Bring the Noise: Bottega Louie

Many people complain about the noise at Bottega Louie.

I love the noise. I love the low roar of scores of simultaneous conversations. I love the clacking of stiletto heels on the cold white marble floors. I love the clanging of the pans. I love the clinking of the glasses. I love all the echoes magnified by the high ceiling, ringing throughout the luminous space.

Bottega Louie is vibrant. Bottega Louie is alive.

The last time I blogged about Bottega Louie was more than two years ago when I first tried it and ate there twice in one week. I loved it that much. Immediately.

I particularly enjoy Bottega Louie for brunch, when daylight infuses the restaurant with a captivating soft glow.

I love the bottles of water on the table. I love the orange seasoned salt.

My friend got a Kobe beef hamburger with Bibb lettuce, Brandywine tomato, red onion, and fries ($15).

Look at that glistening fresh bun!

I devoured a breakfast flatbread with proscuitto, mozzarella, baked egg, and arugula ($8).

Brunch for just $8! Can you see why I love this place?

My friend's kid destroyed some scrambled eggs and toast.

Even kids get fancy blueberry butter for their toast.

My friend gave her kid this stunning cupcake, too. It was so delicate. It was so pretty.

You have no idea how horrified I was to witness this. I did not love the demolition.

I love ogling at all the goodies in the bakery of Bottega Louie.

One night, after dinner at Sugarfish across the street, I bought a perfect brilliant green pistachio cupcake. I savored it slowly and thoughtfully -- the way a work of art should be appreciated.

Fast Filipino Fare: Red Ribbon Bakeshop

Red Ribbon Bakeshop is a chain of Filipino bakeries that also happens to serve some small Filipino entrees.

This place is great for a quick, cheap lunch on a weekday. All entrees are just $4.39.

Arroz caldo, baked macaroni, sotanghon, free sample of ube (purple yam) cake, and two slices of unidentified cake that my friends ate.

If you can't resist the cake, you can get a combo meal with cake and a soda for $6.40 to $6.90. A pretty good deal!

Brunch and Baked Goods at Bouchon

We had brunch at Bouchon at the Venetian during both our December and April trips to Las Vegas. This post memorializes both visits.

Note the Christmas tree in the background. Yes, it was December.

You will never forget where you are dining.

Every plate reminds you.

Beignets du jour -- house-made spiced doughnuts with Bouchon Bakery jam and Nutella spread ($7).

Enjoyable but nothing at all like the hot deep-fried wonders at Cafe du Monde in New Orleans. As promised by the menu, these were "just" French spiced doughnuts. If that's what you expect, you'll be pleased enough. I used the Nutella liberally.

Omelette du jour -- spicy chorizo, spinach, cheese ($17).


Simple but lovely. No need for our usual Tabasco for this egg dish.

Steak and eggs Benedict ($26.95).

Morning decadence on an English muffin. Big fat meaty eggy yum.

Side of potatoes accompanying the Benedict.

As the Lucky Charms leprechaun would say, these were magically delicious. Like they're-always-after-me-lucky-potatoes delicious. Like oh-my-God-why-are-these-so-good delicious. Like facking-derishus delicious.

When the Oros said they had breakfast cravings during our April weekend together, we knew exactly where to go. Back to Bouchon!

Raspberry beignets ($7).


Fancy jelly donuts never tasted so good.

Omelette du jour -- Dungeness crab, cherry tomato, spinach, cheddar ($17).

Another hit, although Mrs. Oro did shake some Tabasco on it.

Breakfast Américaine -- two eggs any style served with bacon, country sausage, pommes frites, toasted brioche, choice of a breakfast pastry, fresh juice, and Bouchon blend coffee ($22). (Fries, juice, and coffee not pictured.)

Bouchon's version of a Grand Slam -- way more awesome than Denny's version, as it should be, given the price. We all shared Mr. Oro's strawberry croissant, which was more like a crumble than a croissant. Crumble, croissant, who cares? It was the equivalent of breakfast candy, and that made us all very happy.

Chicken and waffles -- roasted chicken, bacon and chive waffle, Tahitian vanilla bean butter, Sauce Chasseur, maple syrup ($25).

I liked Mr. Monkey's dish the most. The chicken was exquisite -- so juicy, tender, and well-seasoned. Loved it with the Sauce Chasseur, but it didn't even need it. The waffles were the star, though. Slightly salty and paired with Vanilla butter and syrup, they were perfection.

Oeuf du jour -- creamy grits, prosciutto, English peas, piquillo peppers, scrambled eggs, fine herb Hollandaise ($26).

When I see grits, I order grits. These may have been the hoity-toity-est grits I've ever had. And, in case you don't speak French, oeuf du jour means "egg of the day." Good stuff, but the chicken and waffles stole my heart.

Bouchon French toast -- bread pudding-style with warm layers of brioche, custard, apples, and served with maple syrup ($12).

You can get this as your meal, but we opted to share one for dessert. Genius! I think it would be far too sweet for a main course. Split between the four of us, however, it worked wonderfully -- a few sugary bites to cap off a splendid brunch.

After brunch, we headed downstairs to the bakery to pick up some goodies to go.

It's not hard to guess what was bought from this bakery.

Overpriced Mexican and a Huge Chocolate Fountain

I woke up Sunday with a smile on my face, still giddy from our fabulous modern French dinner and ear-shattering concert the night before. I hoped that this day would also be filled with good eats and fun.

We have a Border Grill of our own in Santa Monica, but we've never been. With so much cheap authentic Mexican food around, we've had little motivation to try fancified Mexican food in Santa Monica, even when prepared by Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger of recent Top Chef Masters fame.

So why'd we go to Border Grill in Vegas? Another restaurant.com discount! This time we had a $25 gift certificate that we bought for just $1.

We sat on the patio overlooking a portion of Mandalay Bay's lazy river.

Fresh guacamole and chips ($9).

Hass avocado, cilantro, red onion, jalapeño, lime. Very nice. But would I get it for $9 if I didn't have a gift certificate? Hell no!

Sparkling pomegranate limeade, sparkling white peach lemonade ($5 each).

Really loved these. Refreshing and yummy and not too sweet.

Santa Fe enchiladas ($19).

Achiote chicken, guajillo sauce, Mexican cheeses, black beans, two fried eggs, guacamole, mizuna salad. Smoky and heavy.

Shrimp and chorizo Anaheim chile relleno ($22).

Sauteed shrimp, chorizo, Oaxacan string cheese, caramelized shallots, tempura batter, chipotle cream sauce, seasonal salad, guacamole. Definitely out-of-the-ordinary with the use of tempura batter.

Was this any better than the Mexican food we usually eat? It was prettier and made with quality ingredients. The answer, however, is no. We certainly enjoyed our meal, but I was glad we didn't pay full price.

After brunch, we went to the Bellagio to check out the lavish Christmas decorations. They were really colorful and larger than life, but I won't post those photos because it's April. I doubt any of you want to see snowmen, polar bears, reindeer, and toy soldiers right now.

While at Bellagio, we stopped by Jean Philippe Patisserie, home of the world's largest chocolate fountain certified by the Guinness World Records.

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate from the ceiling to the floor. Impressive.

Before we left Vegas, we both got some awesome discounted spa treatments at Qua, which I highly recommend. Special thanks to Mr. Monkey's former co-worker's cousin, who is a manager there!

But this is not the end of Vegas. This is just the conclusion of our December weekend. Stay tuned for our recent April trip!