One of the greatest meals I have had this year was at Robuchon’s casual outpost in the MGM Grand Hotel. Readers should realize there are two separate restaurants. The more relaxed one, where patrons can sit at the bar and watch the chefs prepare the food, is L’Atelier du Robuchon. Next door is his luxury, limited seating restaurant, where sixteen course meals are the rule of thumb. We almost had sixteen courses at L’Atelier because there are so many magnificent choices. I enjoyed the casualness of the venue. We chose unoaked wines, starting with Baumard’s 2002 Savenières Clos de Papillon, a dry, 100% Chenin Blanc that offers fabulous flexibility with an assortment of foods. We then moved to Chapoutier’s 2004 Châteauneuf du Pape Croix de Bois, which is aged on old wood, but is a fruit-driven, peppery, garrigue-styled wine from a vineyard Chapoutier owns near Vieux-Télégraphe.

The food was remarkable, with every course a bell-ringer. We started with a wonderful eggplant dish after one of Robuchon’s famed cucumber gelées with some intriguing layers of flavor. The Napoleon of vegetables was brilliant in its execution and freshness of flavor. A slab of sashimi tuna was wonderfully spiced as well as incredibly fresh. The shrimp dish reminded me of one prepared at Michel Richard’s Citronelle with its crispy shredded Greek pastry providing a wonderful texture. The langoustine was perfectly cooked, and the mussels were some of the finest I have had. Highly recommended by the chef, they were incredibly fat and succulent with some chorizio sausage and wonderful pimento and garlic notes. The broth they sat in was to die for. I thought I was on the coast of Spain or Portugal! The last three dishes were out of this world. I always thought the best beef tartare I ever had was at the 21 Club in New York City, but Robuchon’s translation of an American classic was fabulous. Spicy, but incredibly fresh, meaty beef was served with an assortment of condiments. The chef had recommended the confit of cochon de lait, which was another fabulous dish of milk-fed suckling pig with delicate flavors and wonderful intensity. Lastly, even though I rarely eat dessert, the kitchen sent out a complimentary selection of six different fruit tarts, all of which were brilliant. I think the pastry chef does double duty at Robuchon’s luxury restaurant next door, and these were magnificently prepared with perfectly ripe fruit, light as a feather pastry, and fabulously intense flavors.

This was a great meal, and it was hard to believe we were not in the middle of Paris, but rather just a step away from the raging casino activity of the MGM Grand.