Estiatorio Milos
Crusty Grilled Bread and Olive Oil
Milos Special – thinly sliced, lightly fried zucchini and eggplant with tzatziki and Kefalograviera Cheese
Greek Meze Plate – Tarama, Tzatziki, Htipiti, Manouri Cheese, Olives, Cherry Tomatoes
Grilled Octopus – Charcoal Broiled
Lavraki – Grilled Mediterranean Bass
Shrimp Saganaki – Cous Cous, Tomato and Feta
Nova Scotia Deep Sea Lobster Pasta – Light Tomato Sauce
The Real Greek Yogurt
Karidopita – Walnut Cake with Kaimaki Tree Sap Ice Cream
Located in The Cosmopolitan, and offering a lunch deal long-hailed as one of the best in the city, it was finally on Saturday afternoon that I sat down at a posh four-top in the center of Estiatorio Milos and with both old friends and new gathered ‘round telling stories of food and travel one only wonders why it had taken so long to finally stop by.
Formally decorated, with white tablecloths and good cutlery surrounded by an airy Mediterranean theme with balconies overlooking The Strip, it was after a small mistake at the hostess podium that seats were located and although service seemed stretched and perfunctory due to the noon-time crunch the three course format plus one supplement proved timely in presentation – each plate arriving with precise plating and appropriately temperatured, the pasta particularly notable as it was served still-steaming hot.
Beginning with crusty bread and fresh-pressed olive oil rich with grassy funk, it would not be long before Milos Signature appetizer would arrive and although seemingly nothing special in its ingredients the crispy layers of eggplant and zucchini were simply irresistible surrounding a core of tangy tzatziki while four pockets of lightly battered Kefalograviera proved a significant upgrade on any other local ‘fried cheese.’
With three of us opting for the $10 upgrade Octopus at course two while the fourth instead invested in Meze, suffice it to say that this is one place where the upgrade is well warranted and with each bite of charred cephalopod tender beneath the blackened grill marks both onions and capers served to compliment, rather than overwhelm – a rarity for both ingredients, the olive oil infused with their flavors immediately commanding more crusty bread.
Again biting on the upgrade, this time $15 to put a whole lobster atop the aforementioned house-made noodles, it would prove impossible to find fault in either the portion or flavor of the tender crustacean’s flesh and although simple grilled fish generally is not my thing, the Mediterranean bass was also exquisitely prepared while shrimp were unfortunately overcooked and overwhelmed by sauce, the large-grain cous-cous instead stealing the spotlight on a friend’s plate.
To this point more than a little impressed by Milos’ cuisine, though a bit off-put by a frequently empty water glass, dessert was a simple decision between three options and with two opting for tangy Greek yogurt draped in fruit myself and one other opted for the dainty walnut cake, itself texturally compelling and just-sweet-enough while the mint tinged ice cream proved a pleasant juxtaposition in flavor despite a texture slightly marred by some sort of binding agent or gum.
FOUR STARS: Undoubtedly a lunch bargain, particularly given its location and dinner time price, Estiatorio Milos is one of the rare places where refined food can still be found for lunch on Las Vegas Boulevard – a veritable steal for the $25.15 three-course prix-fixe price (excluding upgrades) in pleasant environs that feels miles away from Sin City or the Casino floor.
RECOMMENDED: Milos Special, Lobster Pasta, Grilled Octopus, Real Greek Yogurt
AVOID: Shrimp Saganaki
TIP: Open for lunch from 11:00 to 2:30 seven days a week, reservations are recommended for weekends and conferences – the restaurant full to capacity throughout our 90 minute stay, save for a balcony reserved for a private party set to occur during the transition from lunch to dinner service.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
http://www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com/taste/restaurant-collection/estiatorio-milos.aspx
