By Elliot Shirwo
Bolour Associates

Dear Fellow CMA Members,

Our next seminar takes place in Las Vegas, a city that in the last few years has transformed itself from the world of gambling to the world of indulgent culture.

On the Strip in Las Vegas, everyone knows the finest places to dine – just name some of the most globally recognized chefs in the world and you will find them: Joel Robuchon, Guy Savoy, Alain Ducasse, Thomas Keller, among a laundry list of others.

However, my favorite spots to dine are “Off The Strip.”

Your food experience Off-The-Strip would not be complete without going to a Japanese Charcoal Grill in Chinatown where most of the executive chefs go to dine after hours. This temple of authentic Japanese fare is called Aburiya Raku. In the many meals I’ve eaten in Japan, the meals I’ve had at Raku equal in integrity of experience, pristine quality of ingredients, and humble genius in execution. Like Lotus of Siam, Raku is located at the far end of an inconspicuous strip mall on Spring Mountain Road about a 10 minute cab drive from your hotel on the strip.

Raku resides in an intimately situated space that minimally distracts you from the food and your company. On the other side of the main dining room, Raku provides traditional Japanese subterranean seating for larger parties.

Chef Mitsou Endo has two formats to choose from while dining at his restaurant. First, the Omakase at a price of $75 or $100, and the other is a la carte from the regular menu and the irresistible daily menu on the mini-chalkboard. The daily menu typically includes a special fish that is prepared sashimi style, a whole fish that can be prepared in a variety of ways depending on your preference, among other items. I recommend you order all of them as part of your personalized tasting menu that the server will course out for you.

To start, Chef Mitsou prepares a supple homemade tofu with Japanese condiments.

Chef Mitsou’s sashimi salad is made up of impeccable slices of salmon, yellowtail, and tuna atop spinach with a lightly sweet ponzu dressing, garnished with crispy onions for texture and savory sweetness.

From cold to hot, the crispy fried shrimp are irresistible, mini-whole prawns with meat as sweet as lobster that will sate your desire for something deliciously fried after consuming a container or two of one of Raku’s artisanal Japanese sakes. From the robata grill, the salmon with ikura oroshi, the yellowtail with glazed soy sauce, and the fish belly are sure bets. If you have never eaten here, I strongly suggest ordering the Omakase, the chef’s tasting menu, to introduce you to Chef Mitsou’s creativity and culinary restraint for preserving the cuisine at a level of simplistic brilliance.

Although Raku has been nominated multiple times by the James Beard Foundation as the best restaurant in the Southwest region of the United States, Raku still maintains an “Under The Radar” status by virtue of its Off-The-Strip location. I hope it stays that way because Raku will always remain Vegas-At-Its-Best in my book.

As visitors to Vegas, we often times get lulled into the labyrinth of the hotel casinos, ubiquitous dining venues, and eye-popping entertainment attractions. With as little as a short cab ride and a desire for adventure,
you will discover a city replete with cultural anomalies that will not only enliven your senses but also inspire you to come back for more.

Aburiya Raku is located at 5030 West Spring Mountain Road #2, Las Vegas, NV 89146 (702) 367-3511, open Monday through Saturday from 6 pm to 3 am, closed Sunday, www.raku-grill.com.

For great music, check out the House of Blues at the Mandalay Bay. If you really want to experience Las Vegas in a more native form, take a taxi to Fremont Street. Fremont Street is the most famous street in Las Vegas, next to the Las Vegas Strip. Once you’ve experienced this spectacle, walk around the neighborhood and discover all the cool speakeasy bars, restaurants and smaller scale entertainment venues, you will feel like a local.