— Originally posted on Yelp on 9/8/09 –—
We ate at DB Brasserie as part of Restaurant Week. Even though we showed up ten minutes before our reservations they were happy to seat us. They proceeded to show us to our table on the patio. It was 2-top in a high-traffic area so we asked them if there was a more intimate table available. They said it wasn’t a problem and showed us to our new table, tucked away in the far left corner of the patio. Unfortunately, it was right next to the server station where they piled up dirty dishes but we figured it was still a better table than the first. It still gave us a decent view of the “lake.” It seemed like our server had a large number of tables to deal with so our service was a little spotty, but he was trying his best. The sommelier was quick to stop by our table and ask about drinks. Their champagne and wines by the glass were a little pricey (around $12/glass) but that seems to be the norm for higher-end restaurants. Everything we drank was great — champagne and albariño for the wife and the malbec and meritage for me.
As for the food, it ranged from average to fabulous to forgettable.
Appetizers:
– Summer Salad: really good, light and refreshing
– Short rib ravioli: the best dish of the night. Tons of flavor with the combination of the meat and tomato compote. I wish I had two orders of this because it didn’t last long.
Main Entrees:
– Moules frites: wonderful, clean flavors but way too many mussels (which is something I never thought I’d complain about at an upscale restaurant — too much of a good thing). Really nice presentation with the deep, cast-iron dish. They also gave us two bowls for the mussel shells, if that gives you any indication of how many there were. And, they were very quick to take the bowls as they filled up.
– Steak frites: good sized cut of beef and cooked perfectly. It was a little lacking in flavor when eaten by itself but with the sweetness of the onion compote it was a very good dish. The fries were surprisingly good. I thought they might be a little dense but they weren’t at all. The outside of the fries were perfectly light and crispy, while the inside tasted soft and fluffy.
Desserts:
– Crepe Suzette: it was a light dessert w/ decent flavor and texture, but nothing special
– Chocolate hazelnut fondant: it was ok. Nothing spectacular. It looked better than it tasted. The coffee ice cream that accompanied it was the best thing about this dessert.
– Petit fours: mostly forgettable, but the coconut macaroon was my favorite of the group
Overall, the meal was good but didn’t live up to my expectations of what I thought a Daniel Boulud restaurant would be like. I was expecting to be blown away by every dish but found them to be hit or miss. I’d give them 3.5 stars if I could. As a side note, I wish the restaurants at Wynn/Encore used OpenTable. It’s so much more convenient to make my reservation online as opposed to calling up and having the person on the other line try to convince me to stay the night at one of their suites or buy tickets to Le Reve.
3 Stars
3131 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89136
(888) 320-7110
