Vegas Food Adventure Part Two

So, back to the amazing food we had in Vegas. Next up is China Poblano by Jose Andres at The Cosmopolitan Hotel. The Cosmopolitan is the newest hotel on the Strip, dazzling with crystal chandeliers from every corner, sparkling in the casino lights. It’s chic, sophisticated and the crowd is young (late twenties-early thirties). Along with China Poblano, there are in total 10 restaurants and bars to chose from, so your options are very diverse. After a long day of walking around, we took a break back at our hotel and then headed to China Poblano for a light dinner. I’ve been to a few Jose Andres restaurants in DC and have had great experiences in all of them, so trying China Poblano had increased excitement.China Poblano is a fusion of Chinese and Mexican, not normally a combination we see in the restaurant industry. The decoration on the outside are two neon signs, one flashing “Tacos” and the other “Noodles”. This sets the mood when you enter and the hostess greets you, informing you on which side you will be sitting. We sat in the Chinese side of the restaurant, with full view of that side of the prep kitchen. After ordering our drinks, we watched the cooks make pot stickers with such delicate movements and every bit of stuffing was precisely measured by instinct.
The following are a few pictures of the hotel and our meal.

Luxury exudes everywhere at The Cosmopolitan

Crystal Elegance

The Restaurants at The Cosmopolitan

Queso Fundido melted chihuahua cheese/
tequila blanco/fresh tortillas

Carnitas braised baby pig/pork rinds/
spicy salsa verde cruda

When Pigs Fly 4pc delicate steamed buns/
Chinese barbeque pork

Pollo a la Parrilla grilled chicken/
mole sauce

A squeeze of Lime

Meal Commentaries:

Queso Fundido. Our waiter dropped this off at the table and said “You guys are in for a treat!” and made us extremely excited to try this. Sadly, it was a disappointment. Not only was it a tiny portion (bottom of the bowl), but flavorless. The tequila added nothing to the dish, you could barely feel it. If it hadn’t been listed on the menu, I would have never known it was in the cheese. The warm, homemade corn tortillas were a nice addition and the roasted peppers on top added a bit more flavor. Not the best recommendation to try, but their menu has so many more options, so give any one of them a try!

Carnitas Tacos: these were amazing! “braised baby pig” might be my favorite phrase of all times. Add pork rinds” to it and I’m in heaven! Seriously, these were great tacos. The addition of the salsa verde cruda gave it the freshness it needed and was a great balance.

Pollo Tacos: Simple flavors, well executed mole. The garnish of a grilled green onion was lovely, but would have preferred if it was chopped on top. Even though it did add presentation to the taco, biting through it was not that easy.

Drink Menu was varied and very fresh. The flower garnish added great color, but I’m not a fan of garnishes I can’t eat!

We had a great time at China Poblano and The Cosmopolitan and would recommend it if you are on the Strip. Chef Jose Andres always makes me want to return for more of his great food! Must try! Cheers!