Hedonists in Vegas – Lotus of Siam

Restaurant: Lotus of Siam

Location: 953 E Sahara Ave A5, Las Vegas, NV 89104. (702) 735-3033

Date: April 16, 2013

Cuisine: Thai

Rating: Fantastic

Many people consider Lotus of Siam to be the best Thai restaurant in the United States. While I love Thai food, I can’t claim any authoritative sampling, and really, who has dined at every Thai eatery in the country? Regardless, it’s clear that this is some darn fine cooking, with a vast menu full of delights, particularly specialties of Northern Thailand.

To that effect, my Hedonist dining club drove (or flew) from California to Vegas for the express purpose of eating here — for the second time this year! Plus, to spice it up, we brought not only our usual bevy of wines but a bunch of exotic meats as well, shot by our esteemed and well armed leader, Yarom.

The frontage is hardly Vegas glam.

Particularly when you turn around and take in the off strip mall location. A bevy of slimy businesses, like a particularly sleezy-looking strip club, grace the location.

But inside, Lotus features a huge wine cellar, filled with a world class selection of Riesling. Oddly, or perhaps because they offer such great examples, we didn’t bring any.

And a good sized interior. Most Vegas restaurants are style over substance. Lotus is exactly the opposite. The menu contains over a 100 dishes, and from my sampling, I have to imagine almost all of them are awesome. Fortunately for us, the Hedonists are long time regulars and daughter Penny (who’s birthday we recently celebrated) is a member. The owners took care of us and we didn’t really have to choose at all.

1999 Kistler Chardonnay Vine Hill Road Vineyard. Parker 94-97. An awesome effort is the 1999 Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard. There are 2,000 cases produced from this Russian River vineyard surrounding the Kistler winery. It exhibits tell-tale minerality as well as a gorgeous nose of white fruits, citrus oils, nuts, minerals, smoke, and butter. With fabulous intensity, purity, and an expansive, multi-layered mid-palate, this powerful, impeccably-balanced, restrained Chardonnay unfolds on the palate. This wine will have a long and compelling evolution.

Alas, this was heavily oxidized and not terribly pleasant, with strong vanilla and sherry notes.

Nam Kao Tod. Crispy rice mixed with minced sour sausage, green onion, fresh chili, ginger, peanuts, and lime juice.

Special spiced elk tartar. The elk was provided by Yarom earlier in the day and Lotus prepped it. This was meat, spicy, with some real kick. Addictive.

Instead of the Rieslings, we brought a series of fantastic white Hermitages.

1994 Chave Hermitage Blanc. Parker 94. The 1994 white Hermitage is one of the most seductive, perfumed, multi-layered, and profoundly textured white Hermitages I have tasted from Chave. The unctuous texture, and superb nose of honeyed white flowers, and minerals are followed by a wine of exceptional depth, richness, and balance. It should drink splendidly well for 4-5 years, then close completely, not to re-emerge for a decade.

Ground antelope larb. The meat is mixed with onion, green chili, and lime juice and served with fresh cabbage. Yarom brought the antelope itself.

FRIED CHICKEN DUMPLINGS. Deep fried wonton skins stuffed with ground chicken and vegetables, served with homemade sweet and sour sauce. Yum! I had about 5 of these, being a dumpling fiend.

Also, I have to comment, that half the restaurants I eat at have this watered-down “shell pattern” restaurant grade flatware. In fact, we have a large set in our garage we use for parties.

From my cellar, 1991 Chapoutier Ermitage Cuvee de l’Oree. Parker 96. This firm makes outstanding white Hermitage. Readers lucky enough to have access to any of the 300-500 cases of the luxury cuvee called Hermitage Cuvee de l’Orvee should use whatever contact they have to latch onto a bottle or two of the 1993, 1992, or 1991. Made from Chapoutier’s oldest vines on the Hermitage Hill (average age of 75 years), these are closed, mineral-dominated, honeyed wines that are completely dry but fabulously rich with an intensity and breadth of flavor that would embarrass many of Burgundy’s Le Montrachets.

SOM THUM (Thai Papaya Salad). This classic dish from Thailand consists of green papaya, chili, tomato, crushed peanuts mixed with lime juice, fish sauce and sugar.

1996 Domaine Christian Clerget Echezeaux. Burghound 89. Slight toast notes frame black fruit aromas followed by delicious, complex, quite fine and delineated flavors plus solid if not spectacular length. This is approachable now though will be better in 3 to 5 years. Quite good and entirely promising.

Not bad, but a little unbalanced with some brett.

STUFFED CHICKEN WINGS. Chicken wings stuffed with ground pork, deep fried, served with homemade sweet and sour sauce. Yummy, if very fried.

From my cellar, 2003 Frédéric Magnien Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. Burghound 95. A dazzlingly complex nose of intense floral, red cherry liqueur-like notes and strong earth and sauvage aromas slam into rich, full, unbelievably powerful and huge, indeed massive flavors that sacrifice absolutely no precision at all, all wrapped in dense tannins and an explosive finish that goes on and on. I was knocked out by the sheer persistence and I could taste this 3 hours later. As good as the Bonnes Mares is, this is at another level.

Really drinking great for such a young Grand Cru.

Bison larb. The meat is mixed with onion, green chili, and lime juice and served with fresh cabbage. Yarom brought the meat itself.

2003 Clos des Papes Chateauneuf du Pape. Parker 97. The 2003 Clos des Papes Chateauneuf du Pape (the # 2 wine in the Wine Spectator’s annual winefest) has long been one of the most profound wines of the vintage. It somehow manages to offer the vintage’s character in power, high glycerin, and huge volume, but retains remarkable elegance and finesse that is so much in keeping with the style of Clos des Papes. The wine has a dense ruby/purple-tinged color and a wonderfully sweet nose of framboise, blackberry, and kirsch liqueur intermixed with Chinese black tea and licorice. The wine is full-bodied and voluptuous, but once past all the glycerin and beautiful, dense fruit of this full-bodied wine, there is striking purity, elegance, finesse, and surprising freshness. Still primary, it looks set to have a long life of 20-25 or more years.

PLAR DOOK SA-MM ROD. Deep fried whole catfish, topped with sweet, sour and spicy sauce.

Yellow curry, vegetable. The mildest among all Thai curries made from curry powder, turmeric and spices with coconut cream, potatoes and carrots.

Garlic Prawn. Deep fried prawn with shell and sautéed with our special garlic sauce, topped with ground black pepper.

2004 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino. Parker 94. The 2004 Brunello di Montalcino is simply beautiful. Now that the wine is in bottle it is even better than when I tasted it from barrel. Firm but silky tannins frame a core of ripe dark fruit as this powerful yet elegant Brunello opens up in the glass. Smoke, cured meats, earthiness and graphite develop in the glass, adding further complexity. Sweet roses and spices linger on the long, refined finish. This is a big, structured Brunello, and like all of Abbruzzese’s wines, it needs at least a few years of bottle age before it offers its finest drinking.

ROASTED DUCK CURRY. The combination of roasted duck, pineapple, bell peppers and tomatoes in red curry base with a touch of coconut.

This was one of my favorite dishes of the evening. Really quite spectacular, particularly over rice.

A meat in dark spicy curry sauce, almost like a vindaloo.

Red curry with tofu. The beautiful red color from both fresh and dried chilis and spice make this curry hotter than yellow curry. Cooked with coconut cream, Thai basil and bamboo shoots.

Lobster (Garlic Pepper Sauce). Deep fried lobster, sautéed with our special garlic sauce.

Very Chinese, and not so different than several versions we’ve had recently. A little dry and hard to extract the meat.

Bison cooked up a different way. Same meat, different chilies, with some real heat.

SOFT SHELL CRAB SALAD. Thai delicious dish consists of deep fried soft shell crab, fresh chili, lime juice, peanuts, vegetable, served on bed of sliced cabbage.

Khao Soi. This typical Burmese influence Northern Thai egg noodle is served in curry sauce and coconut cream, garnished with sliced red onion, lime and pickled vegetables. The meat on top is beef short rib.

Another favorite. I love this red curry sauce.

1994 Chateau la Graviere Tirecul Vendange Tardive. Parker 92. The 1994 Vendange Tardive possesses a fabulous, intense perfume of exotic fruits and honey, as well as amazing richness, purity, and a level of concentration and balance that must be tasted to be believed. Already approachable, it is capable of lasting for 10-20 years. Sadly, only 50 cases were produced for the world. Monbazillac is well-known in French history, but my experience in tasting through the appellation’s wines has unearthed few gems. Leave it to Eric Solomon to discover this remarkable estate. The vineyard is planted with a high percentage of Muscadelle (50%), along with Semillon (45%), and Sauvignon (5%). There are two cuvees produced. The young vine cuvee (the vines are 45-years old) produced only 8.5 hectoliters per hectare in 1994 (less than one-quarter ton of fruit per acre). Additionally, these grapes are picked grape by grape (as they develop the noble rot), not by bunch. The proprietors, Claudia and Bruno Bilarcini, actually pass through the vineyard a minimum of four to five times a day. Given the fact that it is a manual harvest, the 1994 was harvested between October 20 and November 25. Fasten your seat belts, as these wines are remarkable.

Sticky rice and mango. The classic.

This was another fantastic Hedonist blow out, with some real great grub. At our request the kitchen kept the spice to a controllable level so as not to overwhelm the wines, and what we brought paired brilliantly. This was in contrast to at Jitlada (also great) where the ass-blasting heat destroyed anything but the Spatlese and Auslese Rieslings.

All in all, writing this review has me dreaming of more great Thai…

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Yarom with Chef/Owner Saipin Chutima

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Hedonists at STK again!

Restaurant: STK [1, 2]

Location: 755 North La Cienega. Los Angeles, CA 90069. 310.659.3900

Date: February 25, 2013

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Rating: Gluttonous fun!

It’s been six months since we Hedonists last hit STK and so it was time for a return. Being a steakhouse, STK is a great place to pull out all those beefy reds!

The space is chic and modern. Above is the La Cienega entrance.

These look like Glazed Pop’ems, but they’re savory. And that sauce is pretty much a under-spiced chimichurri.

Arnaud Margaine’s NV Brut Premier Cru is gorgeous. White flowers, crushed rocks and green pears literally jump from the glass in this beautifully delineated, energetic Champagne. Vivid, crystalline and beautifully layered, the Premier Cru impresses for its balance and exceptional overall harmony. This is a great effort in its peer group. The Premier Cru is 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir, 50% vintage 2009 and the remainder reserve wines back to 2002. I would give the Premier Cru another 6-12 months to be fully expressive post-disgorgement.

“DIVER SCALLOPS.” coriander crust – young coconut – textures of corn.

Burghound 94, “2005 Domaine Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru White. A ripe and classic nose of distinctly discreet and reserved green fruit and floral aromas that are airy, pure and lightly spiced merge into intense, precise and penetrating medium full flavors blessed with terrific acid/fruit balance and huge length. This is really a lovely wine that is presently a tightly coiled spring and in need of extended bottle aging to really put on display the superb potential here. An understated stunner of a wine as well as ultra refined and one of the best examples of this appellation in 2005.”

“Seafood tower, medium.” While this was good, it wasn’t exactly towering.

Parker 93, “1996 Domaine Tollot-Beaut et Fils Corton Bressandes. This estate’s Corton-Bressandes is a wine I search out in vintages with good ripeness. It is never huge, muscular, or a blockbuster but can often be sultry, seductive, detailed, and simply lovely. A recently tasted 1990, while at least three years from maturity, was fabulous. The 1996 displays sweet red cherry and Asian spice aromatics as well as a gorgeously refined character filled with candied and delineated cherries. This elegant, sexy, and feminine offering is medium-to-full-bodied, silky-textured, and possesses a long and refreshing finish.”

“BLUE ICEBERG.” smoked bacon – blue cheese – pickled tomato.

Parker 86, “The 1997 VINHA BARROSA VINHA VELHA is a single vineyard wine (hence, says the winery, the “vinha velha” rather than plural for old vines, “vinhas velhas”) maturing, showing a little oxidation, and seems a bit older than it is. That said, and despite some astringency still on the finish, there are some things to like here, as the fruit has opened up. There is a distinctive touch of mint on the finish. The wine’s structure is outliving its fruit, so this seems to me to be a good time to drink it, although it has both the tannin and acidity to hold a good, long while. Drink now-2017.”

From the getgo, this wine had a barnyard funk, which at the beginning was actually pleasant, if rustic. As it sat in the glass the barn intensified in a very horse manure direction until it overwhelmed. Just smelling it made me smile — and called to mind visions of sweaty horses packed into the stables.

“HEARTS OF ROMAINE.” garlic crouton – parmesan lemon dressing.

92-94 points, “13.1% ALC, 96% Cabernet, 4% Merlot, 1% Cab Franc – Again this was much like the 1975 and 1979 on the nose with the pungent, sweaty, locker room nose. I knew again that this was the same producer and close in age. This had some notes of sweet fruit on the nose like boysenberry with good viscosity and good balance. The tannins were seamless but the finish brief keeping this my #2 of the night.”

There was a bit of funk, but it was still a very pleasant wine.

“TUNA TARTARE. soy emulsion – avocado – taro chips.”

Parker 95, “When I think back to the top California Cabernet Sauvignon wineries twenty-two years ago (1973), it is shocking to see how many of the finest wineries in 1973 have fallen behind today’s leading Cabernet producers. For example, Beaulieu, Heitz, Inglenook, Mayacamas, and Freemark Abby were undisputed leaders in the early seventies, but in 1995, they have been surpassed by thirty or forty other producers. I can think of only three wineries that were making fabulous Cabernet Sauvignons in 1973 that have continued to produce great wines, with no qualitative slumps through 1995 – Caymus Vineyard, Ridge, and Chateau Montelena. Because Chateau Montelena is “old” by California standards, it is easy to overlook the extraordinary wines produced by Jim Barrett and his son, Bo. Remarkably, there is not a bad vintage of Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon to be found. While hitting the peaks in top years, this winery makes fine Cabernets in vintages where other producers flounder. A recent example of this is the 1989 Estate Cabernet, a superb wine that continues to languish on the shelves of retailers. For that reason, an invitation to a vertical tasting of Chateau Montelena’s estate Cabernet is one of the most exciting tickets in town.”

For a 20 year old Cab, this was very youthful!

“BEEF TARTAR. black truffle – sliced radish – soy caramel.”

Parker 93, “1999 Barolo Brunate/Le Coste—Medium red. As is usually the case, the Brunate/Le Coste takes things up a notch. It presents a deeply mentholated, balsamic nose along with layers of dark fruit, licorice and tar flavors that develop in the glass in a potent style that captures the essence of the vintage. The Brunate/Le Coste is the richer and bigger of the two Barolos here, yet it also shows more elegance in its finer tannins. Still reasonably priced, Rinaldi’s Brunate/Le Coste remains the best traditional Barolo most people have never tasted.”

“Shrimp cocktail.” Classic.

Fresh green tomatoes.

Some oysters on the halfshell.

Just a bit of the chaos.

Probably around 90 points, a pleasant mature shiraz.

Probably a porterhouse or ribeye.

“Bone-in porterhouse.” Have a little beef!

From my cellar, Parker 95, “The great glories of this house are its Cote Roties, of which there are now five separate offerings. The single-vineyard 1994s were singing loudly when I saw them in July. All of them scored significantly higher than they did during the two previous years, which is not unusual as Guigal’s upbringing (elevage) of the wines results in better examples in the bottle than in cask. All three wines flirt with a perfect score. At this tasting, they reminded me of Guigal’s 1982s – opulent, sumptuously-textured, forward, rich, precocious, flattering wines that will drink well throughout their lives. The 1994 Cote Rotie La Mouline possesses extraordinary intensity. A dark ruby/purple color is followed by a penetrating nose of sweet black raspberry fruit intertwined with aromas of coconut and apricots. Jammy black fruits continue on the palate of this full-bodied, silky-textured, sumptuously-styled wine that is glorious to drink – even from barrel. It is an amazing La Mouline that offers all the elegance, suppleness, and sexiness this cru merits. It should drink well upon its release in 1998, and last for 15 more years. Guigal is one of the cellars where the wines always taste better after they are bottled than they do from cask, although as the scores in this segment indicate, some profound wines can be found in the 1994, 1995, and 1996 vintages Chez Guigal.”

A regular filet.

Parker 96, “More European in style than some of its siblings, the 2008 exhibits good acidity, more noticeable tannin (but it is extremely young), and plenty of crushed rock, espresso roast and licorice characteristics intermixed with a volcanic minerality. Full-bodied, ripe and opulent, with a closed, formidable personality.”

This was a pretty fabulous, albeit young, Cab.

A different looking filet.

“Bone-in porterhouse.” Have a little beef!

Parker 98, “From a single 9-acre parcel, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon True Vineyard exhibits extraordinary aromas of acacia flowers and violets along with an irrefutable minerality, an abundance of blueberry and blackberry fruit, outstanding texture, full-bodied richness, great depth, and ripe tannin. This Cabernet will benefit from 4-6 years of cellaring, and should evolve for 40 years.”

Powerful and delicious!

“Bone-in filet with lobster and bordelaise.” Certainly a great steak, and bordelaise makes EVERYTHING better.

“Bone-in filet” naked.

“New York strip with salt.”

Parker 93+, “A hundred percent Cabernet Sauvignon (800 cases), this is still an outstanding wine, with classic graphite, creme de cassis, blueberry and floral notes all well-presented in the perfumed aromatics of this full-bodied, rich, concentrated wine. It has some noticeable tannins to be resolved and is not as seamless and flawless as the monumental 2007?

I thought this was better than a 93.

Just some of our sides!

“Creamed spinach.”

“Sweet corn pudding.” We took to calling this stuff “corn porn” it was so good. We ordered 5 of them too!

Mushrooms and brussel sprouts.

Some stellar mac & cheese.

“Parmesan truffle fries.”

This is my own personal stem collection!  I don’t like to be rushed. The more I do these wine diners the more I take things into my own hands, like:

1. Bringing my own stems (I didn’t need to here, but I often do).

2. Stealing stems off other tables or from behind the bar. Tonight I looted stems from half the tables in the room.

3. Opening my own bottles (I travel with several openers). In the bar, I asked for stems and then just opened a bottle and poured.

4. Pouring – of course!

Some very old Sauternes. This was very interesting stuff. A bit flawed perhaps, but entirely, totally, and extremely enjoyable. Like honey wine.

“Sticky bread pudding.” The sauce on this was to die for.

“Banana chocolate torte.”

“CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE. warm baked cookie – vanilla ice cream.” Also pretty spectacular.

The overall evening was spectacular. The place treated us really well with swift and friendly service you hardly noticed. Plus, there was the excellent company and all our amazing wines! As a steakhouse, I find it much like Mastro’s but about 5% worse on average — although there are some different starters and sides, many of which are excellent. It’s also quite a bit cheaper than Mastro’s, and lets us skip the corkage, which is huge! We were out of here for $110 a person, including tax and tip, which is pretty amazing for such an enormous feast at a high end steakhouse.

Our previous STK outing.

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