Five winter dishes that comfort with culinary flair
Stellar Bay oysters with razor clam and Alaskan king crab at Twist
Fun fact: Oysters and lobsters were on the table for the first Thanksgiving. At Twist, Chef Frederic Don employs classic techniques to build a modern masterpiece. Two fat, fluffy oysters from Vancouver, warmed by a citrus beurre blanc, are served in the shell with chopped meaty razor clam and buttery Alaskan king crab, finished with a touch of brunoise celery and a buckwheat tuile chip. Imagine a seafood feast distilled into two bites. (Mandarin Oriental, 702-590-8888)
Gulf shrimp pasta with guanciale and wild mushrooms at Delmonico Steakhouse
Photography Courtesy Delmonico Steakhouse
Winter menus are about foods that can be preserved, cured, dried, or otherwise pulled from a cold, unforgiving wilderness. The Gulf Coast cuisine at Delmonico honors regional culinary traditions with this pan-European pasta dish. Curly torchio pasta is served in a spice-rich white wine and butter sauce, with diced guanciale (cured pork cheek), chanterelle mushrooms, and white gulf shrimp. (Venetian, 702-414-3737)
Sunchoke soup with raclette toast at Sage
Known for adventurous combinations, Sage has paired motifs from several trans-alpine dishes in this creamy sunchoke soup (a seasonal root of a sunflower) by adding roasted potatoes, cured pork cheek, and a crisp of raclette cheese. This is a dish for true cheese-lovers, as raclette is one of the funkiest ones around, and also the traditional base for Swiss fondue. (Aria, 702-590-8690)
Foie gras French toast at Bardot Brasserie
Home of the best brunch in town, Bardot already boasts the most lovingly labor-intensive French toast. Now you can have it with a three-ounce slice of seared foie gras and a cassis compote. Traditionally, foie gras is harvested in fall and winter, when the ducks eat as much as they can to store fat in their liver for the long flight south. It’s still the season when the foie gras is the best (especially from La Belle, Bardot’s supplier), and definitely the best time to enjoy a phenomenal French toast. (Aria, 702-590-8610)
Short rib grilled cheese at Carson Kitchen
Photography by Sabin Orr
Carson Kitchen is all about elevated comfort food, and no dish embodies this like its short rib grilled cheese. It’s got all the gooey, crispy nostalgic goodness of classic grilled cheese, but the ingredients — braised beef short rib, melted Gouda, and toasted sourdough — will inspire new memories. (Downtown, carsonkitchen.com)