Vegas - Night 3: The Bedford by Martha Stewart

 

You can’t do much better than Martha Stewart!  Right?  Of COURSE right!  This was my second time dining at The Bedford, Ms Stewart’s grand new restaurant (it recently celebrated its one-year anniversary) in the Paris Las Vegas Casino Hotel.  The first time, I was curious to see if the place could live up to Stewart’s legacy, and I’m pleased to report that it did!  The Bedford is fine dining at its finest!

The Bedford is exactly what you’d expect from the media mogul and domestic goddess; it’s gorgeous and classy, with exceptional service, sophisticated decor and of course, phenomenal food!  The restaurant itself is divided into several areas; a sort of lounge/patio out front, the bar, a bright, sparkling main dining room which includes an immaculate open kitchen and finally, an elegant back room that resembles a beautifully appointed library.  It’s as if you’re dining in your favorite aunt’s regal country estate…if your aunt was a self-made millionaire!

As you’d presume from a Martha Stewart helmed establishment, the service was absolutely on point and smooth as glass!  My servers were friendly and completely knowledgeable about the menu; and about food, in general!  I was in very capable hands here!  I began the meal by ordering a cocktail - the Passionfruit Caipirinha - a mix of cachaça (a strong spirit made from fermented sugarcane juice), muddled lime, sugar and passionfruit.  I’ve tried this cocktail at other restaurants, and they’ve been good, but this one was more refined and elevated.  It was tart and refreshing - the perfect way to wake up the tastebuds for the meal to come!

As an appetizer, I chose a dish I’ve known about, seemingly forever, but had never actually tried - the Oysters Rockefeller!  The lovely bivalves were topped with a mixture of Pernod cream, spinach, watercress, parsley, butter, and breadcrumbs. Finished with Parmesan cheese and baked, they won me over instantly!  The Parmesan gave the oysters a nice nuttiness and the anise flavor from the Pernod was quite subtle, which, not being a fan of anything anise-flavored, I really appreciated. But all of the above ingredients combined to make each yummy oyster a perfect bite!  For my taste, the lemon wedges were unnecessary!

For my entree, I stayed with the seafood vibe and went with the Lemon Risotto with Sea Scallops.  The risotto itself was rich and unctuous; its lemony flavor pairing beautifully with the scallops, which were seared flawlessly - golden brown outside and exquisitely tender inside!  Even the caramelized fennel which accompanied the dish was crunchy and delectable.  And while I’m not a big fan of anything tasting of licorice - as fennel does - I found the flavor mild, so it never overpowered my palate.  For that matter, it also gave the dish a nice textural contrast!

Finally, dessert!  I couldn’t resist the Upside-down Lemon Meringue Pie!  First of all, the presentation was gorgeous!  Made with baked meringue, lemon curd and fresh whipped cream, it looked like a fluffy, lemon-topped flower on the plate!  Best of all, it ate like a dream!  The lemon curd was tangy and zingy - possibly the best I’ve sampled!  At the base, the meringue was slightly crunchy, yet wonderfully chewy; almost like a Pavlova.  And finally, the entire thing was covered in light, pillowy whipped cream.  The dessert achieved that fine balance - sweet, but not cloyingly sweet; tart, but not overly sharp!  Hey!  You’d expect nothing less from Stewart and her team of talented chefs!

As I’ve mentioned in a separate blog entry, I had weight loss surgery three years ago, so the only course I was able to finish entirely was the appetizer.  Luckily, I was able to bring my unfinished food back to my room and, being a Martha Stewart restaurant, even the bag provided for the leftovers was beautiful!!

As stated earlier, this was my second visit to The Bedford, but once again, the meal was flawless!  In September, I’m returning to Las Vegas - this time with my husband, and I definitely plan on dining there again!  So, is The Bedford as good as you’d expect?  The answer, in a nutshell - a nutshell that Martha Stewart would decorate better than anyone on the planet - is a resounding “YES!”