IN A WORD, Twist. The mere idea of the word is enough to send your token “foodie’s” stomach into a conniption fit of pure desire. The mere whisper of the word is enough to trigger endless blogging and tweeting due to sheer sweaty-handed anticipation. The mere realization of the word is enough a road trip all the way to Lost Wages to see what all the fuss is about. And so it was done. Off to the south Las Vegas strip we would go in search of langostine (among other things), prepared in the manner of a man who pretty much put langostine on the map.
Being the gastronomic simpleton that I am, I decided I couldn’t pass up a grand opening invite to the first ever dinner service at Twist by Pierre Gagnaire (December 5, 2009) which is located way up in the skies within the brand spankin new Mandarin Oriental Hotel at Las Vegas’ newly opened “City Center.” Since I was tagging along with a whole crew of fellow food fanatics, including Ryan from Epicuryan, Will from FoodDigger and the one and only Kevin from kevineats.com, I knew I needed to pack my appetite as these guys really know how to eat!
But in lieu of a ginormous appetite, what I really should’ve packed was my brain. Food this complex, this multi-layered, and this (pardon my crude undertone) “weird”, simply can’t just be engulfed. It requires several hours of thinking, ruminating, pondering or whatever-the-hell-it-takes to justify paying $400 a head for arguably one of the fanciest and most thought-out meal you’d ever dream of having this west of the Mississippi. It’s been days since engulfing this meal and I STILL can’t wrap my head around it (and my stomach definitely had its work cut out for it too).
Surprisingly, it took nearly 5 hours to complete this marathon of a 6-course tasting menu plus 6 courses of added appetizer supplements. And don’t you dare go on thinking that this is “slow” and that 12 courses aren’t all that much, because under Pierre Gagniere’s roof, that really means like 36 presentations. If you do the math, you will already know that, as a girl, I should’ve donned my green sweat pants instead of my green Marc Jacobs cocktail dress.
Throughout this marathon dinner complete with cocktails and fine wine, Voss water and a few $8 diet cokes sprinkledin “here and there”, I began to realize the perplexity as this: Pierre Gagnaire is, quite truthfully, an enigma of a man. Forget that he’s Michelin starred-this, iconoclastic-that. Forget that he practically invented all that we have come to realize is “fusion” cuisine. And just forget that his so-called eponymous “other” location on Rue. St. Balzac near the Champps Elysees is thought of as being the “3rd best restaurant” in the world by Restaurant Magazine (El Bulli in Spain is the 1st). Pierre Gagnaire creates an inspiring vision for this type of weird food, which is, not surprisingly, just weirdly delicious. He’s even a lovable weird guy himself, so appropriately charming and entertaining us like a crazy uncle might do during his brief cameo at our table.
And as we were appropriately informed by our server David, the whole idea is to “taste and experience” all the ingredients which God put on this earth, which might occasionally occur in 1 singular dish. This is most evident in the first of 3 presentations of Gagnaire’s “Shellfish Royale” – somewhat of an oyster extravaganza with a backdrop of toasted beef gelée and shallots, as well as his last presentation of “King Sea Bream”, a curiously concoction of a “bonito-shellfish gelée” with mozzarella ice cream. I loved the fact seared scallops aren’t even safe from Gagnaire’s innovative antics as “black olive gelee” provides a certain Mediterranean setting, but then squab breast and foie gras come in to steal the show.
The end result of these seemingly contradictory flavor combinations and layers is this: each bite resembles something that you have never ever tasted, with few ways to describe them, save for these vague examples — My first time eating Pierre Gagnaire cuisine allowed me to taste 5 different representations of the langostine, including the unmistakable “head”, allowed me to taste seafood mixed with cheese mixed with meat, and allowed me to eat something that tasted like the splendor that exists in a tidepool. Do I have any idea what this means? Not on your life. The only thing I can muster up is that a dinner under Pierre Gagnaire’s roof is absolutely positively unlike any other eating experience you will ever have. Ever. Go there, and you will see. The originality of it ensures that you cannot and will not be disappointed.
What did we eat and drink?
Louis Roederer Champagne Brut Premier
CANAPES (clockwise from top left)
1) Yukon Gold Potato Chip, Smoked Sardine, Golden Raisin
2) Flax Seed Garlic Cracker, Bluefin Chantilly
3) Irish Gelée Perfumed with Guinness and Jack Daniels
4) Salad of Cuttlefish, Haricot Vert, Red Bell Pepper, Celeriac
5) Pecorino Soufflé, Spinach Velouté
6) Toasted Almond Sablé
The Terraces Chardonnay 2008
Sea Scallops – Squab Breast, Foie Gras, Black Olive Gelée, Sake-Apple Marmalade, Pomegranate Seeds (Tasting Menu)
Santa Barbara Spiny Lobster – Liebig and Champagne, Mushroom, Mango, Spring OnionCapellini, Green Pepper, Celeriac, Cauliflower Velouté, Nutmeg Turmeric (Appetizer/Ala Carte)
Scallop & Melano Sporum Truffle – Carpaccio, Chestnut and Artichoke, Truffled Vinaigrette, Pascaline, Green Asparagus, Parmesan Mousse, Roasted Scallop on top of Truffled Biscotte (Appetizer/Ala Carte)
King Sea Bream – Tartelette, Libanese Taboulé, Snow Crab, Aoyama Sauce, Bonito-Shellfish Gelée, Mozzarella Ice Cream (Appetizer/Ala Carte)
John Dory Fillet – Poached in Malabar Black Pepper-Citrus Butter, Cannelloni Beans, Marin Velouté, Crunchy Sauce (Tasting Menu)
Leth Grüner Veltliner Lagenreserve Steinagrund Wagram 2008
Mushroom Broth “Zezette” - Chicken Chiffonade, Vegetable Gnocchi, Kombawa Cod Cake, Bloody Mary Sorbet, Ratatouille Bavaroise (Appetizer/Ala Carte)
Shellfish Royale – Toasted Beef Gelée, Oyster Cocktail with Shallots, Smoked Red Beet Purée, Country Bread and Comté, Marinated Clams, Whelks, Razor Clams, “Lee” Baby Spinach (Appetizer/Ala Carte)
Sonoma Valley Foie Gras Degustation (Appetizer/Ala Carte)
1) Terrine, Dried Figs, Toasted Ginger Bread
2) Custard, Green Lentils, Grilled Zucchini
3) Seared, Sweet and Sour Duck Glaze, Fruit Marmalade
4) Gâteau, Trevicchio Purée, Pickled Red Onions
Langoustine Five Ways (Tasting Menu)
1) Seared, Iberico Ham, Bell Pepper
2) Grilled with TTB Sauce, Avocado
3) Mousseline Perfumed with Sherry Manzanilla
4) Gelée with Kombu Seaweed Seasoned with Lobster Coral
5) Tartar, Campari Turnip, Baby Greens
Cucumber, Tomato & Pineapple - Kirsch Brandy, Rhubarb Mousse, Grapefruit Granité
Ca’ Marcanda (Gaja) Promis Toscana IGT 2006
Loin of Venison – Red Cabbage-Black Currant Jam, Tamy Potato, Pear-Celery Gratin, “Grand Veneur” Quenelle (Tasting Menu)
Grand Dessert Pierre Gagnaire (Tasting Menu)
1) Nelson Sablé, Meringue, Citrus Sorbet
2) Quince Gelée, Bavaroise, Chartreuse Parfait
3) Fruit Biscuit, Seasonal Coulis
4) Cachaça Granité, Cucumber Marmalade, Green Apple
5) Ganache, Ginger, Chocolate Ice Cream
Petit Fours
1) Frozen lemon, Spanish Olive Oil
2) Cookies
TWIST BY PIERRE GAGNAIRE
@ The Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Las Vegas
4882 Frank Sinatra Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89119
888.881.9367
