Aureole

Friday night, Michael and I decided to revisit a restaurant we had enjoyed previously; Charlie Palmer's Aureole in Mandalay Bay.

Oh that? It's nothing, just a four-story wine tower that sommeliers rappel through on ropes to retrieve your bottle, nothing out of the ordinary here...

Just kidding, this thing never ceases to impress. While we were dining, the "wine angel" was performing something akin to mild acrobatics in there; it was pretty cool.

And of course, you need a touch screen, electronic wine list to help you navigate their selection.

Meat salad. Again, kidding! Seriously though, frisee with quince, fried pasta, duck confit, foie gras torchon, and a poached egg. Not exactly a "light" appetizer, but tasty.

Onion soup with foie gras, black truffle, and a puff pastry and Gruyere top. The puff pastry was incredibly buttery and flaky, and the Gruyere had a savory, satisfying depth to it. Underneath its crisp lid are caramelized onions in a rich veal stock, and there were big slices of black truffle throughout.

Waygu skirt steak, mashed potatoes, fresh corn and peas. There were subtle southwest flavors woven through this dish, it was really balanced and rich. I especially liked the peas, they were very fresh and had a nice bite to them. Actually, all of it was perfectly delicious.

The absolute best bread pudding I've had thus far in my life, dulce de leche with brioche and caramelized bananas. There was just the thinnest layer of super crisp caramelized sugar on the top, and under that was the most incredibly moist, custard-like bread pudding. The banana flavor was really intense, but nicely ripe and very fresh.

They finished us off with a selection of mini baked goods, all of which were fun.

Our second visit to Aureole was just as impressive as the first. Last time I ate there, they were nice enough to give me a tour of their beautiful kitchen.

As of right now, I'm just waiting to find out what day I'll be flying out on... the anticipation is getting intense, I'll soon be in Spain!

Adios!