i heart vegas food

i'm pretty sure i just had the best meal of my life. it cost over $100 so i guess it better be. i'm in las vegas at the mgm grand. i wanted asian food for dinner tonight and started out walking toward a casual dining place that would have it. but along the way, i walked by shibuya which serves japanese food. i'd walked (and worked) enough for the day so i decided to treat myself (on work's dime) to something nice. they had a vegetarian tappenyaki dinner that sounded good so i went in. since i was eating alone and early in the evening i was seated all by myself at the big japanese grill. there were other people at the sushi bar and at tables but i was the only one up for tappenyaki apparently. i tried to order a cocktail that had a japanese version of vodka in it but my server steered me toward the americanized cocktails saying that the other stuff is generally too strong for people (like me) to like. i ended up just ordering a glass of plum wine (okay two) in the end. mmm plum wine. then out came a heavenly seaweed salad. then out came a mixed green salad dressed in an apple yuzu vinaigrette. it was so so good i had to ask again what the vinaigrette was made of. then miso soup with enoki & shitake mushrooms. during the miso, my chef came out; i'd been visited by about three different servers prior to that and they'd all been super attentive calling me by name each time. my chef was awesome and funny and young enough that we could actually talk about life and relate to each other. the vegetable platter he prepared was so great. typically at every other japanese grilling restaurant i've ever been to, dinner for a vegetarian is lots of zucchini, onions and bean sprouts and maybe some tofu. in vegas, they take it to a whole new level.
1. kabocha squash, 2. japanese eggplant, 3. two kinds of mushrooms (hiratake and maitake, i think) 4. red onion & green onions, 5. carrots, 6. baby zucchini, 7. baby green pattypan squash, 8. shishito peppers (supposed to be mild but the one i ate burnt my mouth so bad i had tears running down my face. one of my trio of waiters said that was considered "lucky" since they are usually sweet. needless to say i never ate any more.), and 9. tofu. they were grilled in butter, garlic butter, salt & pepper and some had soy sauce/tamari added. they were arranged beautifully (and whole) on a platter and sprinkled with deep fried garlic for a nice crunch. it was all served with a trio of dipping sauces but i didn't even touch them since the veggies were cooked so wonderfully. my chef said the amount of veggies they were providing was enough for two, and i'm hurting from packing away as much as i did. he also made me veggie fried rice but i couldn't touch it cause of my burning mouth and stuffed stomach. luckily i've got a fridge in my room so i was able to bring my leftovers with me! (i can't wait till tomorrow.) as if all that wasn't enough, i was also brought a trio of desserts. first was a little shot glass of a strawberry & something (yogurt?) parfait, tofu cheesecake (i so wish i had saved room for this it was so delicious!), and a chocolate covered mochi ice cream (i couldn't even try this. sooo stuffed). the two glasses of wine, burning tongue, and heaps of food about had me under the table in a food coma. but i managed to walk out of there, check my cellphone, meet up with a guy at my tradeshow booth, and make it back to my room. feeling better now. still sooo happy about that dinner. mmmm. wish i had my tofu cheesecake.

one other vegas note...i've been here three times now. it's my second time at the mgm grand. the other time i've been, i stayed at the venetian. just as last time, i think the the food at the mgm rocks. the venetian was a disappointment food-wise. though my room there was great. but here at the mgm, i'm staying in the signature towers and i've got a mini-kitchenette which is awesome.