EAT Boutique

Hell, most of Las Vegas really isn’t EAT Boutique, but the Bellagio Hotel definitely isn’t even a little bit EAT Boutique. The above photo represents only a small portion of the ceiling of the Bellagio lobby. Imagine glass flowers, several feet in diameter, floating overhead. It’s over-the-top.

Still, in awe of the extravagance of this place, I felt compelled to blog on not just the Bellagio but primarily the Jean-Philippe Patisserie that is located near the front of the hotel.  Jean Philippe grew up in the south of France, is a World Pastry Champion and opened the first high-end bakery in the Las Vegas area in 2005. I happened upon this little nook of the hotel, and marveled at how barely 1,000 square feet of pastry, crepes, chocolate and more chocolate could keep me so entertained for nearly an hour.

A beautiful glass sculpture hangs in the center of the patisserie, floating over gigantic wedding cakes, their specialty in the land of the quickie wedding. Again, quite over-the-top.

The rows of pastry are quite sweet, while also awe-inspiring when your faced with what feels like hundreds of them placed before you in a modern glass case. I was particularly fond of the look of the bright green key lime cake. So fancy, and over-the-top. Are you sensing a theme?

The other focal point of the shop is what they allegedly call the world’s tallest chocolate fountain, with three types flowing from ceiling to floor. Tourists were video-taping the rapid flow of sweetness. Kids were pointing, almost trying to push their fingers through the glass to get a quick taste.

I have several friends who would love this little ornament tree loaded with ball-shaped rice krispie treats. Little dots of pink, cream and chocolate hanging with bows, as if it was Christmas time. One of these is heading home with me for the husband.

Here are a few other photos from outside the patisserie. The Bellagio is quite impressive. Try to keep your mouth shut as you stare in awe - at the pastries, flowers, people and general extravagance that could only be Las Vegas.

Twenty million things to do before my next business trip, to Las Vegas. I’ve never been, ever, and am getting very excited about the sites I’ll see. As I prepare to get wide-eyed and awed, I want to leave a clean fridge and pantry at home, so the husband and I get to whipping up an early morning breakfast.

We’ve been on this fairly new eating plan that encourages consumption of loads of vegetables at each sitting, along with a touch of protein, fat, grain and fruit. While he gently fries a couple fresh farm eggs, I get to chopping the organic produce. We had a perfectly ripe avocado, ready for the smooshing. The pineapple is sweet and juicy beyond belief. The cucumber crisp and ready for a little salt. (I should add that all this organic produce came to me via our CSA at Green Meadows, but during these still chilly Spring months, most of it is still shipped in.)

The cutting board looked so full and gorgeous, I had to quickly share before I zoom off to work. I love using every little piece of food in the house, never wanting to waste anything we spent hard-earned dollars on nor anything that some hard-working farmer grew with care. Always remember the love that births your food, as while we love avocado, we know someone else loved it to creaminess in order to grace our table.

I’ve only now had a few moments to download my 800 photos of Italy, New York and so many meals. No meal photos here today, just a glimpse into where I was a mere week ago. Part of me feels as if Italy was a dream, a delight I’m remembering only bit by bit. The other part of me knows it happened and feels so sad that I’ve neglected to share every moment, photo and bite.

Bit by bit, I will catch up. And bit by bit, I’ll begin to tell the story that was Italy for me. Italy is different for everyone, and I’m sure was especially unique for many of the readers of this site. But I can only share my photos, tell you my two cents about the people, vistas and cuisine. The photo above feels like a postcard, not because I’m a great photographer (which I am not) but because it seems unreal (mountains, snow, water, flowers all in one scene).

In addition to the view, I took in an amazing meal with such a sweet family while in Como. They were so generous with their time, their home and their attention to detail. I will post those photos shortly, when I get a moment to adequately describe the deliciousness that was their meal. For now, one more photo that also seemed unreal to me, but permitted me to see a vista that had been buried in my mind for so long. I felt that Como looked this good in real life, and was totally right.

This salad made me so happy. I devoured it the moment I stepped into Venice, while sitting along the Grand Canal with my friend, drinking a glass of Prosecco. After four hours on a train, I was tired and hungry but didn’t want to over-indulge. This gentle salad fit the bill, dressed simply with olive oil, orange juice and salt. Fennel season in New England is now over, but plan to add this recipe to my arsenal next year.

I’ve been back but a day and have so much to do to catch up at work. But now heading off to a conference, and hope to share all my 800 photos with you in the coming weeks.

Venetian glass cherries, that is…