Sushi Samba Executive Chef Herb Wilson Wins The Venetian / Palazzo Resort Culinary Clash .

 A  Culinary Mega City like Las Vegas where celebrity Chefs shine in a  galaxy of venues  offers many options to celebrate New Year’s Eve for visitors and locals alike.  Braving the Las Vegas strip on the last night of the year can be an interesting experience with multitudes of party goers vying for the perfect vantage point to ring in the New Year.

We choose to celebrate the evening in the comfort of The Venetian / Palazzo Resorts which houses some of the finest dining choices in the city, if not the world. Having attended the Culinary Clash where the best Chefs of the resort completed for the title of Top Chef on the property we knew exactly where we were going   to have our last meal of 2012.

Executive Chef Herb Wilson after winning the Championship

Chef Herb Wilson Executive Chef at Sushi Samba, fresh off his inspiring win where he literally left a hospital bed to not only compete but win the competition, was our choice to enjoy dining upon his culinary creations for the evening. Our eyes darted from left to right scanning dishes that already had our palates jumping with anticipation.

Executive Chef Herb Wilson on the way to the Championship

How could we overlook the Japanese Anese Grade A5 WAGYU and for additional offerings  ,BoBo Brazil* seared wagyu beef, avocado, kaiware, shiso, red onion, chimichurri or the 20oz Bone in Ribeye.  Sushi Samba is known for their specialty rolls and the Rainbow Dragon of freshwater eel, red bell pepper, cucumber, mango, and avocado is always a favorite. Another stand out, is the very elegantly created Miso-Marinated Chilean Sea Bass with roasted organic vegetables and oshinko.

With so many delicious choices to choose from, we began to think about what tasty treats we should start with.  The always attentive Chef Herb Wilson and General Manager Michael Durovsik appeared table side and offered to start us off on our last meal of the year. Nobody could turn that offer down. He closed our menus, ordered a nice Pinot Noir and we got ready to experience the artistry of Sushi Samba .

New Years Eve in Las Vegas is always exciting as one could only imagine. Then we heard the drums . Yes drums! And we had only just started enjoying our wine.

The Drums were real all right, and to our delight they were followed by a Samba Line featuring the very beautiful and colorful Samba girls snaking through the restaurant entertaining the guests.

Salmon Seviche with asparagus, red radish, pineapple, lime

The first courses started to arrived at the table, with exemplary efficiency. A very crisp and bright Salmon Seviche with asparagus, red radish, pineapple, lime was a great way to wake up our palates.  Peruvian Bay Scallops hot off Samba’s Robata grille with butter, citrus soy, and radish was a much appreciated gift from the sea.  The hits just kept coming with a variety of luscious Sushi, Sashimi and Rolls that were colorful and pleased our taste buds immensely.

Chef Herb appeared at our table with the New Years Eve Special that he had created to send off 2012 in true Samba style.  Our eyes admired the artistry of the dish as he placed it in the center of our table.  Chef Herbs’s creation of Spiny Lobster off the Robata , with rich Vanilla Butter oozing over  very succulent  Mango , tangy Meyer Lemon and baby leeks, provided a cornucopia of flavors that jumped off off  the plate and right into our awaiting mouths.

Spiny Lobster Robata , Vanilla Butter , Mango , Meyer Lemon, baby leek &
Filet Mignon Robatta foie gras butter , red wine aji panca, crispy collard Greens

Amazingly enough, that gastronomic delight was just half of the dish.  A perfectly cooked  Filet Mignon  off Robata  with rich foie gras butter , red wine aji panca, and crispy collard Greens competed this masterful  creation.  General Manager Michael was not quite done with us.  He came to our table with one of his personal favorites, The Samba Split for Two with creamy banana brûlée, doce de leite, coconut mochi, yamazaki cream which was a lovely way to punctuate our New Years Eve experience and our last meal of 2012.

Samba Split for Two with creamy banana brûlée, doce de leite, coconut mochi, yamazaki cream

SUSHISAMBA is a unique blend of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian cuisine, music and design inspired by thousands of Japanese emigrants who traveled to South America to cultivate coffee, in large cities like Lima in Peru and São Paulo in Brazil. This integration of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian cultures flourished with this very pleasing blend of cuisine from both sides of the Pacific Ocean.

Sushi Samba is one of those restaurants that we have visited on a variety of occasions and times. They are always consistent with the cuisine, service and cocktails. This is tribute to the Management and Staff that knows how to “do it right “.  When traveling you can also visit Sushi Samba in New York, Chicago , Miami and London as well.