Gourmet Pleasures January 2019

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JANUARY 2019

Looking Back Moving Forward PG 14

8 MIAMI’S TOP TEN: 26 CRITIC FOR A La Mar

NIGHT: The Melting Pot with Alexandra Buroz

28 ON THE GO: Vegas

Las

CEO’S LETTER

I hope you enjoyed your holiday season as much as I enjoyed mine. My staff and I are looking forward to a wonderful 2019. Gourmet Pleasures’ cover story this month is “Looking back - Moving forward”. 2018 was an amazing year for me personally. The creation of this online magazine and website was a realization of something I had been wanting to do for many years. It was also a learning process. I am proud of what we have accomplished but, as I mention in the cover story, we are constantly working to be better.

Your feedback is very important to me and I hope you continue to share your thoughts and opinions with us.

I had a wonderful time attending some Art Basel events last month and it brought back some great memories. These memories were the inspiration for my Gourmet Diary article “Food as Art”. It almost made me want to open a new restaurant again, but then I remembered the “Letter to the Editor” that we published in our August issue so I think I’ll just continue to eat and write about food. My “Critic for a Night” for January is my beautiful and talented daughter Alexandra who. I think, knows more about food than I do.

This month we are debuting a new column, “On the Go” where we suggest not only dining options but also other worthwhile things to experience in cities around the world.

I want to take this opportunity to remind you that the annual South Beach Wine and Food Festival takes place next month. If you plan on attending any of the amazing events I suggest you buy tickets now since they sell out every year. I hope you enjoy this month’s issue. Thank you for your continued support.

Rene Buroz CEO/Founder

Content: 2 CULTURAL CORNER:

22 GUILTY PLEASURES:

6 GOURMET DIARY:

26 CRITIC FOR A NIGHT:

Shuang Ba Nassau Food as Art

Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop The Melting Pot With Alexandra B.

8 MIAMI’S TOP TEN:

28 ON THE GO:

La Mar

Las Vegas.

14 COVER STORY:

Looking Back, Moving Forward

18 CHEERS: Sake

20 HEAD TO HEAD:

Gluten Vs. Gluten Free FOUNDER/CEO Gourmet Pleasures Rene Buroz (2018) Editor in Chief/ Creative Design Margie Castro Senior Editor: Ellen Rosenfeld Assosiate editor: Oswaldo Pisfil Editorial@gourmetpleasures.com PHOTOGRAPHY GP Photography @ReneGourmet @DroneProductions

CONTRIBUTORS Gabriela Morales Alex Forster Hillarin Soto Matt Wagner Lili Tique PUBLISHED BY Stage Wynwood LLC 2018 Head Office: 350 S. Miami Ave Ste. A Miami, Fl. 33130

FOR OTHER ENQUIRIES, PLEASE VISIT: www.GourmetPleasures.com © Copyright 2019 Gourmet Pleasures. All rights reserved. While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein. @GourmetPleasures

Email: Contact@gourmetpleasures.com

JAN 2019 GOURMET PLEASURES | 1

Shuang Ba Nassau

By Ellen Rosenfeld

Vegetable Spring Roll

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Cultural Corner

L

iving in South Florida comes with many amazing advantages. Besides the year round good weather, we have beautiful beaches, outstanding events and attractions and delicious dining options.

Another great benefit is that we are only a short, less than 1 hour, plane ride to a “tropical paradise”, Nassau. Nassau is the capital of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas and, with the recent opening of the Baha Mar resort, is now often referred to as “the new Riviera”. The resort consists of three luxury brand hotels (Grand Hyatt, SLS, Rosewood ) which surround the over 100,000 square foot casino, but this resort is not only about gambling. There is literally something for everyone, including luxury shopping, world class golf, gorgeous pools, a breathtaking beach and numerous activities for children of all ages. Recently Gourmet Pleasures spent a long weekend at the Baha Mar Grand Hyatt Hotel and the one activity we were most interested in was eating. There are over 30 haute cuisine restaurants located within the resort and we tried our best to sample as many as we could.

One of our favorites was Shuang Ba, which serves traditional Chinese cuisine prepared using modern techniques. This is an elegant spot, decorated in the best Chinese style. We were particularly impressed by the immense column of ivory with its perfectly carved figures of dragons. The tables were beautifully set with unique wooden chopsticks with metal bases.

The interesting menu offers typical dishes from the different regions of China. We started our “journey” with the Shanghai Pork Dumplings.

Inside each dumpling, in addition to the pork, was a delicate broth which was released when you took a bite and filled your bowl with a delectable soup. This dish was phenomenal. We then had the Pork Pyramid, a soft pork belly cut into thin strips to form a pyramid shape which surrounded a pickled mustard cabbage. This was a beautifully presented dish with strong, but balanced, flavors and we would definitely order it again. The Crispy Red Snapper Fish Fillet was crunchy on the outside, but soft and sweet on the inside. The highlight of the evening was Shuang Ba’s Signature Peking Duck. The crispy

Pork Pyramid

Crispy Beef Brisket

JAN 2019 GOURMET PLEASURES | 3

skin and tender meat were served in thin slices and were accompanied by steamed spinach pancakes, cucumbers and the chef’s signature sauce. This dish alone is a good enough reason to return to this restaurant. The service at Shuang Ba was excellent. The waiters patiently explained each dish to us and the correct way to put the components together to get the perfect bit. Shuang Ba is an outstanding restaurant. We want to thank the wonderful team at The Baha Mar Resort for all their help and attention and we hope to return again very soon.

Peking Duck

Crispy red snapper Layered tofu roll

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Chilly Prawns JAN 2019 GOURMET PLEASURES |5

Food a

L

ast month I had the good fortunate of attending some events and exhibits during Art Basel, the premier art show that takes place in Miami Beach every December. You might wonder what Art Basel has to do with a magazine about food, but I have always considered cooking to be an art form for which one must have a certain amount of expertise. From the selection of the ingredients, the colors of the components, the assembly of the finished product, so that it appears visually balanced, and the serving plates used for the finished product, creating an edible work of art is an acquired skill which takes both inherent talent and years of practice.

I am both a lover of food and an admirer of good art. Several years ago I decided that I wanted to combine both of these passions by creating a signature dish for one of my restaurants. My first hurdle was to find a sculptor who would understand my 6 | www.GourmetPleasures.com

Art, Bronze Sculpture concept and be capable of the work required of him. I spoke to several sculptors and I finally found a very prestigious Cuban born artist who understood what I wanted to accomplish and was intrigued by my idea to make a hollow bronze “work of art” that could be filled with food and then “unveiled” at the time of serving. After the mold was completed, I then needed a dessert expert. This was not an easy task, but eventually I procured the services of the head of the pastry department at one of the most esteemed culinary institutes in the world. This chef was instrumental in helping me find the perfect combination of ingredients, textures and flavors that would work in this complicated process. After many months of hard work the edible artwork became a reality. This creation started with a chocolate bavarian cream enhanced with an essence of vanilla and layed with Caribbean fruit “gelee” and berry

as Art Mild Dessert

Gourmet Diary

Rene Buroz

Clay Proof

compote. To close the bottom of the open mold we used a Grand Marnier and dark rum-soaked almond sponge cake. After the unmolding at the table, this “masterpiece” was finished by a light dusting of edible gold sprinkles and flambeed. The diner was also given a small “replica” of the mold and a signed certificate of authenticity by the artist.

Each presentation took over 5 hours to prepare and we were only able to make 4 servings per evening.

Even though this dessert needed to be ordered by the diner days before their dinner reservation, it was a huge success. We sold all four orders every night that it was offered.

Looking back I now realize how incredibly expensive and time consuming my “little project” became, but I will never regret this experience. It was my ultimate dream come true of combining art and food.

Final Dessert in gold dust JAN 2019 GOURMET PLEASURES | 7

MIAMI’S TOP TEN:

LA MAR By @ReneGourmet

When talking about Peruvian cuisine, it should be considered a crime if the name Gaston Acurio Jaramillo is not mentioned.

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Lujoso Cebiche

JAN 2019 GOURMET PLEASURES | 9

Causa

Lomo Saltado

El chocolate en texturas

Born in Lima, Peru, Mr. Acurio has not only brought Peruvian food to its highest level, but has been most influential in sharing his country’s wonderful flavors with the rest of the world. He currently has approximately 34 locations in 11 countries. We previously wrote about him in our Gourmet Diary article, published in November, where we shared our experience visiting his fabulous restaurant Manko in Paris. We are huge fans of his Miami restaurant, La Mar. La Mar is located in the prestigious Mandarin Oriental Hotel. The interior restaurant has a contemporary, but warm and inviting, design. The restaurant also has outdoor tables on the terrace where diners are treated to an breathtaking view of Biscayne Bay and the Miami skyline. Once seated, we were served a complimentary bowl of 10 | www.GourmetPleasures.com

tortillas with a yellow aji sauce for dipping. We sipped “Pisco Sours”, a popular Peruvian cocktail, while we studied the menu. Our waitress was very professional and eager to explain all of the various dishes to us.

We began our meal with one of the most traditional dishes of Peru, ceviche. We ordered the Cebiche Sampler which consisted of the most popular choices; the El Lujoso with lobster, crab, trout eggs, chalaca, radishes, with olive oil and avocado leche de tigre; the El Clasico with fluke, cilantro, aji lemon pepper, red onions, choclo, and classic leche de tigre and the Carretillero with snapper, shrimp, octopus, crispy calamari, sweet potato, choclo, cancha and spicy leche de tigre. In reading the ingredients of each dish you could assume that the three were very similar in taste,

but the different mixtures of ingredients and the components of the tigre milk made each dish unique. The one thing that they did have in common is that they were all exceptional. We then had the La Chalanita, which is a causas dish. Causas is a dish with layer mashed potatoes topped by various ingredients.

The La Chalanita had a topping of nikkei (raw thinly cut fish), crab and salad. It was beautifully presented in a hand carved model of a traditional fisherman’s boat. The whipped potatoes tasted soft and subtle which allowed the flavors of the fish to “shine” For a main course, we had the Lomo Saltado, another Peruvian specialty. This was a perfectly stir fried tenderloin with red onions and tomatoes accompanied by fried potato wedges. This was also very good, but the “dish

of the evening” was the Pork Shank with a tamarind sauce reduction. Gourmet Pleasures loves pork shank and, for us, this preparation was like a dream come true. The skin of the pig was incredibly crispy and the flesh was soft and juicy. We can’t wait to return to La Mar and order this again. Even though we were full, we couldn’t resist ordering the El Chocolate en Texturas for dessert. The chocolate brownie texture with foam and ice cream was the perfect ending to a perfect meal.

The menu at La Mar may give you the impression that they are serving simple dishes, but in reality this is “haute” cuisine. This amazing food, combined with the impeccable service and pleasant ambiance, makes La Mar one of our top ten restaurants in Miami, truly deserving of our Gourmet Pleasures Award.

The Pork Shank

Arroz Chaufa Aeropuerto

FIND THEM AT 500 Brickell Key Dr, Miami, FL 33131 (305) 913-8358

Cebiche clasico JAN 2019 GOURMET PLEASURES | 11

Chips with aji sauce

Bay view

The pork Shank

La chalanita 12 | www.GourmetPleasures.com

This Month’s Award We had the pleasure of presenting La Mar with the Gourmet Pleasures Award for being one of the top ten restaurants in Miami. Congrats from our team!!

Follow Us!

@GourmetPleasures GourmetPleasuresMagazine @GourmetPMag

JAN 2019 GOURMET PLEASURES | 13

Looking Back Moving Forwar

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rd

By Ellen Rosenfeld

We hope you enjoyed 2018 as much as we did. Without a doubt, the highlight of the year for Gourmet Pleasures was the creation of our online magazine and website. A simple conversation between a group of like minded individuals turned into something that we are very proud of today.

JAN 2019 GOURMET PLEASURES | 15

Looking Back Probably one of the biggest challenges that we faced at the beginning was coming up with the perfect name for our project. After every idea we searched the internet and found that someone had already claimed that name. When we thought of the name “Gourmet Pleasures” and found that it was available we weren’t sure it suited us. Now we realize it is who we are.

Gourmet Pleasures has allowed us the opportunity to meet some wonderful people. You, our readers, have been so supportive and encouraging. We appreciate all of the comments and pictures you have shared with us and we hope you continue sending them. We also, with our “Critic of the Night” column, had dinner with some very interesting people from various walks of life. Each and every experience was amazing. A special thank you goes to our friend Monica Launois who we dined with in Paris. She introduced us to the Aperol Spritz which is now one of our drinks of choice. We also meet amazing staff on our visits to the various restaurants we have written about. We can honestly say, that we had no bad experiences. We never let it be known that we were reviewing the restaurant, yet we were always treated like we were honored guests. Many chefs invited us into their kitchens and were eager to show us around. We would like to especially acknowledge Joe’s Stone Crab Restaurant in Miami Beach. Even though this is their 150th season, and they are filled to capacity every night, they still go out of their way to show you how much they appreciate their customers.

It goes without saying that we have had some amazing foods and drinks this year. If we were forced to name just three of our memorable favorites, we have to admit two of them were from Maestro’s in Ft. Lauderdale. They are their lemon drop martini and their famous Butter Cake. We know Joe’s is known for their stone crabs, which we love and are fabulous, but their fried chicken “blew us away”.

Our “Guilty Pleasures” column gave us an excuse to splurge on extra calories. I hope you appreciate the “sacrifices” we have made for our readers.

We learned a lot this year and we hope that we continue learning in 2019 as we move forward.

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Moving Forward Gourmet Pleasures most important goal for 2019 is to keep you, our treasured readers, informed about all of the best restaurant and the latest culinary news and trends. We are in the process of creating a condensed version of our Top Ten List of South Florida Restaurant that can be easily accessed online as a reference guide for dining out. These restaurants were chosen by our very diverse and professional staff. We have received no remuneration or other considerations for our selections. Gourmet Pleasures is subsidized by our CEO. We do not solicit nor seek advertisements. In 2019, we also hope to publish our first Gourmet Pleasures Gastronomy Guide of the top 50 South Florida restaurants. If you think you know of a restaurant that should be included please let us know.

There are several things that we are looking forward to in 2019. We can’t wait for the South Beach Wine and Food Festival. Events this year begin on Wednesday February 20 and continue through Sunday February 24. If you are interested in attending any of the wonderful venues, we encourage you to get your tickets now because they sell out quickly each year. We hope to be able to travel to Los Angeles to visit “The Disgusting Food Museum”, an exhibition from Sweden. This exhibit will feature more than 60 incredible dishes such as frog smoothies from Peru and maggot cheese from Sardinia. We can’t promise that we will actually taste any of these dishes, but we will take pictures!

Keurig, in conjunction with Anheuser-Busch, recently announced the launch of their pod machine to make cocktails. The Drinkworks Home Bar can make 15 different cocktails plus beer and hard cider. Imagine making a Moscow Mule in 50 seconds or a margarita in 25 seconds. Currently it is only available for pre order.

When Gourmet Pleasures receives this amazing invention, we will let you know what we think (and drank!)

If there is anything that you think we can do to improve Gourmet Pleasures in the coming year please let us know. Happy 2019!

JAN 2019 GOURMET PLEASURES | 17

SAKE

By Ellen Rosenfeld

T

he sale and consumption of sake has been on a steady increase over the last decade in the United States. An obvious reason is the growing popularity of Japanese restaurants.

It seems like there is a sushi or ramen noodle spot on every street corner in every city in the United States. The number of Japanese restaurants has nearly doubled in the last five years. Japanese food is now the third most popular food in the world, following only Italian and French cuisine.

Americans view Japanese food as not only trendy, 18| www.GourmetPleasures.com

but also healthy. Ironically, sake has decreased in popularity in Japan. A possible explanation is the westernization of the “East� and their greater appreciation of wine, beer and ready to drink cocktails.

Several years ago Gourmet Pleasures traveled to Japan for the sole purpose of learning more about this beverage in preparation for the opening of our new restaurant in Miami. We visited factories, wholesale and retail distributors, restaurants and even a sake museum.

Although we didn’t return to the States as experts, we did learn a lot.

We would like to share with you some of the interesting things that we learned.

Sake is often referred to as rice wine, however it is not a wine. It is more similar to a beer in how it is produced.

Although sake basically only has four primary ingredients, rice, koji (an enzyme which allows the conversion of starch to sugar and fermentation to occur}, yeast and water, making sake is a complicated process with many steps. It is far more difficult to make than wine. Obviously rice is its most important element. There are over 50 kinds of sake rice. This rice is different than what we eat as a food and is unpalatable. The grains of rice are polished to remove the bran, which is the other layers. The amount of polishing determines the quality and taste profile of the sake. Premium sake is made with highly polished rice.

Since sake is made up of 80% water, the water used also plays an important part in its taste. The taste of the sake depends on the mineral content of the water. Most sake “breweries� use water from wells located nearby.

You can drink sake either hot or cold.

Generally premium sake is best served chilled, as heat will damage it flavors and aromas. Some sakes, such as junmai, are better served hot. The heat brings out the umami flavor. After opening a bottle of sake it is ideal to consume it within 2-3 hours. If you do have some sake left in the bottle you can store it in the refrigerator, but it should be used within 2 days as oxidation will negatively affect the taste. A word of caution, the alcohol content of sake is usually at least 15-17% making it a bit stronger than wine. Because it is most often served in small glasses, it is easy to underestimate how much you are consuming. Trust us when we tell you that you will regret an evening of heavy sake drinking the next morning.

Unfortunately, we are speaking from experience.

JAN 2019 GOURMET PLEASURES |19

Gluten Vs G

By Ellen R

I

t seems like lately more and more people each day are following a gluten free diet. We at Gourmet Pleasures must admit our ignorance about gluten and to correct that we did some research into the subject to find out exactly what it is and why so many people go to great lengths to eliminate it from their diet.

Gluten is a general name for a combination of proteins that are found in grains such as wheat, rye, and barley, among others. It is responsible for the elastic texture of dough and helps food retain their shape. For most of the population, gluten consumption is not an issue, However, people with certain medical conditions most avoid, or totally eliminate, gluten. People with Celiac Disease, an autoimmune disease, suffer the most serious form of gluten intolerance. After eating foods with gluten, they can, and probably will, suffer digestive distress.

The long term effects of gluten can eventually destroy their small intestines and can lead to more serious disease such as cancer. Researchers and doctors estimate that approximately 1% of the population has Celiac Disease. A second group of the population that suffer when they eat gluten are those with “gluten intolerance�. Gluten intolerance is a far more common condition, with estimates going as high as 10% of the population. This condition can also cause digest distress in addition to skin irritations ( i.e.hives, eczema ), joint and muscle pain, fatigue and headaches. Some people eliminate gluten from their diet because they have a wheat allergy. When they eat food products that contain wheat they may suffer from itchy and watery eyes, running noses and rashes. It should be noted that this group can safety consume rye and oat gluten without a problem.

The number of people who have the above medical conditions is far less than the amount of people living a gluten free lifestyle. Almost two 20 | www.GourmetPleasures.com

Gluten Free

Head to Head

Rosenfeld

years ago an article in Forbes Magazine written

by Niall McCarthy stated that “some 3.1 million people across the United States follow a gluten free diet.” We are almost certain that the number has grown since then. Some attribute that to a “food craze”. Numerous books and articles have been written making claims that gluten is responsible for depression, obesity, autism, ADHD, dementia etc.

We could find no scientific evidence to support any of these claims. There are even articles written that claim eliminating gluten, for most people, is not healthy. Gourmet Pleasures’ staff are neither experts nor scientist and we believe that whatever diet you choose to follow is you personal right.

While in the not too distant past it was somewhat challenging to live a “gluten free lifestyle” today it is relatively easy. Nearly every food item that contains gluten is now available using alternative ingredients. We were interested in comparing the taste difference between a gluten free item and one containing gluten. We purchased a grocery store brand vanilla sandwich cookie and a gluten free vanilla sandwich cookie. Side by side the cookies looked almost identical. Only one of our group knew which cookies were gluten free and when asked which one they preferred the others all liked the gluten free version the best. This really surprised us because we assumed, incorrectly, that in eliminating gluten you were sacrificing taste. We were so wrong. The gluten free version had a crispier, and more appealing texture. The caloric content and nutritional values of both cookies were pretty much the same, but we must acknowledged that there was a substantial difference in price. The gluten free cookies cost 47 cents per ounce, while the cookies containing gluten was less than 20 cents per ounce. We learned a lot in the process of writing this article. We hope you have found it informative.

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FIREMAN DEREK’S BAKE SHOP

By Ellen Rosenfeld

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Guilty Pleasures

S’more pie

W

e have all heard the phrase “as American as apple pie”, but pie has been around since the ancient Egyptians. A pie is defined as a baked dish with a pastry casing. It can be sweet, such as apple pie or savory, such as chicken pot pie.

Whether sweet or savor, a well prepared pie is irresistable. Recently one of our readers wrote to use and suggested that we visit.”

Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop”. We are always looking for new places to try so we did not hesitate and we were not disappointed.

Fireman’s Derek is a tiny family owned bake shop located in the trendy area of

Wynnwood. It’s founder is an ex firefighter, Derek Kaplan, hence the name. As you enter the interior you are “greeted” by the delicious aromas coming from the kitchen.

In addition to pies, both savory and sweet, Fireman Derek’s menu include cakes, cheesecakes, cookies, brownies and other signature dishes. But we were there to try the pie. We were overwhelmed by the large selection of “sweet” pie flavors, so while we took our time deciding what to order we indulged in their homemade chicken pot pie.

It was huge and stuffed to overflowing with shredded chicken breast, cheddar cheese JAN 2019 GOURMET PLEASURES | 23

and carrot and peas. It was delicious, but unfortunately we were then full. We decided to get our sweet pie selections “to go”. We ordered the Salted Caramel Pie which is nicknamed “crack pie” because some fans find it so addictive. It was unlike anything we have ever eaten, and we mean that in a good way. It is extremely sweet so one slice can easily please 3-4 people. The Key Lime Pie was a simple, but perfect, representation of what some of us believe is Florida’s “state pie”. It was smooth and creamy. The Nutella Pie consisted of a Nutella hazelnut mousse and a rich chocolate ganache atop a crushed Oreo cookie crust. It was topped with chopped hazelnuts and Nutella drizzle.

You absolutely can’t stop eating it. If you like coconut, and we do, you must have the Coconut Custard Pie. This was probably our favorite. It was light, airy and fabulous.

Gourmet Pleasures is so thankful to our wonderful reader who told us about Fireman Derek’s. We can’t wait to go back and try their cakes which, by the way, looked wonderful..

Nutella Pie 24 | www.GourmetPleasures.com

Chicken empanada

Coconut custard pie

Key Lime pie Flan award

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Critic for a Night

The Melting Pot With Alexandra buroz

The Oxford Dictionary defines nepotism as “the practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs” This month’s Gourmet Pleasures is “guilty” of nepotism with our choice of “Critic of the Month”, Alexandra Buroz, who is the daughter of our CEO/Founder, Rene Buroz.

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Ying Yang chocolate fondue

Classic cheese fondue

By @ReneGourmet

Ms. Buroz was born in Caracas, Venezuela and moved to Miami at the age of 10. She is now 19 and attends Northeastern University in Boston where she is studying criminal justice. She inherited her love of good food from her father. During Christmas break Alexandra returned to South Florida and dined with the staff of Gourmet Pleasures at The Melting Pot in Ft. Lauderdale.

GP: Alexandra, one word to describe your evening at The Melting Pot Alexandra: Satisfying.

GP: What did your order?

Alexandra: Everything. No, I’m just kidding, but we did order a lot. We started the meal with the Classic Alpine cheese fondue which was made with Gruyere, Raclette, Fontina, white wine, garlic and nutmeg. For the entree the table shared “The Classic”. This was a selection of certified angus beef sirloin, shrimp, Memphis style dry rub pork, teriyaki marinated sirloin and herb crusted chicken breast.

We had the Yin & Yang chocolate fondue for dessert.

GP: What did you think of the menu?

Alexandra: I liked it. It had a variety of options making it very appealing to all ages and occasions.

GP: What was your favorite dish?

Alexandra: I loved the Yin & Yang chocolate fondue. It had both white and dark chocolate. It came with fruits, cakes and rice crispy treats for dipping. The chocolate was the perfect combination of sweet and bitter.

GP: How was the service?

Alexandra: The service was very good. Our waitress provided a very detailed description of all of the dishes.

She was also very polite and attentive.

GP: Did the prices match the quality?

Alexandra: I would say that the restaurant is a bit pricey, yet worth every penny.

GP: Would you return to The Melting Pot? Alexandra: I would most definitely return, not only for the delicious food but also for the restaurant’s cozy environment and first rate service.

GP: You are the daughter of a “gourmet” and we know you visit restaurants very often. Do you think that you have higher food expectations than most people your age?

Chocolate fondue

Alexandra: I probably do have higher expectations.

Because of my father’s love of food, I’ve had the privilege of dining at some of the best restaurants in the world so my food standards are pretty high.

GP: What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a father that is a “gourmet”?

Alexandra: An advantage is that I get to experience amazing restaurants with him and he welcomes my opinions. A disadvantage is that he always wants to take perfect pictures of the food before we eat and this can be tiresome, especially if I’m hungry.

GP: Any final thoughts?

Alexandra: Yes, I am very proud of my father!

JAN 2019 GOURMET PLEASURES |27

On The Go

Creamy Sweet corn

Las Vegas

By Rene Buroz

S

ince it seems like the whole world descends on South Florida during the winter holidays, Gourmet Pleasures likes to ‘get out of town” for New Year’s Eve. There are many great New Year’s Eve destinations around the world, but our favorite place to celebrate the start of a new year is Las Vegas.

This spectacular city has something for individuals of all ages. Most people only think about gambling and shows, but this desert city is also home to amazing amusement centers, high end shopping, one-ofa-kind thematic hotels and, of course, fabulous culinary opportunities.

We arrived in the city on December 30th and, after a quick stop to check into our room at the Encore Hotel, we immediately went to the Bacchanal Brunch at the iconic Caesar’s Palace Hotel. This brunch is all about the food with stations including Asian, Italian, fresh seafood, made to order omelettes, gourmet cheeses and sumptuous desserts. Our favorite dishes included the veal t-bone, enormous crab legs, the do-it-yourself taco station and the irresistible nutella crepes. This brunch gets very crowded so we suggest you arrive early; however they do have a VIP option offering expedited seating for an additional fee. After brunch we hopped into an uber and went to Fremont Street in downtown Vegas. Fremont Street dates back to 1905, which is the year that Las Vegas was founded. This street has been the location of many scenes in very famous movies including Elvis Presley’s 1964 hit movie, “Viva Las Vegas” and the 1971 James Bond film “Diamonds are Forever”. In the early 2000 the area underwent a total renovation and now includes a pedestrian mall with great shopping, an amazing night time led light show, “Viva Vision”, and SlotZilla Zip Line, a 12 story slot machine inspired zip line experience. We had a great time and we think visiting Fremont Street is a worthwhile experience, That first evening, we went to see Gwen Stefani’s show “Just A Girl”, at the Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. We thoroughly enjoy her wonderful performance.

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sausage

Clams

Sweet and sour chicken

Spicy shrimp

Vegatable Dumplings

Pasta Brushetta

Tomato soup

JAN 2019 GOURMET PLEASURES |29

CASA WABO

Carne asada tacos

Fried burrito

A

fter the show we dined at Casa Wabo Cantina, a Mexican restaurant, also located in Planet Hollywood. This restaurant is a great option for late night dining. For us the dish of the night was the Chorizo Cheese Melt. This was the best version of this dish we have ever eaten and we have eaten it a lot.

The combination of the three cheeses were melted to the texture of cream with pieces of spicy chorizo accompanied by pico de gallo and warm tortillas.

We also enjoyed the Fried Chicken Burrito and the Baja Style Grilled Fish Tacos prepared with soft mahi mahi, tomatoes, cilantro, onions and lime.

The next morning, we had breakfast at The Jardin Restaurant located in the Wynn Hotel, a place surrounded by gardens and a destination for healthy food and delicious smoothies. Their chicken omelet is sensational. In addition to the chicken, the omelet is made with Monterey Jack Cheese, Anaheim peppers and pieces of avocado. For a healthier option, we recommend the steel cut oats with golden raisins. We always like to add strawberries to the bowl for a fruity “touch”. After breakfast, we decided we needed some exercise and decided to tour various hotel located on “the strip”. Visiting hotels in Las Vegas is like taking a trip around the world without getting on an airplane. The Paris Las Vegas Hotel transports you to City of Lights. At The Venetian you can take a romantic ride in an authentic gondola. New York New York Hotel & Casino is a great place to visit if you love “The Big Apple” At this hotel’s entrance is a replica of the Statue of Liberty and its interior decor is configured to resemble New York City.

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Grilled fish tacos

Queso fundido

Steel cut oats

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Wazuzu W e decided to keep our New Years Eve dinner simple and uncomplicated and we dined at the Wazuzu Chinese Restaurant located in our hotel. Here we had the option of a regular menu rather than the fixed menus usually found on New Year’s Eve. We enjoyed a delicate shrimp and pork wonton soup followed by sweet and sour chicken that had been prepared in wok providing it with a perfect crispy texture.

As is our tradition, we remained on “The Strip” to welcome in 2019 and watch the fabulous fireworks display. It is estimated that more than 500,000 people were there with us. We finished the evening at XS, one of the best, in our opinion, nightclubs in the world. The Grammy Award winning duo, The Chainsmokers were performing that evening. It was a great way to start a new year.

King crab hand roll

Cantonese fried rice

Wonton Soup

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O

n the first morning of 2019, we had brunch at The Buffet located at the Wynn Hotel. We enjoyed their first class food with first class service, especially from our wonderful servers, Jessie and Mrs. Elvia. We enjoy the pool parties in Vegas, but since it was January and very cold, we did our next favorite afternoon activity, shopping! We love shopping at the upscale Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, which is sometimes referred to as “The Shopping Wonder of the World�.

Pizza

Prime Rib

Seafood

Sausage

Dessert

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Cipriani F Thinly sliced veal with tuna sauce

or our farewell Las Vegas dinner we went to the Italian restaurant Cipriani. The star of the evening was the homemade potato gnocchi with a creamy tomato sauce.

This sounds like a simple dish but trust us, it isn’t.

This chef’s preparation is pure perfection. We also enjoyed the Thinly Sliced Veal with Tonnato Sauce, the Lentil Soup , Octopus Carpaccio and the Cipriani Tagliarelle with Short Rib Ragu.

We like to mention a few more Las Vegas recommendations: Hotels: Wynn, Encore, Bellagio For Children: Stratosphere, Circus Circus Nightclubs: XS, Omnia, Hakkasan Shows: O by Cirque du Soleil, La Reve, One (Michael Jackson), KA by Cirque du Soleil, Criss Angel, Zumanity by Cirque du Soleil Restaurants: Picasso, Mastros, Nobu, L’Atelier de Steak House Pool Parties: Beach Club, Wet Republic

Dessert cake

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