Since I had planned a gastronomic itinerary, getting a rental car made more sense than taking the taxi. You may be surprised that I did not go through Priceline! They weren't offering any cheap rates for this weekend. I ended up going through regular retail avenues and renting from Alamo using my Costco discount and a coupon listed on carrentalsavers.com. What's nice about renting using the Costco rate code is that the "additional driver" daily charge is waived. This saves $10/day and it's nice to have the option of the other person driving. Since the price was the same whether I went through Priceline or directly with Alamo and getting the additional driver, I stuck with Alamo. I could also get frequent flyer miles (for a small fee) on my reservation too since it was non-Priceline. With all the discounts, it ended up being ~$25/day inclusive, which isn't bad since the taxes sometimes costs more than the rental rate itself. That's about the cost of 2 one-way taxi rides on the Strip a day. And I was planning to go to places off-Strip so a rental car was the way to go.
Before the trip, I checked Yelp (my new favorite app) for restaurants to try, as I didn't want to just eat buffets, and found a highly rated Japanese restaurant called Raku Japanese Charcoal Grill. Since it's a grill house, they have a different menu than the usual Japanese restaurant, meaning there is not a lot of sushi or rolls, but offerings of dishes off the beaten track and grilled meats. My stomach was in for a treat!
It took a bit of time to find the place, as it was tucked in the back of a strip mall that looked a bit dilapidated. If you plan to come here, head on Spring Mountain west from either the Strip or I-15 north, and then it's located on the right soon after crossing Decatur Boulevard.
We arrived 15 minutes earlier than my reservation, but we were seated immediately and started off with drinks. I was sold on the sake cocktail...there were many flavors to choose from, but once the server mentioned "lychee", I had to get it. It was served from a martini shaker. The cocktail was so sweet and tasty, I wouldn't have known there was sake in it. But there definitely was some because I was a bit loopy during dinner. Babe ordered a couple of frosty Sapporos, very fresh. I also had some hot tea, which was refilled throughout the meal, at no charge.
It was time to order. I was overwhelmed by the number of dishes, so we asked for some recommendations from our server. She also presented us with a chalkboard of the daily specials. We narrowed down on the menu items and also ordered a few off the board since they were seasonal. I was a bit disappointed that they ran out of the raw Kobe liver appetizer, sold out the night before. That was one of the main reasons for my visit, but I made sure to taste other Kobe morsels.
The homemade tofu was recommended in Yelp reviews, so we tried it. It was served hot, cold, or half and half, which we opted for. The cold version came first. It was hard to believe it was half a serving since there was a lot of it. The tofu was accompanied by minced ginger, green onions, and bonito flakes. The server showed us how to eat the tofu: scoop a bite onto your plate, add Raku salt and soy sauce, then add the condiments of your choosing. OMG, the Raku salt and soy sauce were so good. They make it in-house. The sea salt contained other ingredients such as pulverized seaweed, giving it a faint green color, but it tasted awesome. The soy sauce was even better...several different types of soy sauce blended together and reduced. I wanted to purchase some, but I didn't see any display. I'm sure you have to dine at the restaurant to enjoy these condiments. Anyway, back to the tofu, the first bite was to die for. The texture of the tofu was so silky, yet it didn't fall apart since it was thicker than "silken tofu" at the store. The tofu itself has no flavor, but the added toppings made it very tasty. It was a great start to the meal and I couldn't wait for more.
The hamachi (yellowtail) carpacchio came next. It was served with a thick soy-based sauce dolloped on a spoon. I used very little of it, as the raw fish was topped with intense drops of flavor. The green one I believe was real fresh wasabi along with other spices. The orange one I couldn't identify, but it wasn't as intense as the green. The hamachi was very fresh and had the right amount of oiliness. Very decadent.
The hot half of our tofu arrived. It was fried and served in a broth with ikura (salmon roe) and mini mushrooms, topped with shredded seaweed and more ikura. I didn't like this one as much since the frying made the tofu lose its silkiness, and the broth wasn't super flavorful. It was still good to try, but next time I'd probably order the tofu cold only.
Next was the poached egg with sea urchin and ikura. It looked so good that we dug into the dish before I remembered to take a picture of it! The broth was similar to the one with the hot tofu, and also contained the ikura and mini mushrooms, so it was kind of a repeat for me. The egg was poached perfectly. And you can't go wrong with sea urchin (uni). Since I wasn't a fan of the broth to begin with, this dish was just okay, even with the uni in it.
I was looking forward to trying this next dish...barracuda (kamasu)! I've never eaten it before, so I had to order it. I think this must be a mini or baby barracuda as it was served whole, but nowhere near the size of ones I have seen while snorkeling. The taste and texture of the fish reminded me of catfish, but more tender. It was grilled perfectly and seasoned well that I didn't need to add any condiments. (it was not salty either!) The open jaw of the fish with all the teeth hanging out is kind of gruesome; the head didn't have any meat nor jelly in the eyes. (for those who enjoy that kind of stuff)
When the first couple of grilled items came out (grilled duck with balsamic soy sauce and pork cheek), we ate it so fast that I forgot to take a picture, sorry! We made an effort to restrain ourselves for the remaining items. But here is a picture of the duck and pork cheek from the Raku website. The duck was so flavorful, and if you like the fatty parts of roast pork, you'll like the pork cheek.
Next came the Kobe filet with wasabi - this was very tender, and the fresh wasabi on top was great! (not horseradish with green food coloring)
Kobe skirt steak with garlic - this was even tastier than the filet! It cost less too, so I think I would order more of these next time.
Kobe beef tendon - if you're into eating braised tendon, this is a treat for you. It was done really well. The flavor of the tendon was great, and the texture was very fatty, yum.
All right, I lied about restraining ourselves...when the grilled foie gras came out, we attacked it. But fortunately, I remembered the camera, so all you get is a shot of the last bite. This was so rich and decadent. I could have probably eaten another skewer of it, but I'd be really full. This was our last savory item.
We were pretty stuffed by now, even though we shared everything. But I had to try a dessert, as there were good reviews for their "fluffy cheesecake". Given the small sizes of most of the items (except the barracuda, which I believe contributed to the fullness in my stomach), I figured it'd be just a couple of bites.
It was just the perfect size to end the meal. The cheesecake was as advertised: fluffy and light. It was all right, but next time, I'll try the brown sugar pudding. I can't wait to eat here again. It is a bit pricey, but it's not often you run into this kind of restaurant. You must make reservations as people without them were left to sit at the bar, which isn't very fun. The restaurant itself is pretty small.
We drive to the Encore to check in. The self-parking garage is convenient, and parking on the 3rd level worked out well (we ended up parking there every time, easily finding a spot next to the elevator). The front desk area was so small, we initially thought that it was the player's card desk. Since the hotel isn't as big as the Venetian, Bellagio, or Caesars, it made sense to have a small check-in lobby. There wasn't any problem getting the "resort king suite" that I initially reserved (the offer was originally for a Wynn resort room, but I got a free upgrade to the Encore suite upon reservation), and it was also non-smoking. I couldn't help but overhear the couple next to us also trying to check into a non-smoking resort king suite, but they were out of them, so they offered them a panoramic suite for the night and then moving them later. At first, I thought I missed out by checking in one minute earlier than them, but turns out the panoramic suite looks exactly like the resort suites, but they're located on the top 10 floors of the hotel. Our room was on the highest floor under the panoramics, so we still had a great view, and we didn't have to move rooms. Loved the floor-to-ceiling windows! You might have a problem if you're afraid of heights.
The suite consisted of several partitions: bedroom, living room, and bathroom, with a sizable foyer and large closet with organizer and safe. It was decorated in contemporary style, and lots of mirrors. ;) The bed is as comfortable as it looks. Didn't I mention I love duvets? I had such a good night sleep, though the down pillow could have had more oomph.
The desk had a high-tech phone and a fax machine. Note the personalization on the phone, a nice touch. I found that once you do express check out via the TV, the name disappears.
The left nightstand had an iPod docking station and the right nightstand had a panel to control the lights and the curtains from the bed, very convenient. The privacy button lights up a "Do Not Disturb" indicator outside, and disables the doorbell from ringing. (yes, there is a doorbell!) There is also another control panel next to the door that has similar buttons, but also had a "make up room" button that lights a tiny green dot next to the doorbell, discreetly informing housekeeping to come by. I noticed the housekeeping carts had some lit-up indicators...wonder if they flash differently when passing by rooms that need service or enabled privacy? So high-tech.
Overpriced mini-bar, where you have 60 seconds to put the item back down on the sensors before you are charged an arm and a leg. I looked carefully at the packaging and saw lots of dust/lint; no one had touched these items for a while. I wondered how old they were. There was an "adult intimacy kit", with massage oil, lubricant, vibrating ring, and (only) 2 prophylactics. This had a ton of lint on it.
The bathroom was large and had a separate toilet area. There were two robes for guests' use. There was even a digital weight scale (but the batteries were dead). The toiletries were high-quality even though it was a Wynn private label called Desert Bambu. I liked the 3 oz bottles they came in, because I could reuse them for future "carry-on only" trips since the caps are secure. :) The soap was a good size, none of these tiny little squares you find in other hotels. There was a glycerin one for the shower, and an unscented bar for the face/hands. The extra roll of toilet tissue was cutely packaged.
The next morning, I looked out the window and saw the two Encore pool areas. The one pictured is open to Encore guests only. I didn't take a picture of the other one, but I think you might have to pay to get into it (the Encore Beach Club), and at night, the area turns into a nightclub called Surrender.
Today is a new day...more gastronomic delights to come!
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