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The Pioneer of Japanese Fusion Cuisine Ventures Into New Territory
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please the mainstream crowd as well as the asian guests,” buckley says. “so we’ve incorporated a few asian flavors into the dishes but kept them recognizable because we don’t want to alienate anybody.” early risers are greeted with green-tea waffles ($23) made with a classic waffle batter with hints of vanilla and green-tea butter, served with shiso syrup and cream scented with yuzu, the tart Japanese citrus fruit. Pancakes made with soba flour, normally reserved for the starchy soba noodles, are served with blueberry yuzu compote ($22), yuzu-scented thomaS Buckley
cream and pecan miso butter. traditional dishes are offered as well. “We have Japanese-style congee—poached rice with mushrooms and a little egg on top,” buckley says. “and we have a silken tofu black cod hot pot with noodles [$23]. these are the type of dishes you’d find in Japan.” even a Vegas standby such as steak and eggs has been “Nobu-fied,” buckley says. here it’s served with teriyaki sauce and jalapeño salsa ($37). even the humble club sandwich ($25) is transformed into something extraordinary: buckley and his team take shokupan, a Japanese version of white bread, and cut it lengthwise. it is layered with miso-marinated chicken, lettuce, tomato and mayo ponzu mustard sauce, rolled like sushi and toasted in a pan so it crisps on the outside. this may just be the first sandwich you’ll want to eat with chopsticks. but in the comfort of your own Nobu suite, you can enjoy it however you like. Nobu Hotel and Restaurant at Caesars Palace, 702.731.7110; nobucaesarspalace.com –Grace Bascos From left: Steak and eggs with teriyaki sauce and jalapeno salsa; silken tofu black cod hot pot with noodles; bagel and lox crispy rice, everything mix, tofu crema, salmon “pastrami,” onion, caper and ponzu.
SABIN ORR
Nobu Matsuhisa is a trailblazer in the culinary world: he was the first chef to combine traditional Japanese dishes with ingredients indigenous to a south american country, creating Japanese-Peruvian fusion cuisine. he’s the reason every Japanese restaurant serves yellowtail sashimi with slivers of jalapeño. Now Nobu-san breaks uncharted ground again with a restaurant and a boutique hotel on the las Vegas strip. adding to its pantheon of restaurants, Caesars Palace now houses the largest Nobu in the world. With more than 11,000 square feet, the David rockwell-designed space offers not only signature items that guests around the world have come to associate with the master, such as the miso black cod, but it also serves as the kitchen for the Nobu hotel’s in-room dining menu. Corporate chef thomas buckley, who has opened locations in Miami, Dallas, Milan, spain and the bahamas, played an integral part in developing the in-room cuisine for the 181-room hotel, consulting and testing with Nobu-san along the way. For buckley and chef Nobu, the ideal menu has the las Vegas guest in mind while staying true to the cuisine for which the legendary chef is known. “We try to