Tapas & Zapatos

From left to right: Sophie Gayot, pastry chef Quentin Welch, sous chef Mario Medina, Lucas Paya

I just returned from an intense culinary trip at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Part one of my eating journey started with dinner at chef José Andrés’s restaurant Jaleo. As it’s an Andrés restaurant, you can expect Spanish cuisine, but be sure that something unusual will happen during the course of the evening.

Find a seating area to suit your mood — note that the bar is not for sushi but for tapas. One of the dining tables is actually a foosball table with players from F.C. Barcelona and Real Madrid all dressed up.. The choices on the menu are quite numerous, so let the staff guide you in making your selections. There are many must-haves, including the Ferran Adrià olives, toasted rustic bread brushed with fresh tomato, chilled almond and garlic soup, pork and foie gras canelones, and one of the paellas. The “Secreto Ibérico con pan tomate y salsa verde” is described on the menu as “a secret,” so the only thing I’ll say is that it’s good and you should order it.

To find a wine or drink, ask for the iPad to discover the new application developed by Lucas Paya, the Director of Beverage, New Projects & Development of José Andrés’s Think Food Group.

You might be wondering why I’m holding up a pair of tennis shoes (that match my dress!) in this picture with the chefs and Lucas Paya. These shoes, part of a collection of 30, are Jaleo’s unusual serving dishes for the croquetas de pollo (traditional chicken fritters). Luckily they are brand new and all clean. I would be interested to hear what you think about these, as they are not my most favorite “platos” (plates).

You can read the full review of Jaleo, written by our local Las Vegas editor, in our Restaurants section — in case you did not know, we only have professional and local writers in the markets we cover. If you want to discover the restaurant with José Andrés himself, watch my exclusive video interview with the famous Spaniard from the opening night of The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas back in December.

Keep coming back to GAYOT.com for more Las Vegas Restaurant News, Las Vegas Restaurant Reviews, Las Vegas Culinary Events and Las Vegas Wine Events.

You can click on each photo to enlarge to see dishes from Jaleo at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas restaurant menu. All photos by Sophie Gayot.