By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com
China Grill - Las Vegas
I had planned everywhere we were going while in Las Vegas but did have a couple of nights free to choose things randomly. On one of these random nights we stopped at a good looking place called China Grill in the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. I had walked past it several times on the way to the conference I was attending and had even read about the restaurant in Zagat’s 2009 Las Vegas book. It had a good rating in the book so I figured why not?
According to Zagat’s, China Grill hearkens from New York City with an outpost in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas outpost is nicely decorated and not too loud. My wife and I were able to have a conversation without any problems and that’s saying something given the town we were in. China Grill offers a fusion of western and eastern food. While the items are distinctively Chinese in origin you can see the western influences in most dishes.
We showed up, without reservations, at 6pm for dinner and were seated immediately. They had a sushi happy hour going but we opted for the dining room (and a regular dinner.) They gave us a table in the middle that was relatively quiet even though we were between booths and a 10-top table (a table that had 10 seats.)
After a few minutes the waiter showed up and took our drink orders. He also gave us our menus and told us about the fixed-price menu (of pre-determined items.) While he was off getting our drinks we chose the lobster pancakes and spiced crispy pork belly for appetizers. We also agreed on entrees of grilled garlic shrimp and grilled Szechuan beef.
For most items on the menu you can choose either the half or full portion. The waiter explained to us that half of a portion is plenty for one person but recommended the full portions for two or more people (family style.) After eating there I can tell you that the half portions are fine for people with small to medium appetites. If I were hungrier I would have wanted the full portions. We opted for half-portions for everything except the beef, which did not have a half-portion available.
Pork Belly and Lobster Pancake
Appetizers
The lobster pancakes ($17 half-portion/$32 full-portion) came out within 5 minutes and looked great. Our server cut the single pancake in half and served us. We had a single pancake due to ordering the half-portion but it was enough for our liking. Although the food came out scarily fast, it looked fresh and tasted great. The lobster was very tender and the pancake was light and fluffy. The menu describes the appetizer as being stir fried with wild mushrooms, red chili, scallions & coconut milk. The coconut and chili mixture made for a silky sauce on top and had a great flavor to it. All in all the appetizer exceeded expectations. My only suggestion would be to order a full portion in the future.
The spiced crispy pork belly ($13 half-portion / $21 full-portion) came out with our lobster roll (which is why you see it pictured above on the same plate.) The pork belly is accompanied by a avocado salad and is sauced with a watermelon salad and sweet and sour chili sauce. The avocado salad tasted much like guacamole but was a great addition to eat bite of the pork. The sauce had a nice crisp flavor to it as well and went well with the dish. Once again, my only negative was that I wish I had more of the dish. It was quite good and cooked perfectly.
Entrees
Grilled Szechuan beef
Our two entrees came out after about 15 minutes of waiting. First we received the grilled garlic shrimp ($21 half-portion / $39 full-portion) that was accompanied by black fettuccine and a red curry coconut sauce. The dish came with three jumbo shrimp were slightly overcooked but had a nice flavor to them. The fettuccine had a pleasant texture and the curry sauce was a nice addition. Personally, I would not order the entree again. It wasn’t bad, but it also wasn’t good enough to warrant a second round. There was plenty of food for one person even though we only ordered the half-portion.
Secondly we received the grilled Szechuan beef ($42) made with sake, soy, spicy shallots and cilantro. The beef was accompanied by a large stack of crispy fried noodles topped with a white sauce as well. You cannot order a half-portion of this dish; hence, the full portion price. I ordered the beef cooked medium-rare and it met my expectations. It had little flavor to it but the sauce on the crispy noodles had a good amount of flavor. If I were creating the dish I would have put the sauce on the beef instead of the noodles. I did eat the beef with the noodles, at the same time, but they were a little too crisp for my liking. In the end, I wouldn’t order the beef again. If it had more flavor it could be a big winner.
Desert
Cheesecake Wontons
The last thing we ordered ended up being a dessert of cheesecake wontons – ($9). You cannot find the dessert listed on the online menu but it is one of the best things offered at the China Grill. You receive a steamer basked of 3 large wontons, all filled with cheesecake. The wontons are sprinkled with powdered sugar and are accompanied by four sauces in two small dishes. The first dish has a mango and strawberry(?) sauce while the second dish has white and dark chocolate sauces. The wontons tasted amazing and were perfect when dipped in each sauce. I would order this dish again without giving it a second thought.
The total bill for two people came out to $160.00 USD which is about right for Las Vegas. It felt a bit on the expensive side but was worth the trip. I do wish the entrees would have pleased me more but overall I would recommend going to the China Grill if you are in town. We talked about going back and just ordering appetizers (and dessert of course!)
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, NV 89119
702.632.7404
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