Mesa Grill

Caesars Palace
3570 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
702.650.5962

Mesa Grill is buried in the back of Caesars Palace, near the sports bet area. When I arrived I was told there would be a 10 minute wait for a table. Even though there were many empty tables. It was a pleasant wait, it was cool inside. The temperature outside is a blistering 102 degrees, which must make the temperature on the street 110 at least. The high for today is suppose to be 104.

I was seated with a view of the open kitchen, which was interesting. I ordered the Roasted Corn Soup with smoked tomato salsa, and the Ancho Chile-Honey Glazed Salmon with Spicy Black Bean Sauce + Roasted Jalapeno Crema.

The table next to me received their soup before I did, so I had a commentary on the taste before mine arrived. The 12 year old described the soup as tasting like creamed corn only spicier. Mine arrived a few minutes later. I would have to agree that it did taste like creamed corn; only the corn had a roasted taste. It had a decorative sprinkling of red chili oil with the smoked tomato salsa on top of that. The tomato salsa must have had some jalapeno peppers chopped up in it as well.



The Salmon was plated attractively. It was sitting on top of a black bean sauce which was cold. I think it would have been better if it had been at least room temperature. The salmon was cooked to perfection. The honey glaze had a crunchy feel and was very good. The salmon was propped up on a pile of cooked spinach. The sauces around the edge were very colorful. There was a bright green chili oil, an ancho chile sauce, and a creamy white sauce that had smoky taste. The salmon was topped with a tomatilo salsa. The dish was very good I would give it a 5 star.

The bread basket contained a corn bread muffin that was half yellow meal and the other half was blue corn meal. It was excellent.



Rating: *****
Service: ****
Water/ Soup/Lunch: 40.00

Orlando's New Mexican Cafe

1114 Don Juan Valdez Ln
Taos, NM 87571
505.751.1450

I’m still dreaming of Orlando’s years later. It is the best New Mexican cuisine that I’ve ever had. I would fly from Orlando to Taos just for this meal. The restaurant is located just north of Taos on the right hand side of the road. The restaurant is small and intimate. The view from the front door is spectacular. Taos Mountain is just across the road. There is a warming fire pit out front just incase you have to wait on a cold New Mexican night. The interior is decorated with hand tooled tin in the Mexican style.
The food is classic New Mexican cuisine. I always have the enchilada plate. It consists of Pinto beans, pozole, and flat blue corn enchiladas in a green chili sauce topped with cheese. There was also a small garnish of chopped tomato salad. I love this dish. I have not been able to reproduce it at home, probably the lack of fresh New Mexican green chilies.


Rating: *****
Service:***
They except cash only.