Las Vegas Eats – Julian Serrano

A mixed bag all around for this one. Julian Serrano also of Bellagio’s Picasso is one of many big names in Vegas. An impressive array of Spanish tapas fills the menu, both classics like the Gambas and Patatas Bravas and “new wave” tapas like those tuna cones we see surface in some places like in New Orleans’ SoBou.

Julian Serrano definitely got the look. Although its near the main lobby in Aria and sort of a downer once you see the location. Between the 6 of us we sampled quite a few dishes. No issues with the service at all. I asked if they can bring the dishes in the correct order to accommodate the palates and they did.

Stuffed Piquillo Peppers – A bit milder than expected but a pleasant start nonetheless.

Huevos Estrellados – Enjoyed this one. The chorizo along with the egg and fries worked together nicely.

Pintxo de Chorizo – Should have ordered something else. Although the mashed potatoes was tasty, the chorizo was similar to the previous dish if not slightly chewier. Pictured on top

White Ceviche – perhaps the weakest link. I love ceviche but the acid here was just a tad overwhelming. A good size dish I must add.

Stuffed Dates – this is one of my favorite Mediterranean tapa dishes and this one did not disappoint. Love the combination of those sweet dates with the bacon. Well done here.

Croquettes – Ungood! flavorless, screaming for some sort of sauce.

Lobster Saffron – Ok, not memorable

Gambas – Good. Nice plump and tasty shrimp

Creamy Risotto – Nice finish. Arborio cooked to al dente perfection and with the mushroom provided plenty of flavor. Along with the dates the best dish of the night.

Desserts not memorable

Funny how things work out sometimes. I’ve anticipated this to be one of the top meals of the trip from the info I gathered but at the end of the day, the pastrami at the next door P.U.B by Todd English was the most memorable thing I ate on day 1.

Not a bad meal overall but not something I’d do again. Perhaps I got somewhat spoiled with all the wonderful tapas we have in NYC (Alta, Tia Pol to name a few). This meal was a fresh reminder after a 6 year hiatus that the big name restaurants on the strip got just that. Big names.