Majordōmo Meat & Fish
Seafood Box – King Crab with Drawn Butter, Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce, Oysters with Mignonette, Yellowtail with Tomato Bonji
Bing Board – Cave-Aged Butter & Kaluga Caviar, Tingly Lamb, Wagyu Beef Tartare, Chickpea Hozon Dip
Whole Plate Beef Short Rib – Smoked Bone-In APL-Style, Kimchi, Bibb Lettuce, Shiso
Beef Fat Fried Rice
Fried Sweet Potatoes – Aioli
Hōjicha
Key Lime Pie – Short Crust, Custard, Meringue
Valrhona White Chocolate Rice Pudding – Vanilla Ice Cream, Salted Caramel Whipped Cream, Navel Orange, Blood Orange Jam, Miso Caramel, Almonds, Peanuts, Cookie Crumble, Chocolate Chips, Chocolate Feuilletine
Referencing the still-red-hot Restaurant in Los Angeles, David Chang’s Majordōmo Meat & Fish opened at The Palazzo in late 2019, the replacement to beloved Carnevino sourcing a range of ideas to build a concise menu that succeeds largely through Ingredient sourcing and lots of umami.
Known best for the momofuku empire, and Ugly Delicious on Netflix, Majordōmo Meat & Fish sees Chang represent his Korean-American upbringing through big flavors plus sharable portion sizes, and from the elegant raw bar visible on entry to Prime Rib carts circulating the space no expense is spared.
A follow-up to the California concept recently nominated for “Best New Restaurant” by the James Beard Foundation, Majordōmo consists of nearly 250 seats and represents the biggest project to date for Chef Chang, the atmosphere buzzy thanks to modern music though never too loud thanks to high ceilings.
Offering posh seating and professional service from beginning to end, though presumptive “thank yous” and odd phrasing like “I’d like to establish your water preference” seem put-on at times, it is after guests are settled that decisions must be made, Cocktails including a Lemon Drop or Spicy Margarita predictably “Strip-priced” while house-filtered Water is complimentary.
Not “a Korean restaurant,” but built on Chang’s travel and heritage, it is amidst windows of aging Beef, countless bottles of Wine and top-shelf Liquor that temptation comes from every angle, responsibly sourced Seafood a good place to start and comprised of everything from fresh Crab or Shrimp to a daily special of sustainable Yellowtail with housemade Tomato Bonji.
Toqued by Brian Lhee, formerly of Tao, Chef Chang took no chances when sourcing talent for a project he describes as “one of the most insane things we’ve ever tried to do,” and despite expecting high volume during Las Vegas’ convention season the kitchen staff cuts no corners with everything housemade from Sauces and Dips to the Butter-free Flatbread called Bing.
A bit like Pita, but seared on the flat-top so the exterior becomes golden around a delicate crumb, Bing is offered with a variety of Toppings that range from Honey Butter to shaved Duck Liver, though if one is looking for the very definition of decadence it would be difficult to imagine anything better than unctuous cave-aged Butter and a heaping spoon of Caviar.
Also impressing with “Tingly Lamb” mellowed by Tzatziki, while Wagyu Beef Tartare and Hummus called “Chickpea Hozon” both skew Asian thanks to complex Spices, it is with serviceware reset that Entrees arrive, and although one can go all-out with A5 Miyazaki Striploin there are also price-conscious choices such as the $38 Pork Chop or 12oz Skirt Steak.
Instead opting for one of Majordōmo Meat & Fish’s sharable signatures, it was atop a tableside cart that several pounds of Beef Short Ribs were carefully carved by the Chef, its service with Kimchi, Bibb Lettuce and Sauce providing at least two-dozen customizable Wraps soon followed by a second service of Beef Fat Fried Rice.
Unable to forgo a side of beautifully fried Sweet Potatoes, and tempted by others, it was fortunate that some restraint was shown as this allowed any residual stomach space to be filled by Key Lime Pie better than anything found in Florida plus several bowls of the “build your own” Valrhona White Chocolate Rice Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream, Salted Caramel Whipped Cream and housemade Toppings.
FOUR AND A HALF STARS: Always taking the Momofuku brand with a grain of salt, Majordōmo Meat & Fish’s service is professional but quirky thus far, while Food is across-the-board delicious from simple but delightful Caviar Butter to $225 Short Ribs and showstopper “Build Your Own” Rice Pudding reminiscent of L’Ami Jean.
RECOMMENDED: Bing with Cave-Aged Butter & Kaluga Caviar, Bing with Tingly Lamb, Bing with Wagyu Beef Tartare, Whole Plate Beef Short Rib, Fried Sweet Potatoes, Valrhona White Chocolate Rice Pudding.
AVOID: N/A.
TIP: Soon to add a back-room Korean barbeque tentatively called “Siberia,” and already slinging sliders at Moon Palace across the way, keep an eye out for daily specials and expect frequent menu changes according to staff.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
www.venetian.com/restaurants/majordomo.html
