Bodog Beat

With our most recent culinary adventures focusing on small, uber-local restaurants contained within the countless strip malls, we figured we'd take a trip to ther other end of the spectrum and visit a high-end joint in a big box casino. So, with that in mind we jumped in a cab at the Rio for the short trip over to Caesar' Palace to visit Chef Bobby Flay's restaurant, Mesa Grill.

Eating "common" food at a strip joint restaurant can be an amazing experience, but when it comes down to it, there really is nothing like eating food prepared by a well-trained, artistic hand. The combination of flavors and the immaculate presentation are just not easily duplicated, especially when it comes at the hands of Chef Bobby Flay.

The restaurant itself is well-appointed and even without reservations on a Thursday night we were able to take a seat at the bar for an hour while a seat opened up. While at that bar we indulged in a Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale (amazing) and a Black Widow Mojito (sublime). The mojito was especially good as it was made just like a basic mojito but with dark Guatemalan rum and a splash of cola, so good.

Upon being seated by the super-courteous wait staffwe ordered goat cheese "queso fundido" served with blue corn tortilla strips and  and a spectacular Spanish Rioja to go with it. We followed that up with a main course of 16-spice duck breast with a corn tamale with chorizo and the other dish was a chile relleno stuffed with Manchego cheese and roasted red peppers. Holy. Crap. Both were unbelievable in the subtle way that the flavors melded and the spices exploded, just an amazing experience.

We capped the meal with a warm chocolate cake with dulce de leche ice cream, another glass of wine, another beer and, you guessed it, hit food coma. Again.

We really can't recommend this place enough, so save up your spare change in your piggy bank…for a long, long time, then head over to Mesa Grill while you're in Vegas enjoying the WSOP.