Friday, April 25, 2003 | 9:06 a.m.
Muriel Stevens' dining column appears Fridays. Her shopping and travel columns appear Wednesday. Reach her at (702) 259-4080 or [email protected].
After a slow start, dining at Little Buddha at the Palms has become a terrific experience. Credit for the positive changes go to General Manager Shelly Galloway and Executive Chef Christophe Bonnegrace and to Palms owner George Maloof, who always recognizes fine talent and empowers them to do what they do best.
Since I last dined at Little Buddha the menu has been expanded, some redecorating has been done and updated tabletop items have been added.
The food is lighter, more contemporary and includes a touch of whimsy without being cute. This confirmed tea drinker appreciates the new teapots. The size is perfect for a tea enthusiast who likes to sip throughout a meal.
Little Buddha has a separate sushi bar with an excellent sushi master. A wide variety of sushi and sashimi, hand rolls and combinations are featured. Those same items can be ordered in the dining room. The dinner menu can be ordered at the sushi bar.
My dining companion and I wanted a light dinner and I wanted to try some of the new menu items. Not a problem. We ordered the chicken lettuce wraps (beef has long been available) and were deliciously surprised when a generous mound of wok-tossed chicken arrived. We'd expected the usual minced version.
Christophe's spin ($8) is so much better. The lettuce cups were sizeable; large enough to completely wrap the chicken so it could be eaten out of hand, which we did.
Other new appetizers are the wok-fried salt-and-pepper calamari and shrimp ($9), spicy tuna and salmon tartar ($10) and crispy chicken spring rolls with sweet chili sauce ($8).
We chose as main courses the sea bass and salmon harlequin pave ($20).
The two fishes were sandwiched into a neat packet and tied with a ribbon of leek, then the fish were perched atop baby bok choy and a ball of purple mashed potatoes.
Our second choice was the duck confit with a tasty, not-too-sweet orange sauce ($23). It, too, came with vegetables. We'd ordered steamed vegetables not knowing that each main course was a complete meal, but they were so well prepared we enjoyed them, too.
The duck confit was a large roasted duck leg so tender that the meat fell off the bone with just the touch of a chopstick. According to Chef Christophe, these two dishes and the pork loin with pineapple and mango sauce are the most popular of the new additions.
Desserts are luscious, so we had one new one, a banana and mango roll made with phyllo dough ($8.50) and an assortment of refreshing fruit sorbets ($4). A liquid-center chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream ($5) is another delectable choice. There are more.
Little Buddha's wine list includes a good selection of fine sakes, sexy cocktails and martinis, beers of the world and no-alcohol beverages.
The service is wonderful and the staff is congenial and helpful. Little Buddha offers dinner nightly from 5:30 p.m. Reservations are suggested for prime dining hours and weekends.
Alzheimer dinner at Postrio: A dinner prepared by super chefs Wolfgang Puck and Alain Ducasse and blow-away live auction items will be just part of the excitement May 7 at Postrio.
With Puck and Ducasse in the kitchen creating, anything can happen. This kitchen drama is as good, if not better, than any "Iron Chef" cook-off. Among the many fabulous live auction items are an opportunity to hang out with Muhammad Ali and be his buddy through a series of events. How about a 12-passenger Gulfstream that will wing the winner to a memorable New York holiday that includes baubles beyond belief? Yachting the Great Barrier Reef is a peerless adventure that includes a case of Dom Perignon and twin Jet Skis.
The goal is a worthy one: to raise enough funds so that Las Vegas will have the best Alzheimer's care facility anywhere and to fund the research so desperately needed.
Andre Rochat to be honored: Restaurateur Andre Rochat will be honored May 23 when the Epicurean Club celebrates its second anniversary with a dinner at the Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas. During the dinner Rochat will be inducted as an honorary member of the distinguished Epicurean Club.
The affable restaurant owner has had a few bad moments recently. But he handled the threatening phone calls by filing a complaint with the police.
"I left France and became an American citizen because I didn't like the government's policies," he said at a reception at Andre's at the Monte Carlo, which he recently hosted with his partner, Mary Jane Jarvis, and renowned author and lecturer, Dr. Larry Lea, and his wife, Leah.
For the evening the private dining rooms on the second level were turned into an art gallery. Showcased were the intriguing paintings by Jean-Paul Loppo. Loppo's wife, Ceceilia, crafted all the custom frames.
Also showcased were finger foods from Andre's kitchen: wild mushroom tarts, crispy frogs legs with curried yogurt dipping sauce, ahi tuna spring rolls, beef tartar on tiny potato galettes, eggplant caviar crostini, foie gras terrine on toasted brioche, assorted pastries, tarts, chocolates and more. It was a joyful event.
Prana to open at Desert Passage: When Prana opens May 3, a new glamorous cuisine will enter the market, French Colonial Vietnamese. During the days of French Colonialism Hanoi was known as the Paris of the Southeast and the An family was part of the aristocracy.
The story of the family's history is as good as any suspense novel. Twice forced by the communists to flee their native Vietnam, mother Helene and sisters Hannah and Elizabeth escaped with little more than a few modest possessions.
The story of how they came to the United States is compelling and deserves to be told (in a book, maybe?). These proud, resilient women are remarkable. Prana is the first major project developed by the third generation of the An family.
Matriarch and Executive Chef, Helene An, will direct the kitchen while oldest daughter, Hannah, and her husband, Danny, are overseeing Prana, a project conceived and nurtured by them since last year.
The Ans, who own the celebrity-filled Crustacean restaurants in Beverly Hills and San Francisco and their original San Francisco restaurant, Thanh Long, which opened in 1971, have been using the kitchen space at the former Bice restaurant in Desert Passage while Prana was being completed.
Mother Helene was teaching the staff how to open a restaurant the An way. It was an impressive display. Menus were still not printed when I visited with the Ans this past week.
While I was talking with Hannah, Helene, ever the gracious host, offered a taste of sugar cane wrapped with shrimp paste. The flavor of the shrimp and the dipping sauce that accompanied it was so elegant. Nuances of flavor burst onto my palate much as fireworks light up the sky.
Prana is gorgeous, rich with rare woods, antiques, ironwork and tres chic appointments. We walked around workmen and electricians while Hannah described at great length the various spaces. It boggles the mind. Two private parties will precede the official opening to the public. More to come, soon.
Short orders
Como Steakhouse opens at Lake Las Vegas: Without any fanfare, Como Steakhouse has opened at Mar Lago, the beautiful shopping and dining complex adjacent to the Ritz-Carlton. Old Las Vegas prices and well-known chefs have been stretched to the limits since the "soft" opening a few days ago. Como is open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The same menu is in effect all day.
The appetizer selection priced from $7 to $15 includes oysters Rockefeller, jumbo shrimp cocktail, lobster cocktail, goat cheese and portobella tart, Maine lobster bisque and onion soup gratinee.
Among the meal-size salads, $7 to $14, are Caesar with or without grilled chicken, Cobb salad, a cheese plate and a grilled prime rib salad with romaine lettuce, blue cheese and onion rings.
All sandwiches are served on rustic bread and included the house special shoestring potatoes. Main courses are priced from $12. Side dishes include the shoestring potatoes, fresh vegetables and pan-roasted wild mushrooms ($4 to $6). All desserts are $7. The apple tart, creme brulee, cobbler and flourless chocolate cake are super. Casual attire, moderate prices and good food in a beautiful lakeside setting.
Make-A-Wish fund-raiser at Spago: Escado will supply the fashion show, Wolfgang Puck the setting and the food, at 11 a.m. May 15. You supply the where- withal that keeps this wonderful organization making children with life-threatening illnesses happy. Tickets cost $125 per person and include appetizers and a a three-course lunch, the fashion show and many surprises. For reservations or more information call Make-A-Wish -- 212-9474.
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