By George Christopher Thomas
Las Vegas has a legendary plethora of choices for entertainment and activities. One of the most universally appealing of them is going out to eat and embracing options for the finest of fine dining. Getting dressed up, feeling a little formal and dedicating an evening to a world-class restaurant can be one of the most enjoyable activities imaginable, especially when you share it with people you love.
My two sons and I recently visited the incredible Fontainebleau Las Vegas to eat, eat, and then eat some more. Certainly we were being gluttons, but isn’t that one of the requirements when you are on vacation in Sin City? We stayed at Fontainebleau Las Vegas and had a thoroughly unforgettable time. The top-notch accommodations were luxurious and indulgently classy. However, it was the access to multiple amazing and award-winning restaurants on the property that made this visit to Las Vegas legendary.
Our shared goal was to eat as many little creatures and animals as we could. Perhaps this harkens back to biblical times, and having dominion over the animals. Starting out with this silly goal in mind, we intended to hit double digits and have at least 10 different previously living things in our bellies. The dining options at Fontainebleau Las Vegas are plentiful, with over 30 options spanning signature restaurants, casual eateries, the Promenade Food Court and ample bars and lounges. Choosing each evening’s dining spot alone is a delicious experience.
Our first restaurant was Washing Potato, which specializes in a combination of dim sum and Cantonese street food. We embraced the opportunity to feast on the most complex and exotic dishes we could find, in hopes of having a culinary experience unlike any other. Every bite was outstanding, as was the presentation of the meal. Dim sum is ideal for a family-style eating experience. The act of sharing and talking about each dish with my sons amplified the whole experience for all of us.
We started out already knowing what we wanted: the cuttlefish in curry sauce. Of course that sounds great, what is a cuttlefish again? In flavor and texture, cuttlefish are like a cross between a squid and an octopus, but a little milder and more delicate. It was wonderful to taste a new-to-us seafood option, as cuttlefish is certainly not something you get to eat every day. This first-time dining experience with my sons was a perfect moment. Mark that off the list, now what else is on the menu?
My younger one is transitioning from bland kid-friendly food to “real” food. When he doesn’t finish his plate back home, I am happy to have a few chicken nuggets and some cheesy pasta. However, we were dressed up and out on the town, so he felt brave about venturing into new culinary territory. He dipped his toe into the realm of flavor with his first-ever taste of sweet and sour chicken. What a place to experience one of the most popular dishes known to man! Although he did share with me and his brother, he also made sure to have the lion’s share of that dish, repeatedly commenting, “This is so good.”
My oldest went with the jasmine tea-smoked ribs. I love smoked ribs, and being smoked with jasmine tea added a whole new dimension of delicate flavor and aroma. Once again, when that plate hit the table, the length of time until the food was gone could be counted in seconds, not minutes.
Washing Potato has a hip and happening vibe, with a welcoming, modern dining space filled with abstract art. The menu has pictures of each item, an unexpected yet really handy feature as the photographs give you a more accurate expectation for each dish. There’s also something magical going on in the kitchen, as each dish was delivered with exquisite timing.
In keeping with our goal of eating as many different animals and creatures as we could, our next round of dishes was the venison puffs and the quail. Anytime you get a chance to eat deer and it is served inside a puff, do that. These venison puffs reminded me of a memorable Chinese restaurant in San Francisco where my parents would take me as a child. The puffs were soft and pillowy, with a perfect proportion of rich venison inside. I could have eaten fifteen of them and then taken a nap.
The quail was a real treat, a little spicy and full of flavor. Although quail are adorable, especially when you see them running across the road with their little quail children right behind them, they are also delicious. These mini-morsels of poultry were divine. We finished strong with a sojourn to Japanese for a dessert of mochi. It reminded us of a blackberry pudding, with the textural pop of its crisp fried shell to contrast with the sweet, bouncy interior. This was the perfect ending to an unforgettable father-and-sons eating experience at Washing Potato.
We had marked a few creatures off the list, but there were future appetites to fill and other restaurants to explore. We came to Las Vegas to eat and enjoy the property at Fontainebleau, and that is exactly what we did.
Our next restaurant experience came the following morning at the elegant and light-filled French breakfast nook on the second floor of the casino. La Fontaine exudes excellence and class, and the first thing you want to do when you sit down is put your napkin on your lap, fold your hands, and act properly. After a minute or so of that, it was time to eat. Our goals had not changed, and our party of three was looking to mark a few more uncommon items off our list.
I ordered Le Royal Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon, everything brioche and lemon hollandaise sauce. I could have this every day of my life. We also ordered the sea bass, which was topped with salmon roe. The elegantly sliced sea bass was divine, instantly melding into delicate flakes. However it was the salmon roe that really elevated the dish, with little bursts of seawater seasoning to complement the buttery sea bass.
As much as I suggested they try something else, we had dined here before and both boys knew exactly what they wanted off the menu. In fact, they had already made up their minds before we left Los Angeles. It would be French toast for the younger one, and souffle pancakes for the older one. “Fluffy” is the best way to describe both of these dishes. It’s almost like the batter was made in the clouds, and was mixed together with sugar and love. Every sweet breakfast treat tastes even better when you top it with maple syrup, so in between the pillows of deliciousness, we poured that heavenly treat.
Both kids ordered watermelon juice to wash down the pancakes and French toast. The hot coffee kept coming, and we rolled ourselves out of La Fontaine filled to the brim and primed for a day of Vegas fun. Executive Chef Laëtitia Rouabah is a true Parisian (which feels like a bonus when you are at a fancy French restaurant) and her artistically composed plates are her passion. In our quest to eat many different creatures, we were happy to mark off a couple more with the salmon and sea bass. However, dinner later that night was going to be our crowning achievement in our goal to score a double-digit jackpot in Las Vegas.
After a day out doing adventures we were back at Fontainebleau Las Vegas to get ready for the culinary highlight of our trip. My firstborn son, by now a budding foodie, had been reading the menu for Kyu Las Vegas for the past week, and was ready to quiz the wait staff about the dishes. The restaurant specializes in contemporary Asian fare with an emphasis on wood-fired and umami-rich flavors. He could not wait to order the grilled octopus, and I was going to make sure that I got at least one tentacle.
My second-born was just about over the creature count, and ordered the Korean fried chicken. Sure, we could now mark chicken off the list, and welcomed his order with zero reluctance as that fried chicken was some of the best I have ever tasted. Apologies to the American South, but Korean fried chicken with a crackling crust and chili-butter pow is out of this world. We also ordered duck breast burnt ends, another masterful dish inspired by a Southern BBQ classic and making amazing use of the kitchen’s signature wood smoke. Our order of scallop ceviche, spiked with citrus and chili oil with a little richness from coconut, was an ideal balance to the richer, meaty dishes.
Kyu is another of the resort’s family style restaurants, where everyone can share and sample the dishes of others. Like its incredible cuisine, the restaurant’s architecture is Asian-inspired with a verdant living wall of mosses and ferns along with vertical arrangements of pale wood panels that give the space a lovely inside-outside feel. Everything on the menu was in serious consideration, and I could (and might!) eat at Kyu every single time I am back in Las Vegas.
In the end, we shattered our goal of eating 10 different land and sea creatures. The best part was having my sons with me, and the three of us getting to spend quality time together while trying new dishes. This will forever be the trip when my second born was brave enough to try sweet and sour chicken. He has since picked versions of the dish every time we’ve ordered Chinese food, and every time he declares that the sweet and sour chicken at Washing Potato was and forever will be the best. On a recent camping trip we spotted a whole gaggle of quail, and my firstborn said they look delicious and can we catch one and eat it? He was unsuccessful in his attempt to capture a quail, but he would have never been chasing and wanting to eat them had it not been for the amazing quail dish at Washing Potato.
The best part of having this culinary experience at Fontainebleau Las Vegas is you never have to leave the property. Before each meal we just got ready in our room at the resort, then wandered down to enjoy the dining. All three of us would get ready like we were going to homecoming or the prom, taking long showers and dressing up for the occasion. Our trip to Fontainebleau Las Vegas was truly magical, and a great boys’ trip to eat, play, and rest before eating again.
The kids have already started daydreaming about our next trip to Las Vegas. Our new goal is to try the other restaurants at Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Seventy-five years from now, when my time on the planet is done, my old adult children will still be reminiscing about our culinary cuisine adventure at Fontainebleau Las Vegas. They will cherish the memories of the weekend in the summer of 2024 when we ate baby cuttlefish, quail, and duck. Although I am biased because of how much fun we had and how happy these restaurants made my kids, my recommendation is to stay at Fontainebleau Las Vegas and eat at the resort. There is no need to leave the property; simply stay on site and embrace an unforgettable dining experience.
Details:
Fontainebleau Las Vegas
2777 S. Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109
1 (833) 702-7070
www.fontainebleaulasvegas.com/dining/
Disclaimer: California News Press and its contributors received goods, services and/or other professional courtesies to facilitate this review. All opinions are those of the author.
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