Mon Ami Gabi

Paris Hotel’s Mon Ami Gabi Offers New Dishes, Wine Tasting

Photo credit: Jacqueline Monahan

Are you smarter than a Sommelier? Mon Ami Gabi wants to know. The French bistro and sidewalk café’s wine tasting will take place on Tuesday, June 24th and offers over 60 different wines from various regions. At $65 per person, that’s about one dollar per glass (you don’t drink, just taste) a real value. A Sommelier, for the uninitiated, is a wine director skilled in pairing different types of wine with complementary food choices. Rolling wine carts within the restaurant can attest to the variety and portability of France’s most beloved libation.

Photo credit: Jacqueline Monahan

Mon Ami Gabi, the Strip’s only sidewalk café, is a superb place to people watch while enjoying American cuisine with a French flair. Cordial, knowledgeable servers in formalwear guide you through the tempting fare. Red umbrellas shield guests from the desert sun and the bustling venue is rarely without a waiting line, many opting to go the longer route for an outside table. The restaurant also offers inside seating in three different ambiances (aside from a rather dark but elegant bar area at the entrance). Guests may opt for the traditional dining room with its enormous lighting fixtures, dark wood accents and high ceilings; or perhaps the solarium-like outer area (still inside, but almost out the door). Finally, there are the coveted umbrella-tables right on the Strip, across from the Bellagio Fountains and its spectacular water show.

Photo credit: Jacqueline Monahan

Some of the restaurant’s seasonal offerings, according to Sous Chef Matt Thompson, include Braised Short Ribs served with Pommes Puree (whipped potatoes) which is available on Sundays only, and a Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin with a Stone Fruit Relish. There’s also a Lamb T-bone with Ratatouille and Salsa Verde. Special dishes will also be offered for the French holiday known as Bastille Day, July 14th.

Chef Matt Thompson

Photo credit: Jacqueline Monahan

I was fortunate enough to visit the charming eatery for one brunch and one dinner, garnering the most menu offerings from which to choose. It’s always great when you can order eggs at noon, and Mon Ami Gabi’s Eggs Benedict with Salmon is a delight worthy of your palate from early morning through late afternoon. A half-dozen oysters on the half shell went down smoothly and a bit too quickly (my fault). The Belgian Waffle with Nutella and Cream was so devilishly decadent that it could have been served with a pitchfork as the preferred utensil. A Mimosa cocktail in a champagne flute added just the right touch of color and elegance to the table, not to mention a mild “kick.”

Photo credit: Jacqueline Monahan

Dinner service includes a serving of “Amuse” accompanied by a warm baguette in its own white bag. Amuse consists of shredded carrots with a sprinkling of parsley that is tossed in a champagne vinaigrette. It’s a light snack, something to munch on while you wait for your food, but not big enough to be called an appetizer. It’s also addicting, something you must experience firsthand. Fish and meat dishes are tender and expertly cooked, never overdone. A tenderloin almost did not need a knife to cut it.

The Onion Soup Au Gratin arrives in a tall white crock covered with cheese and loaded with onions and croutons. It’s only a cliché until you taste it, my friends; then it becomes an obsession.

The restaurant offers a variety of appetizers (hot and cold), entrees and desserts. The Smoked Salmon with brioche, crème fraîche, red onions and capers is so attractively served; it almost looks too pretty to eat. Almost. I nearly vacuumed the plate clean in my haste to layer the flavors into each satisfying bite. Daily fish specials (Poisson du Jour) show off the impressive flair for perfection that happily haunts the kitchen, and a Dover Sole did not spend much time on the plate when it arrived. Sharing a dish inevitably leads to coveting thy neighbor’s fare. There are a dozen varieties of steak and a dish featuring skate, a form or stingray. Sides include Whipped Cauliflower, Garlic Spinach and Frites (not your usual French fries).

Plats du Jour are daily specials, currently featuring Cassoulet Toulousain, (casserole of Pork Sausage, Duck Confit & Beans) on Sunday, a Filet Mignon with Truffle Butter on Monday, Duck L'Orange on Tuesday, Braised Lamb Shoulder with Chickpea Crepes on Wednesday, Dover Sole Meuniere on Thursday, Beef Wellington on Friday (not fish!), and an Herb Crusted Rib Eye on Saturday. Speaking from experience, this rib eye will make you roll yours in pleasure.

Photo credit: Jacqueline Monahan

On the lighter side, several elegant salads can satisfy those who wouldn’t think of a meal without greens. The Salade Maison incorporates goat cheese and croutons in an herb vinaigrette, while the Leek & Mâche Salad hosts blood orange and hazelnut within its leafy confines and the Butter Lettuce Salad is graced by apple, Gruyère cheese and walnuts. Salmon and Ahi tuna star in their own salad productions as well.

Photo credit: Jacqueline Monahan

Desserts include Profiteroles (vanilla ice cream filled pastry with fudge sauce), Chocolate Mousse, Crème Brûlée, Tarte Tatin (warm apple tarte, candied caramel sauce), Pear, Apple and Cranberry Crumble, and Sorbet du Jour.

Casual dress is the order of the day and walk-ins are accepted. Reservations are for indoor seating only. Outdoor seating is on first-come, first-serve basis. Personal wines are welcome, but a corkage fee applies. Mon Ami Gabi has sister restaurants in Chicago and Oak Brook, Illinois, and Bethesda, Maryland.

There’s a definite possibility of overindulgence here, which may leave you feeling like a little cochon (piggy); but this one cries Oui! Oui! Oui! all the way home, and returns again and again and again…

For further information:
Mon Ami Gabi
(Located in Paris Las Vegas)
3655 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas NV 89109
Phone: (702) 944-4224
Hours:
Brunch: Sat-Sun 11AM - 3PM;
Lunch: Mon-Fri 11:30AM - 3:45PM;
Dinner: Sun-Thurs 4PM - 11PM;
Fri-Sat 4PM - 12AM;

Website: http://www.monamigabi.com