Veranda
Lavazza Italian Coffee
Rustic Cut Corned Beef and Pastrami Hash, Florentine Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise, Chilaquiles
Cinnamon Roll, Pain au Chocolate, Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake, Raspberry Coffee Cake, Bear Claw, Raspberry Tart, Blueberry Muffin, Cinnamon Oatmeal Bran Muffin
Tiramisu Croissant French Toast – Banana-Apple Compote, Citrus Mascarpone Cream
Chicken & Waffles – Sweet Basil Fried Chicken, Savory Bacon and Chive Waffles
9-Grain Bread with Fresh Ground Peanut Butter and Strawberry Jam, Fresh Fruits, Apricots and Figs, Artisan Cheeses, Farro and Greek Yogurt Parfait with Almonds and Cranberry Compote, Chilled Red Quinoa Cereal – Whipped Almond Milk And Ricotta, Sliced Almonds
Pumpkin Orange Ricotta Pancakes with Pure Maple Syrup, Mascarpone Cheese Blintz with Roasted Apple Glaze, Plain and Red Currant Scones with Lemon Curd, Cinnamon Panetonne French Toast with Berry Compote
Breakfast Potatoes with Onion Confit and Crispy Pancetta, Peppered Bacon, Candied Bacon, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Chicken and Apple Sausage, Pork Sausage Links, Breakfast Pizza
Maple Pecan Sticky Bun, Fresh Made Donuts, Bread Pudding with Vanilla Anglaise
Invited to enjoy Veranda’s weekend brunch by PR Director Erica Johnson-McElroy after requesting clarification of a confusing online menu via E-mail, it was with a friend that I sat down inside the newly renovated space at Four Seasons and with a collection of dishes served amidst refined environs paired to service that warrants Michelin stars the experience that followed was a nearly flawless celebration of my one year anniversary of dining as a resident of Las Vegas.
Certainly more limited in selection than Bacchanal or other Strip-side all-you-can-eats the Veranda Brunch Buffet is offered on weekends only and with menu selections offered to compliment the five stations it was only the flavorless Florentine Benedict that proved less than delicious while at least a half-dozen items trumped most versions elsewhere, buffet or a la carte.
Taking an approach to volley savories and sweets course-for-course it was after a brief tour by the restaurant’s GM that dining commenced and with the newly conceptualized hash a truly stunning blend of textures and flavors a plate of pastry soon followed, the moist bran muffin sweetened by honey and creamy blueberry coffee cake standing out ahead of the pack.
At this point opting for two menu-items both the crisply breaded brined bird as well as its accompanying mini-waffles were undoubtedly amongst the best in town but stealing the show was, predictably, the Tiramisu French Toast – a composition of buttered croissants soaked in custard with a golden sear beneath fresh fruit compote and light, tangy cheese. Slightly underwhelmed by charcuterie selections while the fresh ground peanut butter and a Greek Yogurt Parfait impressed on buffet-plate three the fourth plate was a sinfully sweet quintet with fluffy seasonal pancakes and soft, buttered scones both benefitted by exemplary toppings while the blintzes bested those at Carnegie Deli with lovely autumnal apples and a far less impactful hit to the wallet.
Impressed moreso than usual by breakfast meats, particularly the candied bacon found on the optional Bloody Mary Bar, it was expectedly in sweets that the meal called it a wrap and while drinking what might as well have been my twentieth cup of coffee the fresh-made mini donuts were indeed a treat, but not nearly as wowing as the exceptional bread pudding – a traditional preparation with a chocolate surprise at its base that was all the bettered by rich Anglaise, both items something I’d held off on until the very end because I knew that to indulge earlier would compromise my ability to pay due diligence to the rest.
FOUR AND A HALF STARS: Having not yet experienced the Sterling Brunch at Bally’s, the unlimited champagne feast carrying a tab more than double the price, Veranda is undoubtedly amongst the city’s most refined brunch experiences while service never once leaves the diner for want. Well culled in selection, with items from the menu offered on request, the $40 tab with additional costs for bottomless drinks is a pricey but well justified tally and with strong focus on seasonal ingredients a return visit will undoubtedly take place in the near future – a visit for dinner also on the agenda in order to experience what some have called some of the city’s most underrated Italian cuisine.
RECOMMENDED: Tiramisu Croissant French Toast, Bread Pudding with Vanilla Anglaise , Corned Beef and Pastrami Hash, Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake, Farro and Greek Yogurt Parfait, Mascarpone Cheese Blintz.
AVOID: Florentine Benedict was underflavored, though the poached egg and Hollandaise were perfect, while charcuterie was quite limited and cheeses weren’t quite mature enough to justify more than a small taste.
TIP: Offering Valet-Only parking with the other option being to park at Mandalay Bay I’d strongly encourage the former, the extra few dollars well deserved by the Four Season’s staff who strives to make every guest feel like a VIP.
BONUS TIP: With only one in-house bakeshop servicing both PRESS and Veranda the only pastry not offered at Veranda that is featured at PRESS is the “New York Donut” – aka Cronut – a better than Ansel version on both occasions during which I’ve had the opportunity to indulge.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
http://www.fourseasons.com/lasvegas/dining/restaurants/veranda/
