Eiffel Tower Restaurant
 Las Vegas, Nevada      Date of Visit: 12/19/11     http://www.eiffeltowerrestaurant.com/

We had originally planned on visiting Charlie Palmers Aureole but something about a ten course tasting menu after all of the previous eating just wasn’t going to work, it will one year. Instead we took a ride on the Gorgonzolas (Howdy Jegunda), I mean the Gondolas at the Venetian and decided to try one more very Vegas thing and dine with another great view of the Bellagio fountains. Instead of Olives this time we took the elevator up into the replica of the Eiffel tower across the street.
 

The Amuse...Cauliflower Soup
 

The place is nice and dark and we sat at the bar waiting for the maitre‘d to try to score a table next to the windows to watch the fountains. I think we were all worried the only reason for the prices at this joint have more to do with the location and very little to do with the meal. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that J. Joho is not a celebrity chef with a show on some network but it was not the case. I suppose if you can’t count on publicity alone you need to be sure people will return for something else. The tower has the goods not to mention we caught four version of the fountains during our tenure. Back to the brownie points.

The service is exceptionally French and fussy which I would expect. Our server was a bit Lurchy but held his own and again during the weekend the back waiter was hopping and making up for any shortcomings from the lead.

A square of tremendous French butter was followed by a basket of four varieties of bread…I tried all three…oh the sacrifices. All four the rustic loaf, the baguette, the wheat and the multigrain were stupendous and stupendous with the addition of the super fatty butter. The chef also sent out an amuse which was a shot of cold cauliflower soup which tasted of the butterly enhanced essence of cauliflower, very nice.

Our order was something.

Appetizers of Red Wine Marinated Quail on a Chorizo Brioche Pudding with Swiss Chard and Petite Frisee and an Autumn Greens Salad with Roasted Walnuts, Caramelized Pears and a Goat Cheese Fondue.

Entrees included The Slow Roasted Filet of Atlantic Salmon with a Pinot Noir Butter Sauce, a Boneless Organic Rabbit with Braised Carrots Confits and a Mustard Jus, and the Individual Eiffel Tower Beef Wellington with Sautéed Snap Peas. Sides were Galette of Potato Anna, Alsace Mushroom Spaetzle,  Gratinée Creamed Spinach and Mushroom and Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts and Bacon.
 

The salad was complex and clean and was elevated by the soft tangy fondue of goat cheese. The quail was perfectly done and even my mother who had quail once…once and found it awful appeared to change her mind on the subject. The pudding bread and chorizo mix and chard made the dish a balanced start to gourmand gluttony.
 

The salmon was beyond moist and flaky and delicious and bolstered by a buttery pinot sauce. The poissonnier knows what they are doing in the tower. It arrived with the creamed spinach and mushrooms which were about as rich as you could make them without becoming problematic. The Rabbit was extraordinary and I believe changed everyone’s feeling about Bugs being tasty for the others around the table. A half a potato anna and the mustard infused jus from the cooking process made for an outstanding dish, I was very pleased. The sprouts were nicely done and my only nitpick of the entire meal was that I didn’t care for the chestnuts with them. Not bad, just not great. The spaetzle was tender and beefy with a definitive overtone of red wine, a great accompaniment of the rabbit and beef. The beef itself was encased in flaky pastry, enrobed in succulent duxelle and a beautiful mid rare inside. The red wine sauce alongside was a nice touch but I felt it was every bit as good alone.
 

After we decided to split a dessert we were sent a short chocolate mousse with the plate decorated with an anniversary wish in chocolate since we celebrate our anniversary four months after the date and we got to celebrate with my Mom how awesome my Dad was to all of us. If I could have poured some mousse on the floor I would have (one for my peeps).

The strudel that we split was serious strudel with a serious chew which was filled with Alsatian apples and perfect spices and served with caramel and a cinnamon ice cream. The Eiffel Tower Restaurant is a serious, seriously classical French restaurant. It was a great view of a great show. Offered numerous dishes without a serious miss. Did I mention it is serious?! Would make a great option for any special occasion being celebrated in the city. Chef Palmer would have had to work hard to keep pace.