Michael Mina at the Bellagio

For those of you who don't know - Michael Mina is an American celebrity chef, cookbook author and restaurateur who partnered up with tennis star Andre Agassi to open up his restaurants.
While we were in Sin City, my mother and I decided to try his namesake restaurant in the gorgeous Bellagio hotel. I thought the decor was on the conservative side with auberge coloured walls and white stark table clothes but the service was impeccable from the moment we walked in to when we left the restaurant, we were treated with such hospitality that we felt like celebrities.


Of course my mother and I indulged and tried different tasting menus. My mom is a bit of a picky eater and also has sensitive teeth so she choose the 'vegetarian tasting menu' while I chose the 'seasonal menu'.
We also chose to have glasses of champagne to pair our meal - great choice as it made my mom laugh randomly at my attempts to make jokes and gave her the energy she needed for a big night ahead of us at the pai gao tables and out at a show!
Our amuse bouche came right away which was a cold soup - presented in a shot glass - the green colour really popped and we were impressed with the taste.
My tasting menu consisted of a yellowtail sashimi with strawberries as an appetizer which was very fresh and opened up my palette for more, then it went into fried scallop canneloni which was mushy deep fried goodness, then sonoma duck with truffle sauce- this was perfectly juicy and decadent and at this point- I was starting to get full and the piece de resistance was the butter poached tenderloin done perfectly medium rare paired with a tower of potatoes au gratin and topped with a perfectly deep fried onion ring. Finally my dessert came which was a lemon panacotta that was light and the perfect end to my meal.

For my mother's meal- it started with a heirloom beet salad - the presentation of the beets were truly artistic and the fushia colour of the beets just popped off the white plate- my mom loved the taste and the fact that they were so easy to chew. The second dish was an asparagus veloutte- which is just a fancy way of saying an asparagus soup puree which she absolutely loved and thought was such a healthy option. The third dish was a substitute as I had requested my mom get the miso flavoured cod which they gave us at no additional cost and it replaced the artichoke souffle. This was very light and delicate and perfect for my mother. The fourth dish was a truffle and pea pasta - which was drenched in truffle oil which is a taste both my mom and I love!!! The finale was a gorgeous homemade pudding - ideal for such a great meal!
We were full but not too full although we had tons of food - it was a good belly feeling.
When the bill came, it was presented with a selection of sweets as well from pomegranate jellys and almond mini cookies... they certainly know how to do things right at this resto!
Michael Mina- Bellagio Hotel- Las Vegas *** 1/2 star