternoon. In our opinion, the main unique selling point of this restaurant is the ambiance, the fact that you can take your time to enjoy your meal or socializing. Next time we revisit Zaffirino, we will try their selection of entrees and we will let you know how they are like. 

Zeffirino Italian Restaurant at the Venetian Las Vegas

3355 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas - NV 89109

Phone: + 1 702 414 3500

Website: http://www.zeffirinolasvegas.com

Opening hours: Daily at 11.30 AM - 12 AM

Javier's Finest Foods of Mexico at Aria, Las Vegas - USA

After spending hours in front of the machines and roulette table and keep losing, we just had to put a stop to it. We knew we had to stick what we are good at, yes, it's eating!!! Too hot to venture out, we looked around what's available at the Casino floor of Aria. Within seconds, our eyes caught the sign for Javier's - Finest Foods of Mexico. We didn't need to think twice, so went straight away to get ourselves a cosy booth to start our ritual of long lunches. 

The waiter offered Javier's Signature margarita while going through the menu. An offer that's obviously hard for us to resist. Within few minutes hand shaken margaritas arrived to our table. Lovely! Well balanced of sweetness and sourness, very refreshing indeed, great choice of an aperitif to wake up the taste buds. With a bowl of crispy tortilla with spicy salsa on the side, we're set to go. 

Javier's has a large menu that offers mouth watering authentic taste of Mexico. Since we already have something to nibble, we skipped the starter and went straight to the main course. We chose Callito Mazatlan - fresh scallops sauteed in garlic, butter and cipotle sauce served with rice, black beans and avocado slices and Filete Ladrillo - 16 oz rib eye bone-in prime centre cut beef steak with grilled poblano chile stuffed with cotija cheese served with refritos and guacamole. To accompany those dishes we chose a good bottle of chilled Castello Banfi Pinot Grigio. Nice and light. 

After a short wait, our food were served to our table. Nothing fancy or pretentious about the presentation but the smell sent us to heaven. We could not wait to get stuck in. And as we have expected, the scallops and the steak were cooked to perfection. They were both tender, succulent and well seasoned. Flawless. 

We would normally have a good red wine to go with the steak, but the pinot grigio actually wasn't a bad choice at all... Or even the margarita. The fruitiness from the drinks and combination of herbs mingling beautifully together. We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch. 

But, no meal is complete without a sweet ending. We decided to have the fried ice cream, which is vanilla ice cream rolled in corn flakes, nut and honey, deep fried. Warm, cold, creamy, crunchy, nutty and sweet.. delightful! Certainly not to be missed!!

Finished with the lunch, we moved slightly to Javier's bar. We love its unusual setting. A touch of Aztec rustic influence put together elegantly and so cozy. The bar staff not only good in making cocktails they are very friendly too. We had a long chat with one of them, Juan. He told us the history behind Javier's that started originally in San Diego, California. Very interesting. 

While enjoying a few more margaritas at the bar, we could not help to have something savoury to munch. So, we ordered Nacho de la Casa with shredded beef covered in Monterey Jack cheese, refritos, guacamole and sour cream. Never mind the calories, this house special is worth trying. 

Javier's Finest Foods of Mexico at Aria - Casino Level

3730 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas - NV 89149

USA

Phone: +1 866 590 3637

Website: http://www.arialasvegas.com/dining/restaurants/javiers

Opening hours: Daily from 11.30 - Midnight

McCormick and Schmick's Seafood and Steaks New York - USA

Out of several restaurants that we have been to during our last visit to USA, we chose McCormick and Schmick's Seafood and Steaks New York as the most consistent in presenting their good food and the prices did not cost us an arm and a leg. We had long lunches three days in a row and we left very content each time. Located in midtown of New York and within walking distance from the Central Park. 

On the first lunch we had calamari 'fritto misto' and lump blue crab cake to start with. Calamari was very well seasoned, tender and tasty with crispy coatings served with lemon aioli. Lovely! Portion is rather generous, so if you are not very hungry, you would find it's plenty to share between two persons. But the star of the meal was the crab cake. We could safely say, it was the best crab cake we ever had. So good, we had it on each lunch. And again, the portion is rather large so it's quite filling. We would suggest you to share so you don't spoil the main course unless of course you are a big fan of crab, then you should have one just for yourself. You would not be disappointed. Well balanced crab dressed with corn salsa and butter sauce. Delicious!

As main course, we both had grilled alaska salmon with sauteed courgette and haricot beans accompanied by holandaise sauce. Simple yet very flavorful. The salmon was cooked in perfection with a mild seasoning so it retains its taste of the sea. The sweetness of the haricot beans and the juiciness of the courgette really compliment the fish. That's what we call a proper healthy and tasty dish.  Portion is ideal too, together with the crab cake or calamari as an appetizer we had very nutritious meals that produce adequate energy, if not more, to continue your hectic day. 

As we were on holiday, we treat ourselves for a slice of carrot cake. When the waiter warned us how big the cake is, we did not believe him entirely, until we see it ourselves. He was not kidding, the size of the carrot cake was enormous. It's basically enough for four people. But it tasted so good..

Moist, sweet but not too sweet, nutty and complimented by light buttercream and cheese cream icing on top. True heavenly. A big pot of green tea would be required soon after we finished the last bite of the cake to wash down a few thousand of calories we just indulged. 

On the second day lunch, we had the same appetizers, but we had a steak as entree for a change. We had the NY strip cooked medium. Ah... this time we would not complain when the americans boast about their steak. We will admit, they are the best! It was melting the mouth, full of flavor, so succulent. No need for a sauce to have this steak as it's already juicy and seasoned very well. We had it with mixed green salad wrapped in cucumber with heirloom tomatoes, very good combination. We also ordered two of their signatures sides, lobster mashed potato and pan roasted mushroom, but we soon found out they were good but well too much for us to handle :)

Still had the imagination of the carrot cake that we had the day previously and how big it was, we decided to have something that's a little bit sensible this time, the creme brûlée. And it was a good choice indeed. Light textured but very creamy and with generous touch of vanilla. It would have been perfect had the sugar coating was blowtorched just before serving to give a slight warm crispness. Such a treat!

McCormick and Schmick's Seafood and Steaks New York offers happy hour from 5 PM daily, try their cocktails, they are good! We tried the cosmopolitan and we could not have enough of it. No wonder it always packed as soon as the happy hour starts.

We found the service at McCormick and Schmick's Seafood and Steaks New York was reasonably good. The waiting staff are attentive and informative. They would ensure that you enjoy the meal at your own time. No rushing about to turn more tables. Sign up for Landry's membership card for free, so you can collect points on every visit and get priority booking. 

McCormick and Schmick's Seafood and Steaks

1285 Avenue of the Americas

On the corner of 52nd St & 6th Ave.

New York, NY 10019

Phone: +1 212 459 1222

            +1 212 459 2474 (Banquets)

Website:

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 11.30 AM - 11 PM

                          Saturday 12 PM - 11 PM

                          Sunday 12 PM - 10 PM

Gordon Ramsay Pub and Grill at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas - USA

We do have a lot to say about this place and unfortunately it is not totally positive. We find Gordon Ramsay label that we often see either in London, Versaille and Las Vegas is not a guarantee of quality. It's basically a license to charge people more using his popularity. Which is a shame, as we thought that a genuine chef, especially the one who was awarded with Michelin stars would be concern about maintaining quality of food that is produced in all establishments that has his name on to retain his reputation. We failed to see that on our visit to Gordon Ramsay Pub and Grill at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas. 

The set up is quite attractive though, not exactly authentic English Pub sort of style but a modern bar with a little rustic scottish touch to it. Seats seemed to be quite comfortable, though not sure about the bar stools. We could not find any enjoyment in having a meal in a high chair. It would be ok if let's say we were having burger or some snacks, definitely not to go through 3-courses meal. 

We were having a negative vibe from the very start. We arrived at Gordon Ramsay Pub and Grill at Caesars Palace at 4.40 PM, we wanted to eat straight away, but we were told half heartedly by a hostess at the premises that dinner menu will be served from 5 PM and all tables with lower chairs have been reserved, so we have to eat at the bar. Not to keen but we book it anyways. We came back at 5 PM, greeted by different hostess slightly more friendly, who actually gave us a table with lower chairs. And until the end of our meal most of the tables were unoccupied, so what's with the fully reserved excuses that was given to us?? We're baffled. 

Let's talk about food. As soon as we sat down, the waiter brought us pretzel like stick bread in different flavours and dippings. A bit stodgy but it's different and we are open to new things. The menu itself is standard pub food, so we decided to try yorkshire ale batter fish and chips and mushy peas and fillet mixed grill. Nothing complicated, but we were curious how Gordon Ramsay with his expertise has redesign those two simple dishes into something that will blow our mind in amazement. 

Certainly no amazement found there. The fish was tasteless and mushy peas and the chips were cold. The mixed grill were just as bad. Apart from the prawn, both meat beef and pork belly were overcooked and dry. And as you can see on the picture, the presentation was very poor too. You would not believe this dish came out of Gordon Ramsay's kitchen, considering in every tv show he is on he always make a big deal about quality and presentation. Too bad he did not put that into practice at this particular restaurant.

We were so disappointed. We did not come with high expectation, although we should, as on the website it's stated clearly that the chef is Gordon Ramsay which is very misleading as he was not even there and instead they have Ja'nele Witt - winner of Hell's Kitchen, but even that, the quality was not up to the standard, very regrettable. 

And just a few days ago it was announced in the media that Ja'nele Witt is no longer the head chef at Gordon Ramsay Pub and Grill at Caesars Palace due to failure in drug test. So, maybe that's why she could not deliver the quality as expected. Let's hope the current successor could do a better job. 

They could improve the waiting staff's attitude too. Restaurant is part of service industry, so show us what service is all about, then customers like us will be happy to leave a well earned tips, not doing it because they're pressurized to do so.

There are several Gordon Ramsay restaurants in Las Vegas, but unfortunately we are losing excitements to try them, at least for now.

Gordon Ramsay Pub and Grill at Caesars Palace

3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South

Las Vegas, NV 89109

USA

Phone: +1 877 346 4642

Website: http://www.gordonramsay.com/us-restaurants/las-vegas-restaurants/gordon-ramsay-pub-grill/

Opening hours: Sunday - Thursday 11 AM - 11 PM

                          Friday and Saturday 11 AM - Midnight

                          Lunch: Daily 11 AM - 3 PM

Il Rinascimento Italian Restaurant Brussels - Belgium

Old establishment that is still run by the same crowd since the first time we have visited the restaurant about ten years ago while most restaurants at Rue Jourdan have changed hand. Still serving freshly home baked bread, italian hard cheese and red radish for you to nibble while going through the menu. Service at this restaurant is great too, we asked for some olive oil and basil, the waiter brought us a pot of fresh basil to our table. What could be better than that?! :)

Instead of the usual routine of pasta dishes we decided to have the special menu of the day that was suckling pig served with roast baby potatoes and salad as recommended by the waiter who is a very proud Sardinian. He was not bragging about the food though. It may looked a bit rustic, but the taste is to die for. The meat was juicy and tender. So simple yet so delicious. No fancy herbs or seasoning, just the real taste of good meat.

Apart from good food and friendly service, what makes every visit to Il Rinascimento interesting is the fact that they always come up with something extra ordinary that put a smile to their customers. We ordered a watermelon at the end of our meal and they served this huge slice of greek watermelon that is enough for four people!!! It was ripe, sweet and very refreshing though! 

As we had no idea how big the watermelon would be, we also order a tiramisu. Not exactly the best tiramisu we ever had, but would pass an average level. I would be better had they put more coffee liquor to make it more exciting. But then it may not be suitable for young customers. 

If you are looking for a comfort food italian style in central Brussels, pop in to Il Rinascimento, you would not be disappointed. Seating is a small and cramped inside but good food, good service and good value for money. 

Il Rinascimento
Rue Jordan 14, Saint Gilles 1060 Brussels - Belgium
Phone: +32 2 534 7520
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, Lunch starts at 12 noon and Dinner starts at 6PM

Gallery Restaurant Brussels - Belgium

Gallery is family run vietnamese restaurant located at the side street of the famous Waterloo Boulevard where the high end boutiques such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Cartier and many more are situated. So, it's an ideal place to grab a quick and tasty lunch before continuing to shop without breaking the bank. 

Set up as a modern restaurant with asian touch makes Gallery looks very elegant yet cosy and unpretentious. Soft leather seats and good size tables are very welcoming, wether you decide to have a quick meal or long lunch/ dinner. 

As we came in a small group of three, we decided to try few selection of starters to share to build up appetite. We chose summer spring rolls filled with rice vermicelli, asparagus, cucumber, duck slice and mint leaves served with plum sauce as a dip. It came in four pieces in a portion. Refreshing yet quite filling appetizer. Followed by selection of dim sum that consists of prawn siumay, pork dumpling and many more flavourful mini treats. Ask for chili oil if you want to add fiery kick to your food. 

As the main course we had noodles with prawn and vegetables. Generous portion indeed, we were glad to have it to be shared. Next to the noodles we were having duck green curry with jasmine rice and peking duck with plum sauce and match stick chopped spring onions. Real feast!

The duck curry was delicious and creamy with enough spiciness. The jasmine rice was a little bit cold and dry though. Had it served correctly, it would really compliment the fusion of herbs in the curry. 
The peking duck was unfortunately not the best we ever had too. The duck itself was cold and dry, just like the thin pancakes which came with it. 

Although we could not finish the entrees we could not resist the temptation to have the dessert. We decided to share Vietname jasmine cake served with vanilla and coconut ice cream. Now, that was something that lighten our mood after a few let downs with the main courses. Warm and light textured cake so full of fragrant, complimented by coconut ice cream (or vanilla ice cream, if you prefer). A cup of green tea to finish it off and we were all set to continue with our shopping stroll. 

In general, Gallery is casual dining with very good value for money. Do not expect fantastic service though, unless the owners are present, but most dishes on the menu is reasonably good. We would not mind to go back there again. Hopefully with air conditioning system installed by next summer :)

And if you are interested on getting home accessories you can find authentic Vietnamese merchandises available for purchase at the restaurant too. 


Gallery Restaurant
Rue du Grand Cerf 7, Brussels 1000 - Belgium
Phone: +32 2 511 8035
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 12 noon to 3PM and 6PM - 10PM

Loui Bar at Steigenberger Grand Hotel Brussels - Belgium

Steigenberger Grand Hotel Brussels was known formerly as Conrad Brussels. One of our favourite hotels in Europe. To our surprise, the hotel now appeared to be tired rather than grand as it used to be. On top of that during our recent stay the restaurant Cafe Wiltcher's was closed for refurbishment. Frankly speaking, the food quality at Cafe Wiltcher's has never been that fantastic which one would expect from a five star hotel only restaurant at the premises, but having it closed down during summer holiday is adding more disappointments. 

So we had no choice other than room service to have our lunch at Loui Lounge and Bar. It still is a great lounge and bar to enjoy cocktails or afternoon tea, but it certainly not suitable place to have a meal. We were lucky to have two chairs and a table, but just imagine those chairs are occupied and we  end up with a sofa and a coffee table instead. We would have to bend down to enjoy our meal. Not our idea of great lunch. 

As we were too tired to be fussy we quickly take a look on the menu and made our order. A grilled dover sole served with french fries and green salad in light vinaigrette dressing and a sea bass in a bed of asparagus and sauteed potatoes. 

Average quality food to our standard. The dover sole was overcooked and the sea bass was rather tasteless, but overall, both dishes did adequate job to fill the tummy for the day. I guess the Veuve Cliquot Rose also took part in making the food more palatable. 

                                                    

The service is always good at Loui, they have the most friendly and accommodating staff and the barman makes very good cocktails, some are very unusual but very flavourful. Rumour has it, the hotel management is soon going to start doing some work to bring back this beautiful property to it's former glory. Well, that's is something to look forward to. We could not wait to see the result.

Loui Bar at Steigenberger Grand Hotel Brussels

71 Avenue Louise Brussels 1050

Belgium

Phone: +32 2 5424242

Website: http://www.steigenberger.com/en/brussels

Murano by Angela Hartnett, Mayfair London

Unplanned visit to Murano by Angela Hartnett in Mayfair was so impressive, we had to revisit the restaurant for another two occasions on the same week! The first visit was an early dinner. We got there few minutes after the restaurant was reopened for evening service, and there were few table occupied already. Clearly, it was not just us who were really enthusiastic with the place. 

First impression, nice, well spread, open lay out. It has a small but well equipped bar with few seats, cosy corner to enjoy an aperitif before dinner. Or if you prefer, go straight to the dining area. What not to like when you dine on good size tables covered in white, crisp table clothes, decorated with fresh flowers and crystal candle holder, plus comfortable leather chairs, very elegant and inviting?

Once we sat down, the menu and wine list were shown to us. Another sign of a good restaurant  ticked, as Murano has a very large selection of quality wines. We would need half a day to go through it. Thank goodness there was wine sommelier ready to assist us. So, wee have decided to have Paul Pilllot Saint- Aubin 1er Cru Pitangeret. Crisp and flavorful. 

First to arrive was a platter of cold cut, San Danielle ham and salami, selection of bread served with a beautiful, extra virgin olive oil from southern Tuscany. It's so green, fruity and robust just the way we like it. Apparently the olive oil is blended specially for Murano, no chance of getting it off of the local supermarket shelves then. 

From the scallops to belly of pork, nothing we could fault. Everything was cooked and presented to perfection. The portion is just enough to fill the tummy and leave space for other tantalizing treats such as  beautifully baked soufflé and cheese trolley that is so hard to resist. 

Consistency of both quality of food and service deserve two thumbs up. Food served at the right temperature and the taste always exceeding our expectations. The menu at Murano is changed regularly so you will easily find something new to try. Bonne degustation!!

Murano by Angela Hartnett
20 Queen Street, Mayfair, London W1J5PP 
Phone: +44 20 7495 1127
Website: http://www.muranolondon.com
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday - Lunch 12PM - 3PM, Dinner 6.30PM - 11PM