bloody hens and mousse balls at payard patisserie and bistro

having decided that i was going to overstimulate the economy by shopping while in las vegas, the rest of the eats were relegated to prix fixe menus or affordable bites that did not involve the golden arches if possible. yes, when a girl has a plan, she sticks to it!

having heard about payard patisserie desserts from a candy blog that i frequent, i was pretty determined to go there for a chocolate overdose until i found out they also had a prix fixe lunch menu. the plan then changed to belly ruptures THEN chocolate overdose.

payard is located in ceasars palace and has two parts. the pastry section which you can pick up sweets or a sammich or two and a sit in dining area. the dining area is rather intimate and the chefs cook in the middle.

the prix fixe menu was priced at $21 for an appetizer (two options), entree (two options), and a dessert (gazillion options). since i had a partner in crime to eat it with, we decided on the strategic move of ordering one of each.

the tomato mozzarella salad. tart dressing and super fresh tasting ingredients. great way to begin the meal.

shrimp romesco. sauteed shrimp with garlic, chili flakes, and olive oil. there was a superb kick to the shrimp and i wished those two shrimps had procreated right there on the slice of bread so i can eat their babies. yummy.

mediterranean sea bass. pan seared sea bass with ratatouille sitting in a pool of oven roasted tomato vinaigrette. i thought the sea bass was salty...good thing it wasn't my pick :)

roasted poussin. oven roasted cornish game hen with truffle leek pan jus and a hockey puck sized crispy mash patotoes. this dish had good flavors, but the bird was a bit too bloody for my tastes. when i sent it back to the chef, she made a comment that "it's suppose to be like that" and popped it in the oven until the bird turned black before it was brought out to me again. ugh. i've been raised not to eat a bloody bird and cancerous burnt bits so i left this dish pretty much intact. such deflation.

the dessert round started with payard's banana tart which is banana and vanilla cream spiked with rum on a sweet tart shell.

and MY dessert, the louvre. that's french for "fat ball of chocolate and hazelnut mousse that will make you weep." yes, it was that good. creamy, luscious, and heavy, it is meant to be shared but my friend was already unconscious from the tart so i single-handedly ate half of it....done. *burp*

i would come back again for their sweets, but probably not again for their savory items. the nasaly comment made by the young chef still twangs in my ears. but for what it's worth and if you're on an..ahem, shopping budget, it's aight.

Payard Patisserie and Bistro
Ceasar's Palace
3570 Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89136
(702) 731-7292

www.payard.com

price: $$
verdict: it's aight but the desserts were delicious!

bitter marmalade

Marmalade Cafe
6333 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 954-0088
http://marmaladecafe.com/

price: $$
verdict: not worth my time

went here recently with friends to try their "early show" menu. this is a three course menu offered monday through friday from 4-6pm for $12.95. that totally sounded like a deal, but alas, it's not a deal when the food sucks.

the menu:
first course choices- soup, field green salad, ceasar salad.
second course choices- chicken picatta, filet of salmon, brisket of beef.
third course choices- tiramisu or bread pudding

i started off with the ceasar salad. it was alright. then i had the chicken picatta for my second course. with this dish, you get to choose either rice pilaf or mash potatoes for the side. i chose their rice pilaf. when the rice came out, it looked like regular steamed rice to me, but drawing upon all of my food network watching knowledge, i think rice pilaf is usually cooked in broth with other ingredients thrown in. i asked my server about that and she offered me the mash potatoes instead. the chicken was bland and so were the mashies which didn't come with gravey....the only thing flavorful on that dish was the mushroom sauce. for my third course pick, i went with the tiramisu. YUMMY! for those that chose the bread pudding instead, they sure were envious of our tiramisu because their bread pudding was apparently too dry and too heavy.

my other companions that ordered the salmon filet did not like their dish either. the salmon was overcooked and one of my friends thought the sauce was overly sweet. and for the bread pudding eaters, they took a bite and left the bread pudding in its plate.

at about 6 or so, i felt a bit rushed because they started prepping up dinner for the "real diners." you know, the non $12.95 paying patrons. in any case, perhaps the items on their regular menu would have been tastier, but given that it's right at the grove and there's tons of really great eateries around there, i'm not interested in going back for a second shot. this "early show" menu was not a deal.