Harvest by Roy Ellamar
Bottled French 75
Prickly Pear
Grissini and Lavash with Greek Yogurt
Chef Roy’s Wagon – Eggplant Caviar, Kalbi Filet Migon, Spicy Steak Tartare, Hawaiian Ahi Poke
Eggplant Caviar – Caponata, Grilled Bread
Hawaiian Ahi Poke – Red Chili, Cilantro, Yuzu
Charcuterie Board – Foie Gras Torchon, House Made Pate Campagne, Tete de cochon, Rillete, Broadbent Ham, Housemade Jam, Pickles, Spicy Mustard, Grilled Bread
Ham and Goat Cheese Flatbread – Drake’s Farm – Brussels Sprouts, Broadbent Ham
Roasted Baby Beets – Blue Lizard Farms – Beet Top Pistou, Spiced Yogurt, Pickled Yali Pear
Duck Confit Buns – Grimaud Farms – Brioche Steam Bun, Foie Gras, Pickled Radish, Kumquat Preserve
Farro Picollo Porridge – Kenter Canyon- Foraged Wild Mushrooms, Slow Cooked Farm Egg (+White Truffles)
Grass Fed and Finished Painted Hills Beef Hanger Steak – Caramelized Shallots, Herb Butter, Squash Puree, served with Bernaise and Red Wine Sauce
Roasted Half Chicken – Mary’s Organic – 24-hour Local Ale Brine, Quick Smoked, Natural Jus
Potato Gratin – Bee Hive Cheese Crushed Russets, Crème Fraiche
Charred Brussels Sprouts – Coastal Farms-Bliss Maple Syrup, Mustard Seeds, Bourbon Soy
Double Espresso on Ice
Sweet Wagon Delights – Lemonbar, Orange Cream Cheese Stone, Gianduja Mousse, Almond Pear Tart, Tahitian Vanilla Cream Puff, Brownie with Ganache, Candies and Chocolates
Lemonbar, Orange Cream Cheese Stone, Gianduja Mousse
Almond Pear Tart, Brownie with Ganache, Tahitian Bean Cream Puff
Caramel Apple – Vanilla Crumble, Light Caramel, Carrot Juice Foam
Spiced Pear – Red Wine Spice Reduction, Gingerbread Cake, Mascarpone Ice Cream
Toffee Pudding – Maple Glazed Bacon, Vanilla Ice Cream
Beginning 2016 with a pledge to not visit ANY Casino restaurant opening in the calendar year until at least 2017, my interests and those of the Chefs and industry folks I respect better served by revisiting old favorites or exposing the talents of persons in the community that so-called “critics” ignore because of budget limitations and the lack of advertising income generated from such things, it was with good fortune that Harvest by Roy Ellamar began operations just prior to Christmas 2015 – the old Sensi space opened up and downright sexy with a menu unlike Las Vegas Boulevard has ever seen.
Briefly perused on Christmas Day, but not scheduled for a full dinner until a new friend suggested meeting on a Friday night at 5:30, an early arrival found the sizable space wrapped around a human fishbowl kitchen to be relatively sedate, but spending nearly five hours dining and chatting spread out over several courses any concern over small-plates farm-to-table tucked away in a major casino were allayed, tables and bars filled to brimming with cuisine executed at a very high level.
Bearing in mind that this is indeed on The Strip, $17 cocktails and volume a touch too loud par for the course, a quick look at the Harvest menu reads like an encyclopedia of America’s best farms and although such things are common elsewhere the novelty of such in Vegas should not be overlooked, prices perhaps a bit more precious than those on Spring Mountain Road or in the Suburbs but certainly not when compared to New York, Chicago, or The Bay Area.
Starting every table with bread and yogurt, the cocktail menu likely to tempt all but the most ardent teetotaler into at least one with great seasonal flavors including a fizzy French 75 enlightened by herbs, arrival of “Chef Roy’s Wagon” gives diners a glimpse of daily inspirations intended to let the team show off their creativity and although a bit spendy at $8 each both the Eggplant Caviar and ruby-red Ahi Poke were well crafted, light, and refreshing – the sort of thing one might want as a small bar bite toward the restaurant’s front.
Allowing Chef Ellamar to guide our hand while adding in a few special requests round one began with a pile of beautiful beets dressed up in pear and pesto alongside a flatbread crafted from one of Sensi’s remaining Tandori ovens, the crumbly cheese and charred sprouts proving a good counterpoint to Broadbent Ham that can also be found on the $25 *steal* of a Charcuterie Board that also offers a Foie Gras Torchon, Pate Campagne, Tete de cochon, Rillete, Jam, Pickles, Spicy Mustard, and Grilled Bread – every single one of them housemade.
Continuing with two self-selected interests, a $12 duo of Duck Confit Buns with a generous slice of duck liver atop the crispy thigh from Grimaud Farms finding their foil in pickled Radishes and Kumquat jam, it was this plus an “upgraded” version of ancient Farro cooked tender in chicken stock where the best bites of the evening were discovered, a sous-vide egg providing just enough fat to make the base creamy and carry the pungent truffles and wild mushrooms aloft on the palate.
Going West for meats, Mary’s Chicken from Pitman Family Farm and 100% Grass Fed Painted Hills Beef each well presented with the former’s three-step brine, smoke, and roast adding a lot of complexity and crunch to a bird far more than the typical menu-requisite chicken, both “sides” equally took time and care to highlight ingredient quality without masking them, the tangy potatoes ‘lumpy’ in all the right ways while sprouts achieved a rare task of making me smile even when lightly flecked in mustard.
Not one to forgo sweets, the Wagon here offering some nine items at $8 for 3, the cute idea would still be better served in offering the Lemonbar or Almond Pear Tart in a full-scale version from my standpoint, but succeeding where Bazaar Meat fails by also offering three plated desserts these $12 compositions are worth every penny, the Sticky Toffee Pudding good enough to give Gordon Ramsay a run for his money while the “Caramel Apple” presents a balanced and fresh interplay not unlike a really good cobbler.
FOUR STARS: Executing at an extremely high level for a restaurant under a month old and offering the sort of menu Las Vegas sorely needs, Harvest by Roy Ellamar shows that someone at MGM has finally woken up and realized the city needs less bad burgers, indistinct Americana, or overpriced Red Sauce, the right to source great products and list the farms involved on the menu while putting his name above the door an added bonus well deserved by a humble and hardworking Chef who has spent years in Las Vegas earning those things.
RECOMMENDED: Charcuterie, Duck Buns, Farro Porridge, Baby Beets, Caramel Apple, Sticky Toffee Pudding.
AVOID: The Wagon is cute, but both the sweets and savories on it are skewed to the left with regard to cost:quality ratio and don’t offer the same level of creativity as the proper menu. Seating towards the sides, under speakers, also trends loud while the back of the room is more sedate.
TIP: Located towards the ballrooms, beyond Jean Philippe and the Conservatory. Open at 5:00pm daily.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
https://www.bellagio.com/en/restaurants/harvest.html#/Menu
