[lost meals] D.O.C.G, Las Vegas NV

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.

Crostini, Focaccia, White with Olive Oil and Balsamic

Grilled Filone with Duck Egg and Fonduta

Margherita with Bufala Mozzarella and Tomatoes

Pici with Braised Duck Sauce and Black Truffle

Tuscan Fries with Garlic and Parmigiano, 14oz Ribeye with Bernaise

Salted Caramel Budino with Pretzel Toffee

Despite a truly excellent meal at Scarpetta New York when Scott Conant was still in the kitchen in 2009 I’d never returned to the original location, nor the Los Angeles or Las Vegas outpost, largely because of similar menus plus an ever growing list of places to visit no matter where I travel and as such when my friend suggested he was going to get dinner before heading out for the evening on a night when I already had late night dining plans I took the opportunity to not only join him, but to suggest Chef Conant’s concept small plates restaurant D.O.C.G., conveniently located just a few feet away from my later meal at é by Jose Andres.

A unique space with indoor and ‘patio’ seating at the far end of restaurant row inside The Cosmopolitan we arrived just after the space opened at 6pm and opting to sit inside to watch the kitchen it would not be long before our server arrived with the nightly menu and a few specials, a list from which we certainly over-ordered but aside from the Vegas-y price tag not a single choice we would regret. A bustling restaurant, but not a particularly “loud” one despite filling to capacity before we made our exit service was every bit as professional as expected and with drinks readily refilled the kitchen moved efficiently sending out our selections in three courses with excellent timing as the meal kicked off with a bread basket not quite as lovely as the salumi bread at Scarpetta, but warm with a truly impressive Focaccia which I had to mindful to resist after the first slice.

Moving on to the proper plates, the first course arrived as a half order of thick, toothsome pici topped with a truffle-laden sauce of tomato and duck confit that was expectedly rustic and rich while its counterpart, the oft raved Filone with a poached duck egg sitting atop cheese fondue was equally rich but ever more refined, the silky mix of egg and cheese atop hot bread without a doubt the best dish of a meal full of good choices. Following the appetizers, a main course of steak with a side of fries was pronounced by my friend to be good, but not $62 good while the $22 Margherita featured top quality ingredients and great char, but failed to reach the highs of the pie at Due Forni which cost substantially less.

Unwilling/Unable to pass on dessert despite another full meal in just a couple of hours the early evening at D.O.C.G. ended with the house specialty Salted Caramel Budino and yes, without a doubt, this is a signature dessert worth the rave reviews as the dense pudding walks a fine line between too sweet and too salty with bits of toffee acting as a textural contrast; it would have been great with coffee and along with the filone is reason enough to pay D.O.C.G. a visit (even with the exorbitant on-strip markup)