Archive for ‘Restaurants’

2009/05/20

kokomo’s

One of the “fine dining” establishments in The Mirage, kokomo’s is a restaurant that specializes in steak and seafood. Set in a tropical “forest” in the midst of the hotel, the restaurant has a ceiling that is all a skylight and an open/welcoming environment.

At the time of our visit the restaurant was featuring a special prix fixe tasting menu. Each person could eat for just $29.99. I was momentarily scared that the portion sizes may not be that satisfying simply due to the fact that it was a “tasting” menu and it was so cheap compared to every other price on the menu. But that wasn’t the case, we were definitely satisfied.

SN850419 The bread basket came with several different offerings: parmesan crackers, rosemary rolls and olive rolls. The olive rolls were not my thing, filled with plenty of kalamata olives which I do not like. The crackers tasted a lot like flour, but they were still okay. The rosemary rolls were really tasty though, even if the pretzel salt on the top was a little overpowering.

We had our choice of 3 items for appetizers. Kevin selected the panko crusted crab cake. It was served on top of a sauce with a nice spice to it and had cabbage on top. I chose the salad of roasted carrots, endive, pecans & orange vinaigrette. The flavors really exploded when you got a little bit of each item all together, really tasty combo. (The 3rd option available was a wild mushroom pot pie.)

Panko Crusted Crab Cake Roasted Carrot & Endive Salad

For our entrees, Kevin chose the Surf & Turf combo. It was a 6oz. Beef Tenderloin with a giant garlic shrimp, sour cream potatoes & buttered green beans. I opted for the tomato & goat cheese stuffed chicken with sautéed spinach & herb reduction. Both selections were really great. The spinach was a little bitter in mine, but the sauce more than made up for that. (3rd entree selection available was a macadamia crusted seafood of the day.)

Surf & Turf Goat Cheese & Tomato Stuffed Chicken

There were only two options available for dessert, so of course we had to get one of each. Kevin ordered the salted butterscotch custard with chantilly cream and caramel sauce. It was really good, I love the combination of saltiness and caramel. I chose the 12-layer chocolate cake with raspberries. It was a really dense and fudgy cake, super rich and very tasty.

Salted Butterscoth Custard 12-Layer Chocolate Cake

They probably hated us, seeing as we were most likely the cheapest table in the joint that night… no booze, no dessert coffee, tasting menu… but that’s okay. We enjoyed our meal and had a nice evening.

Kokomo's (Mirage) on Urbanspoon

2009/02/15

Create: Gourmet Burgers

Whenever I order a burger at a restaurant, I usually end up “customizing” it to meet my tastes. Remove this, substitute this, change this… I’m always nervous when the waitress doesn’t write stuff down!

Create: Gourmet BurgersSo when I heard about Create: Gourmet Burgers, I knew we had to try it. Not only does it allow the customer to build burgers to their own liking, but it’s closer to our home than driving all the way to The Strip to visit the Burger Bar AND it’s more casual and affordable. And my husband is a fan of burgers, so it means he would be more willing to try the place.

They have a few creations on their menu that are their signature items, which is what my husband elected to try. His burger was called the “Medieval” and was a beef burger topped with applewood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, bbq sauce and tomato.

Turkey BurgerI wanted to build my own. I chose the turkey burger on a whole wheat bun, topped with feta cheese, roasted red peppers and sprouts.

We both got our meals in the combo option so we could try the fries. I had their traditional fresh cut fries and Kevin had the sweet potato fries, that way we could sample both options. The regular fries were good; they tasted fresh and were cooked well without being overly greasy. But I actually preferred the sweet potato fries; they were touched lightly with cinnamon and were perfectly crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Both of us enjoyed our burgers and are planning on returning. I’m eager to try a portobello burger as well as the “Abstract” burger, their own veggie burger patty made of brown rice, oats, mushrooms and spices.

They have mini burgers, but I think those are only available in beef patties and on the white bun.

Another item on the menu is frozen custard, something that we did not try simply because we were full. But I’m sure Kevin would want to try it someday.

They had little clipboards at the counter so you could circle the items you want on your custom burger. Those weren’t obviously placed and I wasn’t entirely certain it was required for ordering, but I grabbed one and filled it out anyway. We did have to wait at the counter to order for a little bit while several of the employees looked at us, which seemed a little unprofessional. When dining in, your food is brought to the table on a plate, thus it feels a little more formal than unwrapping your food from paper or eating it from a basket.

I was pleased with this place, so much so that it may dangerously increase my craving of burgers.

Create: Gourmet Burgers on Urbanspoon

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