The lost meals entries consist of meals that occurred at various times throughout 2012 which, for any number of reasons, escaped my documentation – some due to a cross country move and a new job, some due to the Los Angeles Kings run to the Stanley Cup, and some simply as a result of too much travel. Having enjoyed many of these meals with friends or family and with some of them amongst the year’s very best the reality is that with time my memory has deteriorated and as life moves forward I’ve realized there is little hope to ever “catch up” or document these experiences as well as I’d hope, yet in order to preserve them I present these pictures, notes, and thoughts on the experience.
Moochin Monkey Bread
Short Stack of Donuts with Raspberry, Chocolate, Caramel
Sugarfoots Dancing Chicken and Waffles with Wild Turkey American Honey maple syrup
Cinnamon Bun French Toast with Tableside Flambe Bananas Foster, Anglaise
Hot Mess with Waffle Fries, Brown Ale Chili, Spicy Cheese, Eggs, Crema, Bacon, Sausage, Jalapeno
Perhaps it should come as no surprise that the signature Las Vegas outpost of celebrity Chef Sammy D went belly up shortly after my December visit; it was loud both visually an aurally, could not/would not turn on any NFL game besides the Cowboys despite multiple TVs and title of First Food & BAR, and even by Sin City Standards the prices were high while the vibe/décor bordered on too-hip-for its-own-good…and yet at the same time I must admit that despite all these failings and the fact that service was more eye-candy than efficiency I kind of enjoyed my meal there.
Perhaps as a result of having spent the morning at Public House where my friend already acquired a good beer buzz or perhaps due to my guilty-pleasure soft spot for upscale comfort food and/or kitsch takes on American classics the best way I can describe First Food & Bar – both the experience and the cuisine – is “fun,” each dish a little more audacious than the last with large portions, tableside preparations, and excessive ingredients aplenty. Ranging from shockingly simple and delicious donuts to unique and elaborately presented French toast to the doughy and tedious Monkey Bread our sampling of sweet items ran the gamut and moving towards the savory – two options ordered by my friend – both the chicken and the waffle were as well prepared as any while the waffle fries…let’s just say the name says all you need to know, and one or two was definitely enough (though my friend claims otherwise, to which I say “drunk food.”)
Sporting the moto “Hard to find but easy to love” due to their obscure location in the shoppes at the Venetian I’m not sure I entirely agree with that sentiment, but I am glad I went – even if I probably would not have gone back even if they had remained open; a “once is enough” sort of place to be sure.