The Enlightened Traveler: Bellagio's New Caviar Buffet – A Good Value Or A Waste of Money?

How much is too much?

The Luxurist has been pondering this age-old brainteaser ever since he learned that the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas is trumpeting an all-you-can eat caviar buffet. It introduced this schnor-fest a few months back and just announced that it will be a permanent feature, owing to – what else? – popular demand.

(Or as one of the hotel's chefs told the Las Vegas Sun, "If we wouldn't have it here this weekend, people would complain." And we wouldn't want that, would we?)

As if there already is not enough fabulousness in the Macao of the Desert, the price of gorging on  endless blinis and fish eggs (along with a small selection of sushi) is a mere $38.

Now, for a hair less than two twenties, you will not be served any Beluga or Sevruga from the Caspian Sea, or anywhere near. The Bellagio is offering American Sevruga, salmon roe of unspecified origin, and tobiko roe from Japan.

There are excellent North American caviars, as well as a good many that are inferior. Let us hope that the Bellagio knows the difference, even if not all of its customers will.

The Luxurist and his Lovely Luxurista are particularly fond of the silky, delicate taste of good American salmon roe. Its flavor is not as complex as sturgeon roe, but can be sublime when fresh, having been carefully handled during packing and transit.

Both American Sevruga and salmon roe are best enjoyed on a slightly warm blini with a dolop of room temperature creme fraiche.

Skip the usual accompaniments of chives and chopped onions or eggs. They only detract from the  clean, faintly salty taste of good caviar and cannot mask the bad – unless you prefer onions and chives to caviar, in which case why shell out $38 when you can buy an onion and a bunch of chives at the supermarket for $1.50?

But I digress.

The Luxurist is of the opinion that Ang Lee's great "Life of Pi" should have won the best picture Oscar this year.
That the movie contains a memorable scene in which hordes of flying fish descend on the adrift Pi
and the Bengal tiger Richard Parker is the reason, however nominal, that we show this photo here.

Tobiko (or flying fish) eggs are small, crunchy, without a distinctive taste, and typically are used as colorful toppings on certain kinds of sushi. As The Luxurist has never seen these tiny red nuggets served on a blini, he wonders exactly what the folks at The Bellagio are thinking?

Do they believe that visitors will find this unusual presentation appealing, or that they will not know better?

Guess on which side The Luxurist is taking bets?

To be fair, The Luxurist has not yet sampled the pleasures of The Bellagio's endless caviar buffet. When he does, he hopes that he will be pleasantly surprised.*

Until that moment, The Luxurist can only wonder if enabling people to pig out is what businesses should be doing.

No one wants to end up at the craps table shouting, "Daddy needs a new pair of pants with a larger waistline."

As in all things, caviar should be enjoyed in moderation and savored.

If it's quality stuff, you, Dear Reader, will appreciate the experience all the more.  If it's not, you will spare yourself unwanted calories, as well as the uncomfortable feeling that comes with overeating.

Either way, both your waistline and those who love you will be grateful.

* The Bellagio also houses a Petrossian Restaurant, not to be confused with the hotel's caviar buffet. Petrossian's menu does indeed include costly imported caviars plus pricey foie gras,  fine champagnes and wines. No bargains here!

The Enlightened Traveler: Tired of the Dorchester? Try These.

The folks who run oyster.com (a nice site if you are looking for something different in a hotel) claim that a good hotel is hard to find.

The Luxurist believes that it is infinitely more difficult to find a hotel that can maintain high standards with consistency.

When selecting accomodations, The Luxurist and his lovely Luxurista want to be assured of the same top-notch experience that the reviewer enjoyed.

Rockhouse Lodge, Negril, Jamaica

Actually, this is more often a problem when it comes to dining at a new restaurant that has received rapturous notices.

Having patiently waited a few weeks for the next available table – because everyone else has read the same review – The Luxurist and his LL invariably sit down to a less than stellar meal, rushed from the kitchen to appease the noisy hordes that  descend nightly on the place, thanks to the aforementioned hosannas.

Many are called, but it's a rare chef indeed able to withstand the pressure and still turn out memorable food night after night.

But I digress.

If you would like to try your luck at a luxury tree house, French chateau, Bohemian hideaway, or  cliff-top sanctuary, oyster.com offers a few suggestions right here.

The Annals of Luxury: Chinese Luxury Brands

Last year the Chinese surpassed Europeans and Americans to become the largest group of luxury consumers in the world.

Chinese shoppers now comprise a bit more than 20% of the worldwide luxury market. They buy an average of $14,940 on luxury goods when they travel to Europe, Hong Kong, and Singapore. They also spend heavily on pricey brands at home.

Despite the current global economic slowdown, the country's mammoth economic potential and vast population mean that China's upper classes will continue to swell and outstrip Western luxury consumers for years to come.

The Chinese seek out Vuitton, Cartier, Armani, Prada, Rolex, Gucci, Hermes, and a few dozen other traditional European brands. Those are what the Chinese (and other international shoppers) have preferred – at least until now.

Qeelin diamond-encrusted panda necklace and ruby and diamond goldfish ring

The rise of several luxury brands created by Chinese designers for the local market and other recent indicators may point to forthcoming changes in the shopping habits of Chinese consumers.

Several manufacturers have created high-end brands and are targeting Chinese buyers by incoporating design elements intended to appeal to local tastes.

They hope to launch their brands into the rarefied luxury space, attracting big spenders not merely in China, but in the West, as well.

At least two companies appear to be poised to succeed.

PPR – the French group that owns Gucci, Yves St. Laurent, Balenciega, Alexander McQueen, and Brioni –  recently invested in Qeelin, a small but chi-chi chain of jewelers launched in China in 2004.

Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung, star of Wong Kar-Wai's
"In the Mood for Love," models Qeelin's longevity necklace

The brand incorporates traditional Chinese elements into its luxurious, intricately detailed designs. One of its signature pieces is a fully articulated rose or white gold panda, encrusted with diamonds or other precious stones and typically worn as a necklace.

Other designs are derived from the shape of Tang and Qing era vases or from the Chinese longevity lock, an ancient symbol often depicted in traditional arts and crafts.

The jeweler has has just 11 stores in China and Hong Kong and one in Paris. Westerners also can pick up pieces in London at Qeelin boutiques in Selfridge's and Harrod's.

Not to be outdone by rivals, Hermès recently announced plans to invest tens of millions of euros over the next five years to develop Chinese boutique label Shang Xia – selling traditionally inspired apparel, jewelry and furniture – in which it bought a majority stake in 2008.

Shang Xia's Twilight wooden boxes made of Zitan wood and carved bamboo for jewelry or small objects

Among Shang Xia's offerings are $45,000 gold-woven porcelain teapots, red sandalwood tables, and cashmere dresses inspired by the traditional Chinese qipao. Everything is sourced locally and made by Chinese craftsmen.

Jiang Qiong Er, Shang Xia CEO told red-luxury.com that he views his stores as "platform(s) where we show the Chinese art of living with beautiful, quality, luxury objects.

"This is a cultural project with a business aspect" he went on to say. "What we are doing is quite unique."

The firm has two locations, one in Shaghai, the other in Beijing. A third boutique will open this spring in Paris on the rue de Sèvres, near le Bon Marché, The Luxurist and Luxurista's favorite grand magasin.

It remains to be seen whether Qeelin, Shang Xia, or other emerging Chinese luxury brands will be called up to the big leagues.

If they are, will they make the championships or will they strike out and get taken out of the game?

Watch this space.

For more information:
qeelin.com
shang-xia.com 

The Enlightened Traveler: Beyond Manhattan And Into the Void

Nowadays, if you want a nice dinner in New York, you might head for Reynard in the hip Wythe Hotel.

You could start with veal carpaccio with sea urchin, brown butter, hazelnuts, and meyer lemon, followed by oyster stew with scallops, clams, potato, sunchoke, and watercress, and conclude with a piece of toasted brown sugar apple cake for dessert.

As for wine, how does a chilled bottle of Jacques Selosse Initiale Grand Cru Côte des Blancs Brut champagne sound? It will set you back $295.

Reynard in the Wythe Hotel, Williamsburg

So, just where is the Wythe? Downtown, Uptown, Mid-town?

Actually, it is out of town, so to speak, in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood, home to 45,000 Hasidic Jews (and where Chaim Potok's novel The Chosen takes place).

A generation ago young, affluent professionals abandoned Manhattan for Brooklyn, seeking more and cheaper space to raise their families.

They did not, however, want to give up the blandishments they were used to in the Big City. And so, gentrification quickly followed in areas like Cobble Hill, Park Slope, and later in Williamsburg.

 Manhattan? No. Marlowe & Sons in Brooklyn

Unsassuming corner markets and workaday diners were replaced by organic grocers and purposefully funky but nonetheless pricey restaurants.

In the early part of the last decade, the once derided borough ceased being just a desirable place to live. Suddenly it was a dining destination for city dwellers hoping to find the next big thing.

By that they did not mean the neighborhood Greek restaurants of Astoria or the Russian ones in Brighton Beach that knowledgeable New Yorkers had long enjoyed.

Also Read: The Truth About Brooklyn's Overhyped Restaurant Scene

The food that the yupoisie demanded was the same as what they could get all over Manhattan. Except now they were willing to schlep to Brooklyn to get it.

But I digress.

The Luxurist is not always a contrarian. He does not believe in fighting the tape. He indeed has sampled some of Brooklyn's supposed charms.

He leaves it to you, beloved reader, to decide if venturing forth from Manhattan is worth the trip.

For those so inclined, click here for a recent Financial Times report on the hip dining scene in getting-trendier-by-the-minute Williamsburg.

Bon appetit. And do not forget your Metro Card.

Dinner Is Served: Pasta Explained

The Luxurist wants to disabuse everyone of the notion that the Chinese invented pasta.

It was documented in Italy before Marco Polo headed east. That doesn't mean the Italians had it first. The earliest reference to noodles appeared in the Jerusalem Talmud of the fifth century A.D.

Pasta is still made by hand at the family run Martelli factory in Tuscany. (Photo: gessato.com)

More important than where it came from is knowing what makes pasta made in Italy better than pasta that isn't, when to use fresh pasta rather than dried (and vice-verse), and what Italians know about cooking pasta that Americans don't.

Food authority Corby Kummer has been writing informed, highly useful essays principally in The Atlantic for some 30 years now on topics ranging from rice pudding to red sauce to eggs.

The secret to flavorful eggs isn't freshness, it's what the chicken ate, says Kummer.

Not the same old, same old: Egg yolk spaghetti at two-Michelin starred Ristorante Cracco in Milan

The Luxurist recalls an essay Kummer wrote many years ago on how to make risotto. He reported that one of his Italian friends threw the rice and broth into the pot all at once, rather than slowly adding small amounts of hot liquid to the rice over a period of 20-30 minutes.

The darn thing turned out the same either way. Or maybe not. The Luxurist read this article a long, long time ago and cannot be sure, because the essay cannot be found on the web.

But I digress.

What you can read on the Internet is Kummer's memorable 1986 piece on the origins, manufacture,  and correct uses of pasta.

Pasta with Peccorino cheese and black pepper, served in a crisp
Parmigiano shell at Roma Sparita in the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome

Still pertinent and valuable today, it's a classic that combines careful research on production methods with lots of practical advice on finding the best Italian brands and preparing them properly.

When Kummer wrote his article 25 years ago, Americans believed al dente pasta wasn't sufficiently cooked and all sauce came from a jar.

Women also wore very wide shoulder pads back then. (And not just on Dynasty.) But, again, I digress.

We know a lot more today about how to cook and consume pasta in the Italian manner.

That the Chinese didn't invent it, well, that is another matter.

Read Kummer's pasta essay here.
To read more articles by Kummer, mostly on food, click here.
To learn more about the Martelli pasta factory, click here.

The Enlightened Traveler: A Paris Institution Returns

Ladurée, the historic Parisian patisserie and tea room, suffered a disastrous fire in 2011 that caused the landmark to close for a year. It has just reopened, it's 19th-Century opulence fully restored and good as new, according to press reports.

Some years ago, The Luxurist and his Lovely Luxurista arrived in Paris on Christmas Eve, two weary pilgrims without a dinner reservation.

Summoning up his flawless French, he called several of his preferred restaurants only to learn that they were fully booked.

(Yes, The Luxurist speaks French impeccably. Doesn't everyone?)

Normally in a situation like this, The Luxurist would follow his own advice:  keep talking politely but firmly until the voice on the other side of the aparatus gives in. It turns out that French restaurateurs can be an uncompassionate lot on Christmas Eve, a day when you think even the French would be a bit more accommodating.

But I digress.

And so The Luxurist and his LL decided to head out on foot in search of a meal. They were soon on the Champs Elysées in front of Ladurée.

It was far past afternoon teatime. The Luxurist and his LL stepped inside anyway to find many well dressed and very contented Parisians sitting down to, not petit fours and chocolat chaud, but, in fact, dinner.

Mr. L and Mrs. LL were seated next to a handsome French couple. The husband told them that he was executive chef for Air France first class and that he and his wife came to Ladurée every Christmas Eve.

Thus they began a memorable night of good food and pleasant conversation.

Also read: Why You Should Spend the Holidays in Paris

While Ladurée's premises have been refreshed, not so its unfortunate reputation as a tourist destination during the day.

I use the term "tourist destination"  to be kind.  You, dear reader, can divine the true meaning of the term.

But, again, I digress.

At night, it's a different story.  If you find yourself in Paris with no dinner plans and no concierge at your service,  you might give Ladurée a try.

Little Luxuries: Thanksgiving Leftovers

The Luxurist likes a hearty Thanksgiving meal as much as the next sybarite.

What to do with the leftovers the day after is the challenge. Turkey hash? Turkey and cranberry sandwiches? Well, yes.

Something different and interesting would be welcome, as well.

Marc Murphy, chef and owner of the Landmarc restaurant in New York's Time Warner Center, rises to the occasion with these creative suggestions that first appeared in a recent Wall St. Journal article:

• Turn gravy, mashed potatoes and turkey into a shepherd's pie. Top it with shaved gruyere for an "extra kick."

• Combine mashed potatoes with any kind of cheese. Form croquettes and roll them in panko crumbs before frying. Serve with turkey gravy "jazzed up" with dijon mustard.

• Fill tartlet shells with leftover cranberry sauce topped with Italian merinque.

Chef Murphy cautions that leftovers must be stored correctly. Do not put sealed-up warm food into the refrigerator because of the risk of bacteria build up.

Leave it out until it cools before wrapping and putting it into the fridge. Or place it uncovered in the fridge and cover it after it has cooled.

The Luxurist bids epicureans across the land a joyful holiday.