Blossom
Sacred Fruit – Vodka, Lychee, Orchid
Goose Liver – Touch of Black Pepper, Daikon, Carrots
Golden Seafood Medallion – Cream Cheese, Shrimp, Crab Meat on Toast
Walnut Prawns – Topped with Mayonnaise, Candied Walnuts, over Winter Melons
Peking Duck – Carved Tableside, Hoisin, Bao, Wraps
Sesame Cookies
Dim Sum Dumplings – Cinnamon, Sesame, Coconut with Kahlua Cream, Chocolate and Passion Fruit Dips
Pineapple Cake and Tea Takeaway
Having spent the vast majority of my life in Ohio and thus isolated from most Asian cultures save for during my travels I’m embarrassed to say that prior to relocating to Las Vegas I’d never truly realized the grandeur of the Chinese New Year, a fete celebrated by nearly 20% of the world’s 6.5 billion people, but vowing to remedy this situation through both a literature search and at least a couple meals commemorating the Year of the Horse it was with good fortune that I found a friend happy to join me at Aria’s highly praised Blossom on Saturday night. Seemingly a cuisine underappreciated by many Americans, or at least most frequently enjoyed ‘on the cheap,’ yet one whose bold flavors I’d previously seen brought to new light by exemplary ingredients in both Toronto and New York it was just after 7:30pm when my friend and I arrived for dinner and seated at a plush two-top given full vantage of the room’s center dining area it was with stellar service from a team of at least a half dozen that the night progressed; a cocktail, quartet of savories, and a single dessert plus complimentary cookies served in three courses with every plate stunning in quality, quantity, and presentation. Starting off with a duo of creamy true/goose foie gras with pronounced sapor balanced by light pepper and seared caramelization served alongside four “medallions” melding concepts of Crab Rangoon and Shrimp Toast it would be difficult to name another spot in the States to find a better version of either, yet progressing to the ‘main course’ it was soon that round one disappeared to the ages as Chef Chi Kwun Choi’s farm raised Peking Duck arrived tableside to be deftly carved and plated by a veteran service team claiming to have performed the ritual “at least two thousand times,” the crisp and meaty skin placed delicately on bao and in pancakes with crisp vegetable and aromatic hoisin before the rest of the bird was taken to the kitchen to be disarticulated, deboned, and presented hot, supple, and ever so rich. Rounded out with large, lightly fried prawns and candied walnuts topped with delicately honeyed mayo over chilled winter melons and finally six small dumplings filled with silky Kahlua cream plus a duo of gifts for the table it would be easy for me to say Blossom was the best Chinese restaurant I’ve experienced to date but taking it one step further I’d place it amongst my ten best meals in Las Vegas; food, room, and service rivaling some of the French, Spanish, and Italian Masters at a slightly more favorable price point.
http://www.aria.com/dining/restaurants/blossom